Rotary Honours CAPPA Executive Director with Outstanding Service to Humanity Award

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The Rotary Club of Abuja Metro has conferred its Outstanding Service to Humanity Award on the Executive Director of Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), Mr. Akinbode Oluwafemi, in recognition of his contributions to public interest advocacy and community development.

The award was presented at the club’s 17th Investiture Ceremony held at the Armed Forces Officers Mess and Suites in Asokoro, Abuja.

According to Rotary Club President, Engr. Michael Oluwagbemi, Oluwafemi was unanimously nominated by the club’s Board of Directors and Awards Committee for his humanitarian service and leadership.

“Your remarkable leadership, philanthropic efforts, and unwavering commitment to humanitarian causes have distinguished you as a worthy recipient of this honour,” Oluwagbemi said.

Responding, Oluwafemi described the recognition as a motivation to continue working for a more just and equitable society.

“I am deeply honoured and grateful to the Rotary Club of Abuja Metro for this recognition. I dedicate it to the countless Nigerians and communities whose resilience and courage continue to inspire our work every day,” he said.

Other recipients of awards at the event included former Rotary International President Jonathan Majiyagbe, former senator and journalist Babafemi Ojudu, and former presidential adviser Mrs. Maryam Uwais.


For more than 30 years, Oluwafemi has been involved in campaigns on environmental justice, public health, corporate accountability and democratic governance. As founder of CAPPA, he has led advocacy efforts on tobacco control, healthy food systems, climate action and water justice.

CAPPA noted that his work contributed to major public health reforms in Nigeria, including the National Tobacco Control Act 2015, the National Tobacco Control Regulations 2019, the Trans Fat and Oils Regulations 2022 and the National Sodium Reduction Guidelines.

He has also received international recognition, including the Bloomberg Award for Global Tobacco Control.

Beyond advocacy, Oluwafemi is a journalist, author and documentary producer. He directed Africa’s Cooked and Sinking Communities (2023), a documentary on the impact of climate change on vulnerable communities, and serves as executive producer of Sweet Poison (2026), which examines the health effects of excessive sugary drink consumption in Nigeria.

In a statement signed by CAPPA’s Media and Communications Officer, Robert Egbe, the organisation described the award as “a fitting recognition of a lifetime devoted to advancing social justice through evidence-based advocacy and promoting policies that place human dignity above commercial interests.”

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