OUR BRIEF HISTORY
Taiwo AKINLAMI Academy was established in 2011 as a Social Enterprise by Taiwo AKINLAMI, with a deep commitment to promoting Legal Enlightenment, Social Development, and Social Empowerment Engagements. This commitment stems from his belief in building an Egalitarian Africa and a world where our precious children can express their full potential as God’s precious children.
Since 1997, Taiwo AKINLAMI has been dedicated to advocating for Child Safeguarding, Protection, and Family Strengthening. It started as his Personal Social Responsibility Projects and later expanded through his law firm, Gilgal Partners, which was founded in 1999.
Taiwo AKINLAMI’s own upbringing was marked by abusive experiences at the hands of his primary and secondary parents. He endured unimaginable hardship, facing physical, emotional, and sexual abuses. His emotional, developmental, and basic needs were severely neglected, leaving him feeling like an orphan. He often reflects that although his father lived until the age of 82, they never had a genuine father and son conversation. Instead, his father resorted to physical abuse under the guise of discipline, offering no guidance or advice on life’s matters.
As a result of the childhood abuses, he endured, Taiwo AKINLAMI grew up as a dysfunctional individual. Detached from the realities of life, he suffered from what he termed Reality Deficiency Syndrome®. To cope with his traumatic past, he sought solace in various social and youthful vices. His sense of identity was shattered, and his self-esteem was non-existent. Misguided priorities led to a constant sense of purposelessness and inner emptiness. He was unaware of his own existence and the inherent value he possessed.
In 1987, as a searching teenager, Taiwo AKINLAMI found solace in surrendering to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and accepting Him as his personal Saviour during an open-air Christian meeting in his hometown of Ondo. However, three years later, he experienced a regression.
On Sunday, February 16, 1997, he discovered that his ultimate solution lay in God. In earnest prayer within the confines of his room, he rededicated his life to Jesus Christ, making Him his Lord and Saviour. Shortly after, he was invited by Olakunle Soriyan, whom he had met a week prior, to attend the Fountain of Life Church in Ilupeju, Lagos, Nigeria. There, he found spiritual guidance and mentorship from Pastor Taiwo Odukoya, the late Pastor (Mrs.) Bimbo Odukoya, and later the late Pastor (Mrs.) Nomthi Odukoya.
Between 1997 and 1999, Taiwo AKINLAMI received what he believed to be a divine mandate: to build an Egalitarian Africa and a world where our precious children are empowered to express their full potential as God’s precious children. He recognized that this could be achieved through Legal Enlightenment and Social Development and Social Empowerment Advocacy.
In pursuit of this mission, he founded Gilgal Partners, a public interest law firm in 1999, and later established Taiwo AKINLAMI Academy in 2011.
Taiwo AKINLAMI firmly believes that change is always possible for those who are ready to take responsibility. To foster an egalitarian Africa and a world where every child can flourish, he shares his personal journey of childhood abuse, the transformative help he received since 1997, his path to healing, and the invaluable lessons and principles that have sustained him. Through his story, he aims to inspire healing in others who have endured similar childhood experiences and to build a world where such experiences are relegated to the past.
This value system forms the bedrock of the Taiwo AKINLAMI Academy organization, permeating every aspect of its operations. It is a testament to the power of one individual’s journey of transformation and the enduring belief in the awesome possibilities of creating a better world for our precious children.