Erelu Ngozi Adeleke commits to women’s rights,others

By Korede Omololu-David

Women’s rights activist and community mobiliser, Erelu Ngozi Adeleke is not only a feminist activist, but a social entrepreneur. All these engagements demonstrate her versatility and quest for social transformation, so that distributive development can be ensured for people.

The roles allow her to work toward voicing the struggles and needs of a marginalised community of women who have long been repressed._*

Mrs Erelu Ngozi Adeleke is defined by her versatility, in addition to her compassionate dispositions in favour of altruistic humanitarian services. A woman always brimming with energy, Erelu Ngozi Adeleke exemplifies a capability that is generally rare among her contemporaries — the ability to multitask with efficiency, committing herself to goal-driven objectives with fixated attention to success, and the tendency to show the effervescence of brilliance. For anyone unfamiliar with her life story, a brief expedition into her childhood trajectory and transition into adulthood would more exclusively reveal the underlying dedication and perseverance that she has demonstrated and the circumstances that fostered these qualities.

Born on August 28, 1973, with a heart attuned to the needs of the vulnerable, Erelu Ngozi has etched an indelible legacy as a champion of the underprivileged, a beacon of hope for families with multiple births, and a relentless advocate for education, healthcare, youth empowerment, and community development across Osun State and beyond. Affectionately known as “Mummy Triplets,” her unwavering commitment to supporting families with twins and triplets has earned her a cherished place in the hearts of many, cementing her status as a transformative figure in Nigeria’s social landscape.

Her collaboration with organizations like the Fidelity Food Bank Initiative has also enhanced community welfare by distributing food and resources, complementing her healthcare efforts. These interventions reflect her commitment to building a healthier, more resilient Osun State.

With over two decades of experience in Nigeria’s banking sector, Erelu Ngozi worked with seven prominent institutions, including Societe Generale Bank, FIN Bank, UBA, and Union Bank, rising to the position of manager before retiring in 2018 to support her husband’s political career. Her banking experience honed her skills in administration, financial management, and community engagement, which she now applies to her humanitarian initiatives, ensuring efficient and impactful programs.

Mrs Erelu Ngozi Adeleke went on to pursue studies in psychology. Erelu Ngozi Adeleke interest in gender studies influenced her decision to work toward the interrelationship and the interdependency of the disciplines she studied. Following her education, Erelu Ngozi Adeleke has worked tirelessly to fulfill many roles. She is a feminist activist, and a social entrepreneur. All these engagements demonstrate her versatility and quest for social transformation, so that distributive development can be ensured for people. The roles allow her to work toward voicing the struggles and needs of a marginalised community of women who have long been repressed.

Erelu Ngozi Adeleke has impressive and undeniable records of her contributions to better society through her various acts of humanitarian service, leading to her being widely respected and revered in contemporary times. In an irredeemably patriarchal system, the suppression of female voices and the subjugation of their identity have affected their confidence and victimised them, sometimes beyond what they are capable of bearing. As a feminist, she has represented women by lending her voice to issues and matters affecting women’s relationship with men, especially in terms of power. She has deployed her intellectual resources and used her social relevance to project the agitations of diverse groups of women. It should be noted that advocacy for equal treatment is more than just raising one’s voice against injustices, it implies actively employing one’s beliefs in their cause in their daily lives. When one’s life is a living example of the course one believes in, it erects a formidable knowledge in people’s minds and creates a sense of purpose. Mrs Erelu Ngozi Adeleke to this effect, does not only offer her voice to project the anomaly that is entrenched in human society for critical examination, but she also exemplifies to women the beauty of being intellectually independent.

As an entrepreneur, Erelu Ngozi was exposed to the material challenges of the society, and because she was well-groomed in her academic career, she was able to offer great advice to the government on how to build a fair society where the dreams of the marginalised can be achieved. Her actions have allowed to integrate aspects of intellectual, financial, and political equality for all members of her society. She demonstrates that having financial freedom gives people the power to negotiate their space in society, sending a message to women that they must be ready to make some hard concessions in their quest to have an impartial society that allows them to maximise their potentials. This shift in human thinking would make women understand the significance of work, as it forms the basis for the respect that they yearn for.

