Ige: Leading Charge For Social Justice, Climate Action

‘East or West, home is home.’ Those were the words of Aderonke Ige, founder/team lead, Help Initiative for Social Justice and Humanitarian Development and one of the 44 Nigerian Chevening scholars who returned to Nigeria from the United Kingdom where they had gone to study for Master’s degrees in various sectors on the prestigious Chevening scholarship award.

Speaking after a welcome event organised for the Chevening and Commonwealth Scholars at the British residence in Lagos Nigeria, the scholars shared about their time and diverse experiences in the United Kingdom.

Aderonke Ige, who was awarded MSc. Development Studies from the critically acclaimed School of African and Oriental Studies, University of London, said, her UK experience was ‘well-rounded, expository and challenging in many meaningful ways.’

She went further to say that the systemic investment in the mental wellbeing of students, beyond academic pursuit was one of the key factors she found most impressive for rethinking people-centered systems and structures. The scholar, who lived in Central London, East London and South London, all within the space of one year hailed the comparatively multicultural outlook of the city.

The British deputy high commissioner, Jonny Baxter, while welcoming the Chevening and Commonwealth scholars back home expressed excitement at the various achievements of the scholars and encouraged the cohort to leverage the rich Chevening Alumni network and other opportunities afforded by the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

On what is next, Aderonke disclosed that her contribution to society is only about to skyrocket. According to the visibly optimistic scholar, “To whom much is given, much is expected”.

She said, Nigeria, her home and the African continent are dear to her. She is therefore determined to use her non-profit platform, Help Initiative for Social Justice and Humanitarian Development for greater good and promotion of worthy causes and community-centered initiatives.

According to Aderonke, not for once did she lose sight of her grounding values and the enormous work that lies ahead in the areas of human rights and the intersections of public sector efficiency, climate justice, human right to water, gender justice and youth development. While abroad, she continued to mobilise power within local communities.

She emphasised that technology came in handy, and she was able to organise alongside her constituents for climate action, including at the climate conference (COP 28), where she campaigned on issues of adaptation, mitigation and climate finance and reparations, and at the Pan-African Youth Forum in Algeria, where she addressed the issue of “Youth Democratic Disconnect in Africa”.

The scholar said since her return, she has been part of the process of validating a model climate change law for Africa, a task she undertook with two of her fellow Chevening scholars, Olufunke Oyinlola who studied Crime, Justice and Psychology at the University of Leicester and Miracle Ogba who studied Human Rights Law at the Queen Mary University of London.

The joint task, the three Chevening scholars said, was a collaborative effort with the National Institute for legislative and Democratic Institute of Nigeria (NILDS) and the Africa Group of Negotiators Support, led by Professor George Wamukoya from Kenya. According to Aderonke, being invited by the institution to be part of such a crucial process is a serious assignment that could not have been taken with levity.

She also shared that it demonstrated the willingness of stakeholders on climate change in Nigeria and Africa as a whole to accommodate robust views and recognise human rights as an undeniable tenet in the climate discourse.

Speaking to our correspondence on what the future holds, Aderonke said, she is optimistic about the positive possibilities that lie ahead for Nigeria as a leading global force and Africa to regain its pride of place.

Aderonke has begun in earnest as she and her team are taking their value-reorientation initiative into communities across Nigeria, hoping to restore dwindling value systems and encourage participatory development.

Education And Career

Aderonke Ige is a Nigerian lawyer, development practitioner and activist, with a well-rounded educational background in Law and Development, with a career dedicated to social justice and human rights.

She holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) degree from the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Nigeria; a Barrister at Law (B.L) from the Nigerian Law School, and a Master of Science (M.Sc) in Development Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London.

Aderonke has over a decade of experience promoting human rights, community mobilization and action legislative advocacy and campaigning for holistic human development.

She contributed to significant reforms and enactments such as the Community Service Law, Administration of Criminal Justice Law, Violence against Women Prohibition Law, and the Prohibition of Land-grabbing Law of Oyo State through legislative advocacy and system engagement.

She is the founder and team lead of the Help Initiative for Social Justice and Humanitarian Development, a non-profit focused on promoting a humane and efficient society through people-centred approaches to development.

She has been actively involved in environmental justice campaigns including human rights to water and climate justice, with the crosscutting issues of Gender Justice.