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Legacy of Justice: 96-Year-Old Otunba Akintan inspires Ogun communities through Human Rights Foundation

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2 months ago

October 18, 2025

KOlowe

Legacy of Justice 96-Year-Old Otunba Akintan inspires Ogun communities through Human Rights Foundation

At 96, when many people have retired into quiet reflection, Otunba Lana Ephraim Akintan is doing quite the opposite — he is building institutions.

In August 2024, at the remarkable age of 95, the respected activist, statesman, community leader, and philanthropist founded the Otunba Lana Akintan Human Rights Foundation (OLAKHURF). His mission was clear: to give the voiceless a voice and to protect the vulnerable from injustice.

A year later, on October 11, 2025, the Foundation marked its first anniversary with a grand celebration attended by over 700 key stakeholders from across Ogun State and beyond.

Themed “Advocacy & Dialogue for Sustainable Human Rights,” the event was more than a commemoration — it was a powerful reaffirmation that individuals could drive engaging forces toward attaining a collective mindset for justice and civic consciousness.

The anniversary lecture was delivered by Comrade ‘Lanre Ogunyinka, a linguist, orator, and the pioneer Chairman, Coalition of Human Rights Organisation, Ogun State. His delivery — fluent in both Yoruba and English — struck a rare balance between scholarship and accessibility.

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Speaking extemporaneously, he used vivid illustrations to drive home the essence of collective responsibility in safeguarding human rights and ensuring perpetrators face the wrath of the law.

His message resonated deeply with the audience that included representatives of major security and civic bodies: the Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Amotekun Corps, Vigilante Group, and the Soul Safe Corp Network, Agbekoya, IBD Hunters Association, among others.

Also in attendance were traditional rulers, community leaders, religious heads, trade associations, and corporate organizations — a reflection of how OLAKHURF has already grown into a cross-sector movement within just one year.

In recognition of his decades of sacrifice and community service, the National Youth Council of Nigeria (Yewa North Branch) presented Otunba Akintan with a Lifetime Patron Award.

According to the Council’s leader, Comrade Adedotun Adeleye, the honour was well-deserved: “Otunba Akintan has spent his life lifting others — providing succour to the needy, standing up for the oppressed, and reminding us that justice and equity are not negotiable.”

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Indeed, for those who know Baba Lana as fondly called, human rights advocacy runs in his blood. Long before founding OLAKHURF, he had been a vocal critic of social inequality and an unwavering defender of fairness.

True to his belief that advocacy must be matched by action, the Foundation used the anniversary to deliver tangible support to local institutions.

Four schools in the area received 250 notebooks each, while a youth football team from Agbele Asa went home with two full sets of jerseys.

The event also featured the unveiling of OLAKHURF’s official website and human rights roadmap — www.olakhurf.org — aimed at deepening public education, policy advocacy, and community dialogue on rights and responsibilities in Nigeria.

In his Royal goodwill message, HRM Oba (Engr) Adetunji Olowobese, the Oloja of Oja-Odan, praised the nonagenarian for “his fatherly kindness towards the less privileged” and urged other affluent indigenes to emulate his example.

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CSP Esther, the Divisional Police Officer of Oja-Odan, also applauded the Foundation’s leadership and its impact on the town’s civic culture: “Our people’s orientation is changing for the better. Parents are raising more patriotic children, and residents are cooperating with security agencies. This is the kind of transformation we need”.

The story of Otunba Lana Akintan is one of enduring vision and moral courage. From his youth to his 90s, he has remained a firm believer that every person — regardless of background — deserves dignity, justice, and opportunity.

His Foundation’s motto, “Advocating human rights, equity and justice,” now echoes through schools, marketplaces, and security formations across Ketuland.

It reminds everyone that change does not begin in government offices alone — it begins in communities, with people like Otunba Akintan leading by example.

As OLAKHURF embarks on its second year, its founder’s message remains timeless: “I can’t do it alone, please, join hands with me, because together we can achieve more”.