Mrs. Dupe Atoki, the Director-General, Consumer Protection Council, CPC has been awarded the honorary citizenship of the State of Georgia, United States of America, in recognition of her continued exemplary contributions to the development of Africa's largest economy-Nigeria.
The Director General was notified of the award while receiving a delegation of visiting US lawmakers from the Capitol Hill of the Georgia General Assembly, comprising the Chair of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus, Hon. Rep. Dee Dawkins – Haigler, and Senator Donzella James, including the Chief Executive Officer of African Leadership Magazine, Dr. Ken Giami.
According to the Chair of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus, the award of honorary citizenship of Georgia is conferred on “individuals deemed worthy, and who have great experience and knowledge, doing great work abroad.”
Mrs. Dupe Atoki, is a lawyer of over 35 years experience in corporate and human rights law, graduated from the Ahmadu Bello University and was admitted to the Nigerian Bar in 1978. She is also an alumnus of the Washington College of Law and that of Oxford University, United Kingdom.
She has served Nigeria in many capacities, including being a member of several Presidential Committees, a former Commissioner of the Nigerian National Human Rights Commission and currently, the Director General of the Consumer Protection Council (CPC).
At the continental level, she served as a legal consultant in the drafting of several legal documents for the African Union and was a Commissioner of the African Union Commission on Human & People’s Rights (the continental body, responsible for the promotion and protection of human rights in Africa). She was a Special Rapporteur on Prisons and Places of Detention in Africa and also chaired the Committee for the Prevention of Torture in Africa.
She later rose to become the Commission’s Chairperson, making her the first Nigerian woman to head an African Union Organ. As Chairperson of the Commission, she did not only transform its management, she also eliminated the awful backlog of cases filed against African governments and delays in its decision making.
For her significant contributions to peacekeeping in the realm of human rights advocacy in Africa, Mrs. Atoki was, in November 2013, conferred with the 2013 Gusi Peace Prize in Manila, Philippines. The Award is the Asian counterpart of the Nobel Peace Prize, making her the first Nigerian and third African woman to receive it.
In the same vein, barely two weeks later, she received another award on Wednesday, December 11, 2013 from the Open Society Foundation (OSF), the Nigerian Bar Association Human Rights Institute (NBAHRI), the Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU) and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in recognition of her advocacy on human rights in the African Union (AU) at a reception and award dinner held in Abuja.
Also, earlier in the year 2014, her home state, the Kogi State Government, added to her glory by honouring her as an outstanding woman of the state, while her community, the Kabba Development Union, in recognition of her achievements organized a civic reception for her, where a Plague of Honour was presented to her in Kabba by his Majesty, Obaro of Kabba, Oba Dr. Michael Olobayo, on Saturday, June 7, 2014.
Mrs. Atoki, who assumed office as the Director General of CPC in May 2013, has demonstrated commitment and focus in the execution of her assignments in the Council and has taken giant strides towards re-positioning the agency for better performance.
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