Adeola Austin Oyinlade

Adeola Austin Oyinlade (born 6 August 1981) is a Nigerian lawyer, human rights and International Law expert, international speaker and United Nations Young Ambassador for Peace. He is a consultant to the African Union Commission (Youth Division) on the implementation of African Youth Charter, resource person to UNESCO, UNDP and many other international and intergovernmental organisations. He uses law as a tool of social engineering and problem-solving across Nigeria and Africa.

Adeola Austin Oyinlade was born on 6 August 1981 in Akure, Akure South Local Government Area of Ondo State, Nigeria to late Elder Michael Boluwaji Igbekele and Deaconess Florence Oyinlade. His late Grandfather, Pa Gabriel Oyinlade married Madam Emilola Oyinlade, the daughter of Arogbodo, Elemo of Akure Land. Adeola was raised in his father's house at Oke-Aro area of Akure, in Ondo state.

While writing his secondary school certificate examination in 1998 at Akure Secondary Commercial School in Akure, he lost his dad, the bread winner of his family.

His radio talent was discovered by the duo of Ayo Omotosho and Ige Jongbo who were ace broadcasters in Akure, Ondo state and recommended him as a radio presenter to OSRC 96.5FM Akure, in 2001. After about six years of working on radio (O.S.R.C 96.5 FM and FRCN Positive 102.5 fm both in Akure) between 2001 and 2006, he moved to UNILAG 103.1 FM when he gained admission to study law in the University of Lagos, where he produced and presented many radio programmes and the award-winning 'Know Your Constitution' designed to simplify law in force to the understanding of the ordinary man on the street in Lagos, Nigeria.

Adeola Austin Oyinlade completed his Primary school Leaving Certificate at Irotitun Community Primary School, Akure, Ondo state in 1992. He proceeded to C.A.C Adu Memorial High School and Akure Secondary Commercial School, Akure for his Senior Secondary School Education between 1993 and 1998. He sat for the first ever National Examination Council (NECO) Exam in 2000 at the Community High School, Isharun, Ondo state.

In 2006, he left for University of Lagos for his Bachelor of Laws (LLB) Degree in Law and proceeded to the Nigerian Law School, Abuja, for his Barrister at Law Certificate and was called into the Nigerian bar in 2012 as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. He completed his Master of Law (LLM) in Human Rights, Law of International Institutions, Constitutional Law and Administrative Law at the University of Lagos in 2014.

Adeola is the Principal Partner of Adeola Oyinlade & Co; a fully serviced law firm based in Lagos, Nigeria with special expertise in Litigation; Human Rights; Commercial, Corporate and International Law.

As a public international speaker, Adeola has graced United Nations, African Union, and Commonwealth of Nations speaking platforms among others in cities across Nigeria and around the world such as Abuja, Lagos, Addis Ababa, Paris, Nairobi, Baku Azerbaijan, and Vienna etc.

In April 2011, He addressed the plenary sessions of the African Union's African Youth Forum 2011 on 'Readiness to reform National Laws and Legislation in compliance with the African Youth Charter' in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; the 7th UNESCO Youth Forum Youth Voice for Change in Paris, France in 2011, on 'Youth-led social innovation in Africa '; the UNHABITAT and UNDP co-organized YOUTH 21 Forum 2012 in Nairobi, Kenya on 'Intergenerational Dialogue on Africa, Youth Socio-Economic and Political Participation; the Youth Alliance for Leadership and Development in Africa (YALDA) Conference on 'Legal services and Human Rights Ideas'; the African Union's Youth Experts meetings on the promotion of African Youth Charter; the National Youth Conference on Constitution Review in Abuja in 2012 on 'Evolving a people's constitution: Issues and processes’ and others.

As an international law and human rights expert and United Nations Young Ambassador for Peace, Adeola has featured regularly and proffered solutions to human rights, internal and non-internal armed conflicts ’ issues and Terrorism in Africa on local and international media such as Television Continental (TVC International Channel), Channels, BBC among others.

He has written many articles and spoken at several symposia on national issues in Nigeria as a public affairs analyst.

Adeola and H.E Thabo Mbeki, Immediate past president of South Africa at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

The generality of Nigerians dread any form of contact with law enforcement agents. This is largely borne out of ignorance of their rights under the law. Such ignorance is exploited by police officers and others to intimidate and harass innocent persons. In taking up the challenge of educating and enlightening Nigerians on their basic rights, Adeola started 'Know Your Constitution' initiative on radio (UNILAG103.1FM) in 2007, '#KnowYourRightsNigeria' on social media, and founded 'Constitutional Rights Awareness and Liberty Initiative ' to provide pro-bono legal services as a lawyer to enforce the rights of the poor and defenceless.

He also took the Initiative to the streets of Lagos to educate and thereby empowered people with knowledge of law and demonstrated the relevance of the constitutional provisions to their everyday lives. He gave out ten thousand (10,000) copies of the Nigeria's Constitution to people including; the Police, transporters, market women, farmers, artisans among others.

In 2011, Adeola brought legal luminaries together for a two-day Human Rights International Conference in March at the University of Lagos. The ECOWAS Community court of Justice Chief Registrar, Mr. Tony Anene-Maidoh; Mr. Femi Falana SAN were among resource persons who empowered about 2,000 participants at the conference which was also aired live to millions of radio listeners in Lagos on UNILAG FM.

He has also contributed his expertise on human rights, youth rights, democracy, and rule of law at the international level. He is the co-founder of the Global Network of Youth Rights Experts, a global body promoting and protecting the rights of young people globally. He has also set up a training unit in Lagos, Nigeria for young lawyers, law students and volunteers to enhance the quality of the empowerment offered locally to victims of human rights in Nigeria.

