Oludolapo Osinbajo, (née Soyode, born 16 July 1967) is a Nigerian lawyer who served as the second lady of Nigeria from 2015 to 2023, as the wife of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.[1]

Dolapo Osinbajo
Second Lady of Nigeria
In role
29 May 2015 – 29 May 2023
Vice PresidentYemi Osinbajo
First LadyAisha Buhari
Preceded byAmina Sambo
Succeeded byNana Shettima
Personal details
Born
Oludolapo Soyode

(1967-07-16) 16 July 1967 (age 57)
Ikenne, Western State, Nigeria (now in Ogun State)
Political partyAll Progressives Congress
Spouse
(m. 1989)
Relations
Children3
Occupation
  • Politician
  • lawyer

Early life and career

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Oludolapo Soyode was born on 16 July 1967 and grew up in Ikenne, Ogun State.[2] She attended the International School Ibadan.[3] She is a grand-daughter of Obafemi Awolowo, who was a Nigerian nationalist and Yoruba chief,[1] and his wife Hannah Awolowo, through Awolowo's daughter Ayodele Soyode (née Awolowo).

She married Yemi Osinbajo, a distant cousin, on 25 November 1989. In 1990, she was called to the Nigerian Bar.[2]

Osinbajo is the executive director of The Women's Helping Hand Initiative, a refuge facility in Epe, Lagos, established in 2014, and a co-founder of the Orderly Society Trust.

Activities as Second Lady

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In September 2019, she presided at the 49th Benue Women in Prayer (BEWIP) Prayer Convocation in Makurdi.[4] She also inaugurated Mama Abyol Children's Home and Benue Centre for Enterprise Development and Innovation (BENCEDI). In her speech to young people in Benue State, she warned them against attempting to copy illusory internet lifestyles.[5] Speaking to out-of-school graduating girls in Lagos in December 2019, she encouraged them to live responsibly as good role models.[6] She also characterised violence against women as an offence against humanity.[7] In mid-December 2019, Nigeria's First Lady, Aisha Buhari, appointed Osinbajo – together with the wives of Nigerian state governors – as a 'champion' to lead the fight against tuberculosis in Nigeria.[8]

In 2022, she made an official visit to the IAEA in Vienna.

Works

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  • They Call Me Mama: From the Under Bridge Diaries. 2014.

References

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  1. ^ a b Yahaya Balogun, Dolapo Osinbajo: A cultural icon!, The Guardian, 10 July 2019. Accessed 16 May 2020.
  2. ^ a b Yemi and Dolapo Osinbajo: The 30 Years Love Story, This Day, 30 November 2019. Accessed 16 May 2020.
  3. ^ Benjamin Njoku (26 November 2022). "Dolapo Osinbajo visits alma mater, relives old memories". The Vanguard. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  4. ^ Take all your worries to the Lord, Dolapo Osinbajo tells women. Vanguard, 14 September 2019. Accessed 15 May 2020.
  5. ^ Read Dolapo Osinbajo’s timely advice to youths about internet, P. N. News, 15 September 2019. Accessed 16 May 2020.
  6. ^ Dolapo Osinbajo sends message to out-of-school girls, P. M. News, 4 December 2019. Accessed 16 May 2020.
  7. ^ Abuse against women is offence against humanity, says Dolapo Osinbajo, The Guardian, 5 December 2019. Accessed 16 May 2020.
  8. ^ Nike Adebowale, Aisha Buhari names Dolapo Osinbajo, governors’ wives as TB champions, Premium Times, 13 December 2019. Accessed 16 May 2020.
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