Olaokun Soyinka

Olaokun is the first child of Nigerian Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka and his first wife, British multicultural[6] educationist, Barbara Dixon.[7][8][9] He has eleven siblings. He attended Government College, Ibadan, before pursuing a career in Medicine.[9] He attended University of London (St Thomas's Hospital Medical School) and qualified as a doctor in 1982 and also got an MBA from Cranfield School of Management in 1986. He practised as a physician in the UK before founding[10] and publishing the British Journal of Cardiology. He was an active member of the Nigerian prodemocracy movement and General Secretary of NALICON (National Liberation Council of Nigeria). He was also a member of New Nigeria Forum where he collaborated with Dr Kayode Fayemi to publish NigeriaNow, the prodemocracy newsletter. He, along with a small team of activists (Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Kayode Fayemi and Wole Soyinka) worked together to establish[11] Radio Free Nigeria which was later renamed Radio Kudirat, a shortwave station, which broadcast daily to Nigeria. He returned to Nigeria in 1998, following the death of military dictator, Sani Abacha.[12]

Since his return to Nigeria, he has pursued a career in Public Health. After a period of consultancy for the UN and CIDA, he spent three years at the WHO country office as the Health Promotion Officer. He was subsequently[13] appointed as Commissioner for Health, Ogun State. While serving as Commissioner, he spearheaded the implementation of the Ogun State Community-based Health Insurance Scheme called Araya.[14][15]

He is married to poet and novelist Lola Shoneyin and between them they have four children. He plays Golf, guitar and has a black belt in Karate.