Journalist • Entrepreneur • Development Policy Analyst
Known for
Exposing the Muhammadu Buhari's plagiarism scandal
Notable work
Thisday Newspaper
Website
www.adeolaakinremi.com
Adeola Akinremi is a journalist, entrepreneur, columnist, policy advisor and International development professional who currently serves as a consultant for the World Bank Group. He served as a U.S correspondent, editor and columnist at This Day newspaper.[1][2][3][4][5][6] Akinremi is well known for his courage in journalism. On 16 September 2016, he broke a plagiarism story,[7][8][9] in which Nigeria’s former President Muhammadu Buhari copied from President Barack Obama and passing it off as if it was his own.[10][11][12]
In an article he penned for Thisday newspaper, Akinremi exposed the former Nigerian leader for plagiarizing President Barack Obama’s 2008 victory speech on a day he launched an ethical rebirth campaign for his country—Change begins with me.[13][14][15][16][17] The scandal led to a global outrage and apology made by former President Buhari who angrily fired the aide who penned the speech.[18][19][20][21][22]
After graduation from journalism school in 1999, Akinremi began his practice as a cub reporter with the defunct The Week Magazine in Lagos, Nigeria. His entrance into journalism practice was preceded by his active engagement in civil rights movement and campaign for democratic governance in Nigeria. He was a member of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights[25]
Akinremi has written journalism pieces on technologies and global economy, including some major reports on economics, global health, climate change, fagility and the governance of AI technology and how artificially intelligent communication technologies affect human agency in relation to professional discretion and ethical judgement. He wrote on the outbreak of Ebola in West Africa, terrorism in the Sahel and the dynamics of poverty in Nigeria among other national and global development issues.
He wrote news pieces on the administration of America’s first black President Barack Obama. In 2014, the U.S Department of State recognized him as a leader in his career and inducted him into its premier professional exchange program, the International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP). Through a short-term visit to five battleground states, including Georgia and Kentucky, he reported the U.S mid-term election. He has subsequently covered other elections, including the 2016 consequential presidential election for Thisday newspaper.[26] He's a columnist at Thisday and The Cable.[27][28]
Akinremi is known to be closer to the Nigerian banker and billionaire, Tony Elumelu, and has written extensively about his life, wealth, philosophy and philanthropy.[31][32][33][34]
Awards and recognitions
2014: Nigeria Media Merit Awards, (NMMA), "Newspaper Reporter of the Year"[35][36][37]
2006: Nigeria Media Merit Awards (NMMA), "Features Writer of the Year"[38]
2006: Diamond Awards for Media Excellence (DAME), "Health Reporter of the Year[39]
2008: The Future Awards, Nigeria, "Nominated for Best Use of Advocacy"[40]
2004: Inaugural Winner, Nigeria Youth Leadership Awards by LEAP Africa.[41]
