Enisan Akinsola was born on April 13th 1969 to His Royal Highness, the Olu of Igodan-Lisa, Oba Paul Akinsola and Olori Comfort Akinsola of Igodan-lisa, in Okitipupa Local Govt Area of Ondo State.
Prince Enisan Akinsola
After his primary, secondary and A’level education, Akinsola entered the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife in 1991 and bagged a B.Sc in International Relations in 1997.
Akinsola the Comrade and Activist
During his University days, Eni Akinsola was an active student union leader, pro-democracy activist and advocate. As the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the OAU Student Union Government, he was a major player at the various protests that followed the annulment of the June 12 1993 presidential election. Akinsola was a vibrant and active leader of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and was part of its many protests and advocacy against the draconian military rule under General Sani Abacha.
As a pro-democracy activist, Eni Akinsola has worked in different organisations. Between 1998 and 2002, Akinsola was Coordinator, Human Rights Education with the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) in Lagos, under which auspices he worked as;
– Coordinator of Human Rights Education (HRE) Project
– Co-ordinator of Campus units of the HRE project on campuses of Polytechnics, Colleges of Education & Universities nationwide.
– Writer and editor of education and campaign books, booklets, manuals and leaflets for HRE projects.
As a testament to his diligence and hard work, he was elevated to the position of Secretary for Education and Campaigns at CDHR and served in that capacity between 2002 and 2004.
Between 2004 and 2006, Akinsola had his taste of his private business, by setting up Smiling Fortune Communication, an event management company that…
Akinsola the Journalist
Akinsola started his career as a journalist on November 2005 when he joined the defunct Comet Newspaper (now The Nation Newspaper), Lagos as a Member of the Editorial Board. When Comet metamorphosed into The Nation in 2006, Akinsola was designated as the Head of the Foreign Desk between 2006 and 2008. In 2008, he became an Assistant Editor of The Nation (Sunday), a position he held until April 2009.
Akinsola gained more prominence with his weekly political column in The Nation newspaper on Monday.
Akinsola the Public Servant
When the Government of Dr Olusegun Mimiko came into power in February, 2009, Eni Akinsola was appointed Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Print Media to the Governor in April 2009 and served in that capacity till September, 2011 from where he was elevated to the position of the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor on Oct 1st 2011, and got a re-appointment to continue in office as the CPS when the Governor was sworn-in for a second term in February 2012. Worthy of note is the fact that Akinsola, who got a re-appointment barely 2-hours after the Governor dissolved his cabinet on February 25th, 2012, was the first political office holder to be appointed/re-appointed in the second term of the Governor Mimiko-led administration.
Akinsola as an activist, a journalist and a public servant has so many publications to his credit, some of which have been published in academic journals, in the newspaper among others.
Before joining politics and in five years as a public servant, Eni Akinsola has initiated so many empowerment for students, widows and the downtrodden in the society through the Oba Paul Akinsola Foundation, no fewer than 100 students in their first and final years at the Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education, not excluding those in the secondary schools, have benefited from his twice in a year scholarships and bursary programme. Widows alike have been given a fillip with funds to start a petty trade in order to make ends meet.
Eni Akinsola has won numerous awards on many occasions for his strides in different departments of life; as a pro-democracy activist, a journalist and as a public servant and for his exemplary and outstanding impact in the lives of the young people.
He is happily married with wonderful children.