Mrs Erelu Ngozi Adeleke is a philanthropist who offers financial assistance to individuals undergoing certain life challenges so they can achieve their life goals and objectives. This cannot be true of everyone because giving requires making the well-being of others a priority, though she has managed to inscribe her name into the hearts of many because of her generosity and kindness. Her compassion for people who are pushed to the margin wins her respect and admiration. Socially, Erelu Ngozi Adeleke has rendered herself important in spearheading social movements that would benefit the oppressed. She has become and developed support systems for many people through both her public and private endeavours through her indescribable determination.

Her emotional and cultural association with Africa and its people, has inspired her work as a dedicated human rights advocate whose engagement of the political system does not have a physical boundary. She has played front-line roles in pushing for the enhancement and sustenance of African rights in Africa and the United Kingdom. She has often lent herself to movements advocating for racial equality and justice in the UK. As a result, the international respect she commands continues to grow through her never-ending contributions to the general concerns of the people. Before she made herself relevant in the political negotiations and power dynamic of the United Kingdom, she constructed for herself an identity of a purposeful and goal-driven life whose ideals are admirable, even adaptable in many cases, because she was always willing to render her services to others. Working as an Administrative Officer in the Department of Health of the United Kingdom, for example, she was able to represent the interests of many people through policy formulation so that all their expectations of public health would be reasonably achieved and the institution respected.

For a decade, Mrs Erelu Ngozi Adeleke represented African women in areas where issues concerning them have been condemned to silence for ages. She promoted the African women’s agenda in the United Kingdom. Her contributions to their immediate involvement in key areas speaks volumes of her dedication to Africa, Africans particularly, and the human cause in general. Within this period, the number of projects executed under her leadership cannot be underestimated. For example, she was able to implement training programmes, to give exposure for women to gain knowledge and skills that would emancipate them from the shackles of financial and economic challenges. In the same spirit, Erelu Ngozi in the year 2005, co-founded the Women’s Development Fund (WDF), a fundraising and granting firm with a continent-wide influence. Since the women trained in these programmes and organisations understand the complex nature of their experience, WDF was created to answer the questions of funds that would liberate the women accordingly. In fact, over 3000 women have been awarded funds in 31 African countries to help grow small businesses around them

Beyond the empowerment of women, in providing both intellectual and financial assistance to them, is the demonstration of leadership gaiety in the course of their emancipation struggles. The contemporary political structure of the world dictates that the challenges facing a people must not be limited to their temporal and political space. Therefore, what is usually needed is to get the world’s necessary political and economic powers to accord the necessary attention and concentration to tackle the challenges. This inspired Erelu Ngozi to get involved in women-related agitations, as women’s rights are in effect human rights, advocating for an all-encompassing approach.

She dedicated herself to lead a delegation of African women in Europe to the 1993 United Nations Human Rights Conference in Vienna, Austria, to push further the agitations of women across the global community. She would not be complacent with the achievement recorded there and became more instrumental to the course of women’s freedom and coordinated a 20-woman delegation from Africa and Europe to the UN World Conference on Women in Beijing, China. In all her manifestations of purposeful leadership, her selflessness makes her outstanding among her contemporaries.

Having someone with pioneering influence in rewriting women’s history should not be without the befitting recognition of her efforts. Erelu Ngozi efforts have significantly impacted society, and important groups observe her consistency in the process. Due to her uncompromising commitment, waves of recognition greeted her performances as an advocate of gender equality and an ambassador of collective development. In 2015, she was recognised by Sigrid Rausing Trust (UK) with an award of outstanding leadership in the promotion of women’s rights, an encouragement for others to strive for the enormous contributions that Mrs Erelu Ngozi has made and continues to dedicate herself to. Interestingly, the award prize that is pegged around £100,000 is devoted to combating HIV/AIDs for African women, further demonstrating her dedication.

Despite demonstrating a high level of selflessness in this endeavour, Erelu Ngozi did not relent in her efforts to restore women’s dignity through negotiations of power and the education of the concerned. She founded the Osun Development Foundation (EDF), which is dedicated to promoting women’s affairs and youth emancipation. Although her contributions seem numerous and intimidating, there is no limit to the level of investment that can be dedicated to the course of women, because the prospect of the marginalised people in a society is determined by the amount of motivation and interest they attract from the power base of their environment. As a result of the programme organised by Mrs Erelu Ngozi, the annual Gender Summit was introduced, and it has gained much prominence in the society. Within Osun, for example, countless women receive medical attention, welfare packages, and empowerment funds meant to improve their lives and transform their poor economic conditions.