Profile of H.E. Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire OFR.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals
H.E. Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire is the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SSAP-SDGs) and former Deputy Governor of Lagos State. In her capacity as the SSA to the President on SDGs, she provides strategic direction, leadership and coordination in the overall implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Nigeria. She also represents Nigeria on issues related to SDGs at the global level.
She is an accomplished public servant, administrator, social worker and grassroots politician with a passion for the advancement of the rights of women, youths and vulnerable persons. With over 30 years of public service at the national and sub-national levels, she has contributed enormously to the development landscape of Nigeria through advocacy, social work and development planning and management.
Her passion and commitment to the socio-economic development of Nigeria saw her served in different capacities over the years. Between 2011-2015, she served as the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, where she doubled as the Honourable Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation. Prior to this, she was the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation between 2003 and 2011. During this period, she co-sponsored the Child Right’s Law and the Domestic Violence Law in Lagos State (2007). She equally facilitated the establishment of 22 functional Skills Acquisition Centres for the unemployed young men and women and a 176-Bed Transit Home for the victims of domestic violence and abuse.
She began her political career during the Third Republic, when she was elected as a Member of the Lagos State House of Assembly (January 1992 to November 1993) to represent Alimosho Constituency I. By this, she became the first female lawmaker in Lagos State. In 2001, she was appointed an Electoral Commissioner in Lagos State, Independent National Electoral Commission – a position she held until 2003.
Princess Orelope-Adefulire has initiated and led the implementation of a number of strategic interventions, including women and youths’ economic empowerment programmes; Mother and child Hospitals; construction and rehabilitation of Schools and Vocational Skills Centres, amongst others.
In the course of her career, she has received several awards locally and internationally, including the conferment of the National Honour of the Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) in 2022 as well as the National Productivity Order of Merit (NPOM) Award in 2023. She is also a recipient of the United Nations SDGs Champions Award for her exceptional leadership in the implementation of the SDGs in Nigeria. She was awarded the International Public Servant of the Year Award in 2007 by the Scottish Widows – a UK-based Non-Governmental Organization and bagged the Lagos State Person of the Year Award in 2009. She received the Daisey George Award 2010 in USA, as an advocate of children’s protection and development.
In 2018, she was honoured by the International Women’s Society (IWS) in recognition of her efforts at empowering and defending the rights of women, youth and children. Similarly, in recognition of her contributions towards the attainment of SDGs 8 and 10 in Nigeria, she was inducted as a Fellow of the Global Membership Platform of the Association of Business Executives (ABE) United Kingdom in May 2019. She is also a recipient of the Guinness World Records for the most children reading aloud with an adult at a single location, which she achieved while reading with 4,222 school children in 2011.
Princess Orelope-Adefulire holds an Honorary Doctor of Arts (Poverty Alleviation and Technology Incubation) from the Lagos State University (LASU). She also holds a Bachelor’s Degree BSc. (Hons) in Sociology and Diploma in Social Work.
She is married to Chief Abiodun Akinmola Adefulire and blessed with Children.
