Time10:00 AMArrival and registration from 9:00 AM (WAT)
VenueInternational Conference CentreUniversity of Ibadan, Oyo State
Countdown
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About the Colloquium
A celebration and a working forum, in his name
"He spoke when silence was safer. He acted when waiting was easier. He stood up when others sat down."
The Akeredolu family, press conference, 29 September 2026
Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu was one of Nigeria's foremost legal minds: Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice of Ondo State, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria from 1998, and President of the Nigerian Bar Association from 2008 to 2010, where he was a vigorous advocate for judicial independence and the rule of law. As Governor of Ondo State from 2017, and Chairman of the Southwest Governors' Forum until his passing on 26 December 2023, he became one of the most consistent voices on insecurity in Nigeria and a principal architect of Amotekun, the Western Nigeria Security Network launched in January 2020.
On 21 July 2026 he would have turned seventy. The Colloquium, convened by the Oluwarotimi Akeredolu Foundation in partnership with the DAWN Commission, marks that milestone not as a moment of mourning but as a celebration and a working forum: a keynote lecture, a single robust panel of legal, security and policy minds, birthday tributes, and a communiqué of practical recommendations on community policing and security sector reform for onward transmission to government and security institutions.
21 July 1956 – 26 December 2023Born in Owo, Ondo State
Attorney-General, Ondo StateCommissioner for Justice, 1997 – 1999
Senior Advocate of NigeriaConferred 1998
President, Nigerian Bar Association2008 – 2010
Governor of Ondo State2017 – 2023 · Chairman, Southwest Governors' Forum
Architect of AmotekunWestern Nigeria Security Network, launched January 2020
Commander of the Order of the NigerConferred October 2022
Thematic focus
What the Colloquium will examine
"The debate on state policing is no longer about whether. It is about how." The keynote lecture and panel are anchored on the 2026 theme, with six areas of focus.
01
Legal philosophy and jurisprudence
Akeredolu's contribution as President of the Nigerian Bar Association and Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
02
The Amotekun model
Its origins, achievements and limitations, and its lessons for other regions of Nigeria.
03
State and community policing
The case for both within Nigeria's federal security architecture.
04
Rural insecurity
Strategies for tackling banditry, kidnapping, farmer–herder conflict and rural insecurity.
05
Collaboration
Inter-agency and inter-governmental collaboration in security management.
06
Community trust
The role of community trust, intelligence-gathering and grassroots structures in sustainable security.
Indicative agenda from the concept note; the press statement gives a 10:00 AM start, so timings will be re-sequenced in the final programme. Hybrid: physical attendance in Ibadan with full livestreaming and online participation.
Arrival and registrationOnline participants sign in
9:30 AM
Opening prayers and anthemsChristian and Muslim prayers · National anthem and Ondo State anthem
9:50 AM
Welcome address and remarksDAWN Commission Director-General · On behalf of the Oluwarotimi Akeredolu Foundation
10:20 AM
Birthday tribute in song and tribute documentaryMusical interlude · Screening of "Life and Times of Akeredolu"
10:45 AM
70th Birthday Anniversary Keynote LectureHis Excellency Prince Dapo Abiodun, Governor of Ogun State
11:30 AM
Goodwill messages IFederal Government · Southwest Governors' Forum
11:45 AM
Panel discussion"Beyond Amotekun: Law, Justice, and Community Policing — Building an Institutional Framework for a Safer Nigeria"
12:45 PM
Goodwill messages IINigerian Bar Association · Traditional and religious leaders · Partner institutions
1:05 PM
Birthday tributes sessionFamily, associates, government and the Bar, with tributes from the online wall
2:00 PM
Communiqué presentation and recommendationsFor onward transmission to government and security institutions
2:20 PM
Symbolic cake-cutting and candle-lightingIn honour of the 70th birthday anniversary
2:35 PM
Closing remarks, vote of thanks and closing prayerReception, group photographs and networking from 3:05 PM
Can't be in the room? The Colloquium is livestreamed.Physical attendance in Ibadan, with full livestreaming, live chat, an online poll and questions for the panel on the Media page.
Aketi@70 Colloquium · 8 October 2026 · University of Ibadan
Speakers
Governors, lawmakers, security chiefs, traditional rulers, scholars and civil society, gathered around the 2026 theme. More names are announced as they are confirmed.
