Woman Crush Wednesday: Meet the First Lady of Ogun State, Mrs Bamidele Abiodun

Our Woman Crush this Week is Mrs. Bamidele Abiodun, she is a Nigerian businesswoman, philanthropist, and wife of Dapo Abiodun (MFR), governor of Ogun State, Nigeria. She is the founder of Ajose Foundation, set up with the mission to actively pursue initiatives for ensuring the health and welfare of the people of Ogun State.

Abiodun entered the world of business in the mid-1990s and is passionate about women and children, who have received support from her through personal endowments. In June 2019 she was appointed the United Nations Sustainable Development Champion by the Civil Society Coalition on Sustainable Development (CSCSD) and has been at the forefront of promoting the SDGs to support women, children, and the environment.

In response to the growing national outcry at incidences of sexual and gender violence in Nigeria, Mrs. Abiodun was appointed chairperson of the Ogun State Management Committee on Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law (VAPP) in June 2020. Since then, her office has worked with the Ministries of Health, Justice and Women Affairs, civil society, and law enforcement to establish a robust framework for addressing violence against women and girls in Ogun State. Plans are already underway to establish an emergency response centre for rape and other forms of violence against women. Dedicated phonelines for same have also been created, with a direct link to law enforcement for apprehension of offenders.

As first lady of Ogun State, Mrs. Abiodun has initiated several programs with a focus on social welfare, health, education, poverty reduction, and the COVID 19 global pandemic response. She has also led a fundraising drive towards the renovation of different schools for children with special needs in Ogun State. In November 2019, Abiodun presented her commitment to advance the implementation of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Program of Action, at a high-level conference convened by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Nairobi, Kenya.