Josephine Obiajulu Odumakin
| Josephine Obiajulu Odumakin | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
July 4, 1966 Zaria, Kaduna, Nigeria |
| Nationality | Nigerian |
| Occupation | Women's rights activist |
Josephine "Joe" Obiajulu Okei-Odumakin is a Nigerian women's rights activist. She is the president of the rights groups Women Arise for Change Initiative and the Campaign for Democracy.
Odumakin was born in Zaria, Kaduna on 4 July 1966 and grew up in a Roman Catholic household. She received a bachelor's degree in English Education in 1987, followed by a master's in Guidance and Counseling and doctorate in History and Policy of Education from the University of Ilorin. She has frequently been arrested for her activism, detained 17 times during the military rule of Ibrahim Babangida
She was involved with over 2,000 cases where a woman's rights had been disregarded. The cases included extrajudicial killings of women or their husbands by the police. The rights of their children were also ignored by the Nigerian school or even hospital authorities.
In 2013, Odumakin was presented an International Women of Courage Award from the United States Department of State. The award was made by Michelle Obama and John Kerry at the US State Department's Dean Acheson Auditorium in celebration of International Women's Day.
Being the Executive Director, Institute of Human Rights & Democratic Studies; Founding President, Women Arise for Change Initiative; Chairman, Task Force of the Citizen Forum; President, Centre for Change in Community Development & Public Awareness; President, Centre for Participatory Democracy; and Spokesperson for the Coalition of Civil Society Organizations in Nigeria, she is also recognised as a couragious fighter whose consistent challenge against human rights abuses has exposed her to harrowing experiences under the most repressive regimes Nigeria has ever witnessed.
She is Married to Comrade Yinka Odunmakin.
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Wikipedia