Mr. Elijah Andrew Akinyemi is a cauldron of exceptional abilities in disability. He is a flame of passion with the flair of stretching minimum opportunities beyond maximum expectation. As a mouthpiece for the deprived and the dejected, Mr. Akinyemi has been nurturing positive social, political and institutional changes in advocacy for the entrenchment and preservation of the rights, respect and dignity of the hitherto marginalised in education, employment and social integration for over three decades.
Born on Sunday, 29th June, 1958, in Baale Akinosi Village in the Akute-Alagbado axis of Ifo Local Government area of Ogun State, Elijah attended Pacelli School for Blind Children, Lagos from 1962-70. As a pioneer mainstreamer, he attended Igbobi College, Yaba, Lagos from 1972-76 and made Eastern Washington University, Cheney, Washington and Portland State University, Portland, Oregon in the United States of America his next educational ports of call.
Mr. Akinyemi’s return to Nigeria in 1986 was the threshold of an illustrious 30-year career in which he served as a voice for his kind, transformed Special Needs Education and lives of persons living with disabilities from the stage of pity to accepted international standards and championed programmes for the betterment of the physical, health, emotional and competitive spirits of the gifted, people living with disabilities and children of the occupationally-disadvantaged categories. With diligence and passion to duty, he rose through the ranks as a Senior Education Officer at the Ogun State Ministry of Education, Science and Technology in 1988 to the esteemed position of Permanent Secretary in the Ogun State Civil Service in June 2018.
Mr. Akinyemi is a choice speaker at numerous conferences, seminars and workshops on disability-related matters for teachers, parents and other stakeholders. He has a respectable posture with national and international organizations and bodies working for and on behalf of gender equality, the elderly and disability matters. Elijah is very proficient in the use of braille, computers and related enabling technologies. He is a winner of numerous awards and accolades. The Seed of Joy Giver Support Foundation (TSJGSF) his baby, complements the health, education and welfare of convalescing children in public hospitals and juveniles in borstals/correctional homes and orphanages in Abeokuta.
Elijah Akinyemi is a worthy ambassador of humanity. His abundant gifts, talents and magical displays in utilizing his other senses for independence make him a unique exemplar par excellence. He is happily married, blessed with children, close-knit friends and admirers. His local, national and international spotlights and features are numerous on both the print and electronic media.
