“This office represents our common resolution that oppression, victimization and injustice will find no hiding place within our jurisdiction and from here the ripple of justice will spread far beyond what we can see”
Wole Olanipekun donates human rights centre to advance justice, equity
By John Odunayo
Legal luminary, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), has donated a Human Rights Office centre for the advancement of the rule of law and social justice system to the Nigeria Bar Association, Ikere Ekiti Branch.
Olanipekun said that the building would serve as a centre for legal aid services, public enlightenment campaigns, conflict resolution and other activities geared towards advancing justice and equity in society.
The senior advocate, who is the Asiwaju of Ikere Kingdom, represented by Adeola Omotunde (SAN) at the inauguration of the facility, said that vulnerable citizens deserved adequate legal support and protection, adding, “The promotion and defence of human rights remain critical to democratic growth and national development”.
He charged lawyers and other good-spirited Nigerians to always give back to society.
The Chief Judge of Ekiti State, Justice Lekan Ogunmoye, who inaugurated the facility, said the new human rights office would serve as a refuge for the poor, widows, detainees and other vulnerable groups seeking justice.
The CJ described the facility as “a landmark intervention that will expand access to justice and strengthen the protection of fundamental rights”.
He noted that the facility would provide pro bono legal services, advocacy and protection of fundamental rights, ensuring that justice is not merely theoretical but accessible to all.
The Chief Judge praised Olanipekun’s continued contributions to the legal sector and community development, recalling his earlier donation of an ultra-modern High Court Complex in Ikere-Ekiti commissioned in 2023.
According to him, while the court complex strengthened the judicial system, the human rights office complements it by empowering legal practitioners and citizens to pursue justice.
The CJ said, “By funding and donating this magnificent edifice, Chief Wole Olanipekun has again written his name in gold, not only in the annals of the legal profession, but in the hearts of generations yet unborn. This building is a testament to his lifelong devotion to the law, his love for his roots, and his unshakable belief that human rights are not privileges but entitlements.
“He has shown us that true greatness is measured not by what we take, but by what we give back. Ekiti State, and indeed Nigeria, is proud of him. I now use this occasion to make a passionate appeal to other branches of the NBA across the country. The challenge before us is clear: we must move beyond rhetoric and take concrete steps to deepen access to justice in our communities.
“Let the example of Ikere Branch and Chief Olanipekun inspire us. Imagine if every NBA branch had a human rights centre, a legal aid clinic, or a law library built through partnership with its members. That is how we build the Bar of our dreams branch by branch, project by project”.
In his remarks, Chairman of the NBA, Ikere Branch, Temitope Kolawole, described the project as not only a physical structure but a sanctuary of hope and a citadel of justice.
Kolawole hailed Olanipekun for the provision of the project, saying the office would operate on three key pillars: advocacy for the vulnerable, public enlightenment on rights and free legal services.
He said, “This office stands on three symbolic pillars: A hub for advocacy, where the weak finds strength; A center for enlightenment where ignorance of rights is replaced with knowledge and empowerment; And a cost-free unhindered access to justice and legal services.
“This office also represents our common resolution that oppression, victimization and injustice will find no hiding place within our jurisdiction and from here the ripple of justice will spread far beyond what we can see. Archbishop Desmond Tutu warned us not to be neutral where the poor, ignorant and the weak are oppressed as our silence shall be interpreted as chosing the side of the oppressor.
“My lords, gentlemen of the bar and distinguished guests, we have harkened to the voice of courage and reasoning by this office where: The poor walk in and find justice without intimidation. The oppressed walk in and find defenders without compromise The voiceless walk in and leave empowered.
“To Chief Wole Olanipekun SAN, CFR – for yet another monumental gift, we salute a man whose name is already etched in the golden annals of legal excellence and philanthropy – A titan at the Bar and a true servant of God and humanity, his generosity is not just an act of giving but an act of nation-building, history will remember this day not just for what you gave, but for what you ignited. Sir you have not merely donated a building, but you have strengthened the architecture of justice again and again”.
The ceremony was graced by senior members of the Bar and Bench including Hon Justice O.O Olatawura, Justice Olanike Adegoke, Justice Adesoji Adegboye from Customary Court of Appeal and Justice Emmanuel Omotosho.
The Chairman of Ekiti State Council of Traditional Rulers and the Ogoga of Ikere Ekiti, Oba Adejimi Adu-Alagbado, was represented by the Olupole of Ipole-Iloro, Oba Babatola Ezekiel, and members of the Ogoga-in Council were also present.