He has consistently mentored Nigerian youth in areas of human rights, democracy for over seven (7) years, and is regularly invited to speak at youth fora within and outside Nigeria. As a resource person to the African Union Commission (Youth Division) on the implementation of African Youth Charter, he has offered his technical expertise to the continental body on how to use African Youth Charter as a tool of accelerating youth empowerment for sustainable development in Africa.

He was also appointed by the African Union Commission in 2012 as a consultant to Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Secretariat on youth development data covering 14 West African countries in compliance with the implementation of the African Union Youth Decade Plan of Action. On the authorisation of the African Union Commission, Adeola is currently developing the mobile applications of the African Youth Charter in six languages; Arabic, English French, Portuguese, Spanish and Swahili.

Adeola is also a co-founder of the African Network of Youth Policy Experts launched in Baku, Azerbaijan in October 2014. The international organisation is working on youth policy issues in Africa. His passion for national and international development has brought him under the same roof with many national and international leaders such as Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, Mr. Thabo Mbeki, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, among other dignitaries.

His contribution and 'interest in and support of the United Nations' was acknowledged and commended by Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, United Nations Secretary General. His UN-recognized commitment to the development of the Millennium development goals (MDGs) through his writings include; 'Millennium Development Goals; obstacles and ways of tackling them' in 2007, 'Contribution of Higher Institutions to achieving the Millennium Development Goals' in 2008 and 'importance and benefits of promoting MDGs through football tournaments' in 2009 with a minute video linking the MDGs with the spirit of football where goals count and a call on everyone to score those goals.

• In May 2009, he was named the 'Youth Achiever', by the African Newspaper of Nigeria Plc, Saturday Tribune, 30 May 2009 in Nigeria for educating Nigerians on their rights and for his 'interest in and support of the United Nations' through his series research carried out on MDGs (See page 39 of the Saturday Tribune published on 30 May 2009)

• In May 2010, he was commissioned as the United Nations Young Ambassador for Peace for his immense contribution and campaign as a young Nigerian to promote peace in Nigeria

• In August 2010, he was named the 'Sunshine Youth Ambassador' by the Citizen Reporters; a recognition for the Ondo state great and illustrious sons and daughters in Nigeria for his excellence, passion and dedication to the service of humanity via 'Know Your Constitution' project.

• In October 2010, he was selected for the Nigeria Leadership Initiative's future Leaders Fellowship. Nigeria Leadership Initiative is a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. Same year, he was appointed the Youth Coordinator of the Maiden edition of Kuramo Conference 2010 by the Lagos state Government.

• In November 2010, Adeola Oyinlade was declared winner of the 7th Annual Nigerian Youth Leadership Awards, LEAP AFRICA Awards, November 2010, Lagos, Nigeria for being an agent of change by using law as a tool of problem-solving in Nigeria.

• For being the voice of the voiceless in Nigeria via his 'Know Your Constitution' project, Adeola was described as the 'Face of the Future' by the Westerner Magazine. (See vol.2 No.34 edition of the Westerner Magazine published on 29 November 2010 in Nigeria)

• As a UN peace Ambassador promoting peace and respect for human rights, he was described as 'A Man of the People' by NEXT Newspaper. (See Page 19, Tuesday edition of Next Newspaper published on 21 December 2010 in Lagos, Nigeria)

• In April and November 2011, he was invited by the African Union to facilitate African Youth Forum sessions and Youth Experts meetings as a youth expert.

• IIP DIGITAL of the US Department of State website, Washington DC, United States in May 2011 featured Adeola on its site 'for helping Nigerians to know their rights' and his contribution towards the development of Africa. Same 2011, he was selected as the only youth judge of the prestigious annual Nigerian Youth Leadership Awards by LEAP Africa

• He won the Democracy and Rule of Law Category of the Top 12 National Youth Awards of the Federal Ministry of Youth Development and Young Star Foundation, Abuja, Nigeria in November 2011.

• In 2011, he was a Finalist, Bremen Peace Awards 2011 of Threshold Foundation for Exemplary Commitments to Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation in Germany for "taking the legal path to justice" in Nigeria.

• In March 2012, UNDP and UNHABITAT selected Adeola alongside the Benin Republic Permanent Representative to the UN and some African Union Commission (Youth Division representatives) to lead a session on Intergenerational Dialogue on Africa, Youth Socio-Economic and Political Participation. At the UN House in Kenya. Nairobi. Same year, he led African Union team from West Africa to ECOWAS in line with AU Decade of Youth Plan Action.

• In 2013, he was selected by the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations alongside other young leaders across the world to meet the UN Secretary General, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon at the 5th UNAOC Forum in Vienna, Austria.

• In 2013, he was named a member of the Technical Sub-Committee on Volunteers for the World Economic Forum on Africa, Nigeria 2014

• In 2014, He was invited alongside his Colleague from Morocco, Karima Rhanem, as co-Founders of the African Network of Youth Policy Experts to launch the network at the UN Backed First Global Forum on Youth Policy anchored by Mr. Ahmad Alhendawi, The United Nations Secretary-General Envoy on Youth in Baku Azerbaijan.

• In December 2014, Youth Action Network for Human Rights made a 13-minute documentary in commemoration of International Human Rights Day 2014 by profiling Adeola's work to inspire youth across the world in taking the lead in human rights promotion and protection.

• In January 2015, he was appointed by the Commonwealth Youth Council' as its (CYC) Youth Campaign Against Election Violence (Y-CAEV) Ambassador in Nigeria.