The Rotary Club of Abuja has conferred its prestigious Outstanding Service to Humanity Award on the Founder and Executive Director of Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), Akinbode Oluwafemi. The award recognizes his exceptional, decades-long contributions to humanitarian service, public interest advocacy, and community development across Nigeria and the African continent.
In an official statement announcing the milestone, CAPPA expressed deep gratitude to its network of partners who have supported the organization’s mission over the years. “We thank you for all your support to him through all the years in the quest for a more just, equitable and healthier society,” the management stated, celebrating the global recognition of their leader’s impactful career.
A Legacy of Legislative and Health Reforms
Oluwafemi’s selection for the honour underscores his 30-year career as a renowned environmental justice advocate, public health campaigner, and policy strategist. As the head of CAPPA, he has consistently remained at the forefront of major policy interventions and social justice movements that have shaped national, regional, and global governance frameworks.
His extensive portfolio in public health reforms includes playing pivotal roles in the enactment of critical Nigerian legislations. Oluwafemi was deeply involved in driving the National Tobacco Act 2015, the National Tobacco Control Regulation 2019, and the Fats, Oils and Foods Containing Fats and Oils Regulations 2022. His recent advocacy further led to the 2024 regulations banning the promotion and glamorization of tobacco and nicotine products in movies, musical videos, and skits, alongside the creation of the National Sodium reduction guidelines. Currently, he is leading the legislative push for the amendment of the nation’s Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSB) tax, which recently passed at the Senate.
From Journalism to Global Activism
Before committing to full-time activism, Oluwafemi began his career in the media space as a Sub-Editor with The Guardian newspaper. During his journalism years, he co-founded the Journalists for Democratic Rights (JODER), a media freedom group that actively confronted the military dictatorship of the late General Sani Abacha. He later transitioned to the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN), where he rose to the position of Deputy Executive Director before founding CAPPA.
His work also extends heavily into legal accountability and investigative media. In 2007, he collaborated with a team of public interest lawyers—including Professor Yemi Osinbajo, Mariam Uwais, Babatunde Irukera, and Dapo Akinosun to launch the first-ever cost-recovery litigation against multinational tobacco companies on behalf of six Nigerian states and the federal government. Furthermore, he produced the internationally acclaimed 2023 climate documentary Africa’s Cooked and Sinking Communities, and serves as the Executive Producer of the 2026 documentary Sweet Poison, which exposes the predatory marketing tactics of the food industry in Nigeria.
Embodying Rotary’s Core Ideals
The Rotary Club of Abuja emphasized that the accolade reflects the very core of the international organization’s mission. According to the award citation, the honour was bestowed “in recognition of your outstanding contributions to environmental justice, public health, and nation-building, and for embodying Rotary’s ideal of Service Above Self.”
Oluwafemi, a graduate of the University of Ilorin, currently serves on the governing boards of several local and international non-profit organizations and educational foundations. He is married with three children, and continues to direct regional campaigns aimed at expanding civic participation and corporate accountability across Africa.
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