Nigerian lawyer wins $75,000 Waislitz Global Citizen Award

Ms Oluwafunke Adeoye, a Nigerian Human Rights lawyer, has been announced as the winner of the 2023 Waislitz Global Citizens Choice Award for her outstanding performance in the Criminal Justice sector.

The Waislitz Global Citizen Awards are annual cash prizes totaling 250,000 dollars that recognises the excellence of individuals in their work to end extreme poverty.

The grand prize is 100,000 dollars with two additional prizes at 75,000 dollars, for a total of three prizes.

Adeoye who is the founder and Executive Director, Hope Behind Bars Africa, an NGO, made history as the first person working in criminal justice sector to win global award, which comes with a 75,000 dollars prize.

The NGO provides free legal services and direct support to indigent incarcerated individuals, while also promoting criminal justice reforms through research, evidence-based advocacy and technology.

Adeoye said that she was inspired to begin the initiative in 2018 after some personal encounters with the justice system.

She said that her father who was once a victim, had been arrested and detained for a crime he did not commit several years ago.

Adeoye’s organisation has supported no fewer than 7,000 incarcerated individuals through their numerous interventions, ranging from providing access to justice, welfare, support and rehabilitation and reformation of ex-inmates.

Currently, the organisation is set to launch “Justicepadi”, a tech platform that hope to revolutionize legal aid in West Africa and expand its work for justice-seeking individuals.

The Waislitz Global Citizens Choice Awards recognises the excellent performance of individuals in their work to end extreme poverty and effect positive change in their communities and around the world.