Nigerian activist Joe Okei-Odumakin has won the Hall of Fame Award for Civic Activism at the second edition of the BudgIT Active Citizens Awards.

According to the civic-tech non-profit, the wife of late popular activist Yinka Odumakin was awarded for her immense contributions to national development.

The award, held at the Civic Center, Lagos, on Saturday, September 16, was themed, “Trailblazers of Change: Pioneering Solutions, Shaping the Future”.

Speaking before receiving the award, Mrs Odumakin stated that during her activism days, she was jailed seventeen times. She also revealed that she was once arrested alongside her husband during their wedding, among other unpalatable encounters.

Expressing her gratitude, Mrs Odumakin said she felt “very humbled”.

“On September 16, 2022, I said I would not go for any award for one year. September 16, 2023, I’m being honoured. Within the span of that one year, they’ve brought 18 awards to my office. This award will be the 911th award,” the veteran activist added.

Dedicating the award to Nigerian youths and her late husband, she added that the award is a reminder that she has a lot more to do.

Award winners in other categories include: Nkem Okocha, founder of the Mamamoni Empowerment Foundation who won the Oby Ezekwesili award for women advocacy; Abubakar Sadiq Mu’azu, founder of Centre for Advocacy, Transparency and Accountability Initiative (CATAI) who won the award for community service.

Others were Osariemen Omoruyi Grace, the founder of Restorative Justice for Africa Initiative (REJA), who won the award for civic activism; and Zainab Bala, founder of The Scoop Storytelling Initiative, who won the Solutions Journalism award.

Other winners were Crystal Chigbu, founder of Limb Empowerment and Advocacy Program (LEAP), who won the disability advocacy and empowerment; and Prosper Okonkwo, Chief Executive Officer of the APIN Public Health Initiative (former AIDS Prevention Initiative for Nigeria) and Helping Women Thrive, who won the award for Health Activism.

The award for institutional transparency went to the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency; award for inclusion and diversity was won by Inclusive Friends Association; the corporate award for civic investment was won by Aspire Coronation Trust Foundation; while the award for climate change activism went to Ken Henshaw, the Executive Director of We the People.

Speaking at the award ceremony, the BudgIT country director, Gbenga Okeowo, told journalists that, “We can’t do without activism, it will always be necessary, it will always be there. If not, the real intrigues of democracy will be lost.”