H.E. Princess Adejoke
Orelope‑Adefulire, OFR

02 — Her Story

Beyond the office.

Born in Lagos in 1959, Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire built a career on the conviction that public service should be measured by what it does for the people least able to advocate for themselves — women without capital, children without protection, and young people without a first opportunity.

Her political career began during Nigeria's Third Republic, when she was elected to represent Alimosho Constituency I in the Lagos State House of Assembly — becoming the first woman ever elected to that chamber. She went on to serve as an Electoral Commissioner, then spent eight years as Lagos State's Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation before rising to Deputy Governor.

She studied sociology at the University of Lagos and later earned an honorary doctorate in poverty alleviation and technology incubation from Lagos State University — a fitting bridge between her academic grounding and a career spent building the institutions that carry policy into people's lives: skills centres, transit homes, and mother-and-child hospitals.

Today, as Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals, she sets strategy for Nigeria's implementation of the 2030 Agenda and represents the country in SDG discussions on the global stage.