Oluwadamilola Fatimah Agbaje, Deputy Speaker of the Ekiti Youth Parliament and a rising voice in youth leadership and feminist advocacy in Nigeria, has passed away. Her brother on X (formerly Twitter) confirmed the news, saying that she died suddenly on June 11th, 2025.
Agbaje was a distinguished legal scholar and youth parliamentarian. She graduated as the best student of the 2018–2023 session of Elizade University’s Faculty of Law, earning a CGPA of 4.86 out of 5.00 and receiving the Founder’s List award for four consecutive years.
In the political space, she held key positions that reflected her commitment to ethical leadership, inclusive governance, and gender equity. In addition to her role as Deputy Speaker, she served as Deputy Majority Leader of the 3rd Parliament of the Legislative Mentorship Initiative founded by Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila. She was also a planning committee member for the upcoming 2025 International Law Organization Annual Conference.
Agbaje’s work in the Ekiti Youth Parliament was wide-ranging and grounded in advocacy. She sponsored a motion to make sexual and reproductive health education compulsory in Ekiti secondary schools, coordinated an outreach campaign against female genital mutilation, and led awareness efforts on sexual harassment and assault. She also worked to mobilise female parliamentarians through the Women in Parliament initiative, aimed at increasing gender parity in youth political structures.
Her achievements extended into academic and public speaking. A British Parliamentary debater, she was named Best Female Debater at the All Nigerian Universities Debating Championship in 2019 and 2022. She began writing and publishing early in life, earning recognition at 16 through the John Kayode Fayemi Inaugural Essay Competition.
She founded The Consciousness Movement, a youth-led initiative focused on developing public speaking and critical thinking skills among young Nigerians. She was also a Chartered Arbitrator and Associate of the Nigerian Institute of Chartered Arbitrators.
Oluwadamilola combined academic excellence with a clear commitment to service. She brought energy, discipline, and a strong feminist perspective to her spaces. Her passing is a great loss to those who worked alongside her, and to the broader network of young Nigerians committed to justice, equality, and public service.
She is remembered.
