Rep. Akintunde Rotimi, Jr. (a.k.a. AkinỌmỌAkin)
Rep. Akintunde Rotimi, Jr. (a.k.a. AkinỌmỌAkin) is a Nigerian parliamentarian, Public Policy, Development, and Strategic Communications professional, currently serving as the Honourable Member for Ekiti North 1 (Ikole/Oye) federal constituency in the House of Representatives. He holds the position of Spokesman of the 10th Assembly, and Chairman of the House Special Committee on Media and Public Affairs.
Rotimi is a member of several committees, including Constitution Review; Interior; Foreign Affairs; Public Accounts; Navy; Judiciary; Insurance and Actuarial Matters; Labour, Employment and Productivity; Land Transport; Niger Delta Development Corporation; and North East Development Corporation. He was also a member of the committee that produced the legislative agenda for the 10th Assembly. So far, his bills and motions have shown preparation and capacity, earning him recognition as one of the 12 lawmakers in the House of Representatives to watch in 2024 by the parliamentary-focused publication, Order Paper Nigeria.
Born in Lagos, Nigeria, in 1981, Rotimi hails from Odo-Ayedun-Ekiti, in Ikole Local Government, Ekiti State, Nigeria. He was raised in the tradition of the Christian faith, academic excellence, Pan-African orientation, and Yoruba omoluabi values. His worldview, character, devotion to public service, passionate pursuit of the common good, and advocacy for equality and the protection of vulnerable segments of society were shaped by, and are deeply rooted in these early influences.
Rotimi attended Corona School Victoria Island, Lagos, for his primary education, Federal Government College Ido-Ani for the first year of his secondary education, and Kings College Lagos, where he completed his secondary education in 1997. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Geography from the University of Ibadan, where he served as President of the Nigerian Universities Geography Students’ Association (UI Chapter), and President of the Fathers’ House Project.
Through the Fathers House Project, he played a key role in addressing the menace of cultism and allied vices on campus at the time, working closely with Late Prof. Olumuyiwa Awe, who then chaired the Unibadan Anti-Cultism Committee.
He furthered his education with a master’s degree in Diplomacy and Strategic Studies from the University of Lagos; a diploma in Film Production from the Toronto Film School; and a Postgraduate Diploma in Public Relations from Mohawk College, Hamilton, Ontario. He also holds certifications from the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University; Edmund Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University; the Woodrow Wilson Centre for International Scholars; the United States Institute of Peace; and the Pan Atlantic University, Lagos.
His career trajectory lies at the nexus of the public, private, and civic sectors, at the national and subnational levels of government. Following his National Youth Service in Lagos, Rotimi began his career in Public Relations and Marketing Communications, working in companies such as Rosabel Leo Burnett, Verdant Zeal, and in the Corporate Communications department of BGL Plc, before transitioning into politics and public service. During the first tenure of Dr. Kayode Fayemi as Governor of Ekiti State (2010 – 2014), he served progressively as Special Assistant to the Governor (Corporate Communications), Senior Special Assistant, and subsequently as Principal Private Secretary to the Governor.
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In these roles, he was central in the administration’s communications and strategy, policy development, knowledge management, content production, and management of proprietary initiatives. Notably, he coordinated the process that resulted in the creation of the Ekiti State logo on March 6, 2011, under the oversight of the late former deputy governor H.E. Mrs. Funmi Olayinka. He also authored the Ekiti Charter of Values which was adopted for use in all Ekiti public schools in 2012. Rotimi later served as Special Adviser on Investment Promotions to the Minister of Mines and Steel Development from 2015 to 2018. During this time, he was a member of the committee that developed the 20-Year ‘Roadmap for the Growth and Development of the Nigerian Mining Sector.’
Rotimi spent some time in Canada studying and honing his skills in Communications for Development (C4D) as a niche which leverages social impact storytelling to support social change and progressive government reforms. As co-founder of Great and Mighty Things Inc., he has produced and directed numerous short films and documentaries on various social themes in Nigeria and Canada. The company, now being run by co-founder Babatunde Agunloye, is one of the fastest growing minority-run film companies with a series ‘Realm 2’ aired on FibeTV in Quarter 1, 2024.
He is a member of the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) and previously served on the boards of the Canadian Public Relations Society – Hamilton, as well as STAND Canada, an organization advocating to make preventing and ending genocide a cornerstone of Canadian foreign and domestic policy. In 2020, he served as a member of the Residents’ Reference Panel on Automotive Insurance that made policy recommendations to the Ontario provincial government on improving the administration of the auto insurance industry.
He returned to Nigeria in 2020 and served as a member of the Ekiti State Judicial Panel of Enquiry into Alleged Cases of Police Brutality in Nigeria (EndSars panel). He was subsequently appointed Special Adviser to the Governor on Communications and Strategy, and member of the Ekiti State Executive Council before resigning his appointment to successfully contest the 2023 general elections.
Rotimi’s civic sector activities focus on post-conflict peacebuilding, youth development, and social protection for vulnerable populations. He has led humanitarian missions within Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Burundi, and Uganda. He co-founded the Samuel Akintunde Silva Foundation (SASCARE Foundation), focusing on supporting Military Widows; Mental Health and Wellness; Medical Missions; and Elderly Care. He also founded Ekiti Connect, a network of young professionals.
In addition to several medical and economic empowerment initiatives, Rotimi has demonstrated a profound capacity to mobilize partnerships at home and abroad, to carry out intervention projects in underserved communities. One of his central development philosophies is the saying that ‘together, we are greater than the sum of our individual parts.’ His life’s mission is to contribute to ‘building a kinder society where no one is left behind.’
Rotimi has received several recognitions, including the LEAP Africa Nigeria Youth Leadership Award and the Future Award. He was recognized as a Crans Montana New Leader for Tomorrow and is an Associate Fellow of the Nigeria Leadership Initiative (NLI). He is also an alumnus of the United States Government’s International Visitors Leadership Programme (IVLP) and holds the title of Supremo Viajante Del Sudoeste conferred by the order of the Officials of the City of El Paso Texas and the El Paso Council for International Visitors.
He comes from a long line of public servants, activists, and ministers on both the paternal and maternal sides of the family, continuing the family tradition of service to God and country. His paternal grandfather, Late Sir Daniel Adeleye Silva, was a builder and minister, and one of the founders of the Methodist Church in Odo-Ayedun. His paternal grandmother, Late Madam Grace Ibileye Silva, was a trader and community organizer.
His maternal great-grandfather, Late Most Reverend Jacob Silvanus Williams, was the First Primate of the African Church between 1922 and 1933, and was at the forefront of advocating for the decolonization of the practice of the Christian faith in the Anglican Church. His maternal grandfather, Late Chief Adesola Kolajo Lamilisa, was a public servant, activist, and nationalist. His mother, Madam Modupeola Rotimi (Nee Lamilisa), led an illustrious career as an educationist and civil servant, retiring as a Director from the Federal Ministry of Education.
Rotimi’s father, Late Hon. Chief Akintunde Rotimi, Sr., was a second republic parliamentarian, activist, and public servant. After working in the Cabinet Office (now Presidency) upon his return to Nigeria from the United Kingdom, he joined the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) and was one of the closest administrative aides of late Chief Obafemi Awolowo. He then contested and won the election to the Federal House of Representatives, representing Ekiti North Federal Constituency of the Old Ondo State, on the platform of the Unity Party of Nigeria between 1979 – 1983.
Rep. Akintunde Rotimi, Jr. is married to Tina, a lawyer and human resources specialist, and they have three children: Tammy, Timmy, and Tommy.