Josephine “Joe” Obiajulu Okei-Odumakin, popular human rights activities, on Tuesday, February 24, celebrated a glorious personal feat as her number of awards hit 682.
Awards are not just a tool of validation but show how far an individual has gone. A brief breakdown of her awards shows she won 20 in 2007, 24 in 2008, 30 in 2009, 70 in 2006, 70 in 2017, 73 in 2018, and others at various times.
Joe Okei-Odumakin is the head of many human rights groups among which are the Women Arise for Change Initiative and the Campaign for Democracy.
Born in Zaria, she had her childhood in Ilorin where she had both her primary and higher education. In 1987, she got a BA in English education before she proceeded to get her masters in guidance and counseling and PhD in history and policy of education in 1996.
According to her public profile, she has over 25 years of human rights struggles in the country and has been arrested and detained at 17 different places across the nation by the police.
Her spirit, however, remains unbroken by the challenges always thrown at her in the bid to fight for justice.
Professor Wole Soyinka, Nigeria’s Nobel Laureate, once described her as “a tireless fighter” whose resilience betrays her fragile physique and someone who has consistently given herself to the fight against all manners of injustice.
