Hon. Olajumoke Ariyo

A French Education Graduate from the University of Benin with an MBA in Health & Social Care from Anglia Ruskin University, she worked with the Metropolitan Police Service for 16 years before she retired as a Deputy Finance manager in 2010. Since then, she has been a tireless socio-community activist, campaigner, and a self-employed Events Organiser. Popularly known as Baroness J, Olajumoke has a proven track record of serving the UK Nigerian Diaspora. She is also an experienced CANUK Exco member having served as General Secretary in 2017.

A mother of 3 grown up children, Olajumoke is co-founder of the Nigerian Events Awards UK, the first ever organisation to recognise and honour Nigerians in the United Kingdom employed in our Events and Entertainment Industry, and the founder of Mothers Against Gangs, Guns & Knife Crime an organisation which she founded while carrying out a nationwide awareness programme particularly among Nigerians and Africans in the UK Diaspora of the increasing involvement of Nigerian/African youths both as victims and perpetrators of violent crime in the capital city. The campaign also made her a major voice in the community calling for parents to be more watchful of their kids activities. Her efforts (peaceful protests marches, seminars, media interviews etc) earned her the commendation of the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, Leader of Royal Borough of Greenwich Danny Boyle, and several mentions in various local and national press.

She was an organising committee member of the 2014 Nigerian Centenary Awards UK and the founder and current coordinator of Central Association of Ogun state Indigenes in the UK (CASSOGI UK).
In 2014, she founded Sistas & Divas Empowerment (SADE), an organisation that has campaigned and organised seminars and lectures on issues concerning women, the family, and our community (Breast Cancer Awareness, Disability Awareness, Prostate Cancer Awareness, Youth Crime, Mental Health Awareness, COVID 19 Awareness). The organisation also put on an online Summit empowering woman on strategies for getting back to life after the COVID 19 lockdown.

Baroness was a member of the Community Affairs Group that researched and worked on the 2019 document that came up with strong suggestions for improvements in the Nigerian Passport and travel documents issuance processes, some of which are now being implemented by the High Commission in London.
In 2015-17, she served as the Vice Chair of the Labour Party in Woolwich and Greenwich

Baroness is a major public and media personality. For many years, she hosted a community radio show Baroness Js World on Naija FM and kept an online blogsite BaronessJ.com which both highlighted the activities and achievements of Nigerians in the UK diaspora, and broadcasted interactive and informative articles. She was also the London correspondent for a major Lagos tabloid, City People Magazine. Through her strong social media presence and networking platforms, she has for many years been a major point of information for important news, UK government policies and issues that can affect and impact the UK-Nigerian Community.

She is currently a qualified Healthcare, Medicine and Public health Policy and Strategy Analyst working with the NHS.