2Confirmed so far
Keynote speaker portrait
70th Birthday Anniversary Keynote Lecture
His Excellency Prince Dapo Abiodun
Governor of Ogun State · Keynote speaker
Speaking onFundamentals and Governance of State Policing: Towards a New Architecture for National Security in Nigeria
[Short biography of Governor Abiodun: 2–3 sentences on his career, his role in the Southwest Governors' Forum and his engagement with regional security.]
Earlier proposed keynote topics (concept note)“At 70: Akeredolu's Legacy in Law, Leadership, and the Fight Against Insecurity” · “Community Policing and the Future of Internal Security in Nigeria” · “Federalism, State Policing, and the Amotekun Model: Lessons and the Path Forward”
Chief hostHis Excellency Dr Lucky AiyedatiwaExecutive Governor of Ondo State
The Colloquium is held under the auspices of the Southwest Governors' Forum, whose governors have kept the vision of Amotekun alive since 2020.
Panel discussion
Beyond Amotekun: Law, Justice, and Community Policing
A single robust panel follows the keynote, moderated by a senior journalist, legal practitioner or security analyst, with panelists drawn from the Bar, security services, academia, government and civil society.
Speaker portrait
Moderator[SPEAKER NAME][Title, organisation][One or two sentences of biography.]
Speaker portrait
Panelist · The Bar[SPEAKER NAME][Title, organisation][One or two sentences of biography.]
Speaker portrait
Panelist · Security services[SPEAKER NAME][Title, organisation][One or two sentences of biography.]
Speaker portrait
Panelist · Academia[SPEAKER NAME][Title, organisation][One or two sentences of biography.]
Speaker portrait
Panelist · Government[SPEAKER NAME][Title, organisation][One or two sentences of biography.]
Speaker portrait
Panelist · Civil society[SPEAKER NAME][Title, organisation][One or two sentences of biography.]
Speaker and media enquiriesThe programme committee receives nominations and press requests by email.
The full Colloquium is live-streamed on the official Akeredolu website and its YouTube and social channels; each edition is then kept here in photographs and on-demand video.
Live on 8 October from 10:00 AM WAT
Edition2026 · Aketi@702027 and later editions appear here each year
Livestream
The 2026 Colloquium, live
Live from 10:00 AM WAT on Thursday 8 October 2026, from the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan. The recording remains here after the event.
YouTube livestream embed[YOUTUBE LIVE URL] · 16:9 · plays inline on the page
Subscribe to the Foundation's YouTube channel to be notified when the stream starts.
Take part online
Not only for those in the room
The stream carries the whole day; these features run alongside it.
Live chat
Follow proceedings in real time with moderated live chat during the stream.
Poll on community policing
A pre-event and live survey on community policing and security, with results presented during the panel.
Questions for the panel
Submit a question online; moderated questions are put to the panel in the Q&A segment.
[#HASHTAG]
Highlights shared on X, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn throughout the day.
After the eventThe full recording stays here on demand; the keynote address, the communiqué and its recommendations are published as downloads; the photo gallery below becomes the permanent record.
From the family archive. Photographs of the Colloquium itself are added here from the Foundation's Flickr album [FLICKR ALBUM URL] after 8 October.Load more photographs
At the DAWN Commission, 10th Floor, Cocoa House, Ibadan, the Akeredolu family and the Commission announced the Aketi@70 Colloquium for Thursday 8 October at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan, with Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa as chief host and Governor Dapo Abiodun delivering the keynote. "This colloquium is not a eulogy. It continues his work," the family said, while the Commission framed the discourse plainly: the debate on state policing is no longer about whether, but how.
Share a memory, a birthday wish or a goodwill message for Aketi at 70. Tributes are reviewed by the Foundation before they appear here, and a selection is read during the Colloquium's tribute session.
0Tributes shared
Contribute a tribute
What would you say to him at 70?
Family, colleagues at the Bar, people he governed, and anyone whose life he touched are invited to write. A short, specific memory says more than a long formal one.
1Write in your own words, up to 600 characters. Yoruba and English are both welcome.
2The Media and Publicity Committee reviews every tribute before it is published. Your email is never shown.
3Published tributes join the permanent digital archive of the 70th birthday Colloquium.
It appears on the wall below marked "Awaiting review" until the Media and Publicity Committee approves it. You will receive an email when it is published.
The wall
"A fearless defender of truth and the masses."
Excerpts from the family's tribute book, Tributes & Memories (February 2024), alongside new tributes for his 70th birthday.
Oluwarotimi Akeredolu Colloquium
