In This Biography

Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour Biography, Age, Career, Family, Spouse.

Gbadebo Patrick Rhodes-Vivour, also known as GRV, (born 8 March 1983), is a Nigerian architect, activist, and politician. He is the gubernatorial candidate of the Labour party (LP) for Lagos State in the upcoming 2023 Lagos State gubernatorial election. He was the senatorial candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for Lagos West senatorial district in the 2019 Nigerian Senate elections in Lagos State.

Background and education

Rhodes-Vivour was born on Lagos Island. He grew up in Ikeja.

He attended Chrisland primary and secondary schools up to JSS3 and then proceeded to Paris to attend Ecol Artive Berlin, where he completed his secondary education. He has a bachelor’s degree in Architecture from the University of Nottingham and a master’s degree in the same field from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He partook in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in 2008 after, his first master, and completed it in 2009. He later attained a second master’s degree in Research and Public Policy; from the University of Lagos (UNILAG).

Rhodes-Vivour is from a family of lawyers. He is the son of Barrister Olawale and Mrs. Nkechi Rhodes-Vivour. Former justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria and jurist, Bode Rhodes-Vivour is his uncle, while the late Judge Akinwunmi Rhodes-Vivour is his grandfather. He is the great-grandson of Steven Bankole Rhodes; the second-ever indigenous judge appointed in Nigeria.

Activism

Rhodes-Vivour is the convener of the civil society group, Nigerians Against GMO, an Anti-GMO advocacy group fighting against the proliferation of Genetically Modified Foods in Nigeria. Their protest increased in 2016, following claims by Monsanto that GMOs are safe, tackling the Nigerian Minister of Agriculture, Akinwumi Adesina, as well as the multinational company.

In 2017, he alongside Nnimmo Bassey led a 2,000-man march to the Senate to lend a voice in the fight against environmental degradation. He also campaigns for the inclusion of history as a subject in the Nigerian school curriculum.

In 2022, Rhodes-Vivour collaborated with WellaHealth to provide free health checks and insurance for 1 million people in Lagos who have their Voter’s card, in commemoration of World Malaria Day and to encourage people to get their Voter’s card to enable them to vote in upcoming elections.

Career

He worked with Franklin Ellis Architects when he was in the UK. On returning to Nigeria, he worked with SISA, Cliff Consulting now called Building Partnership CCP, and Patrick Wayi, before venturing fully into politics.

Political career

He was one of the first beneficiaries of the Not Too Young To Run legislation. In 2017, Rhodes-Vivour contested the Ikeja Local Government Area chairmanship under the KOWA party. Citing that the absence of godfatherism in the party made him contest under the platform. He lost to the candidate of the incumbent APC.

In 2019, he contested for the senate seat to represent Lagos west under the PDP. His campaign points were to revamp the infrastructure within the district and well as to get out the incumbent who he terms an “absentee senator spending more resources pursuing a futile governorship bid in Ogun State, rather than focus on Lagos West that has already given him their mandate”. He came second in the final polls, losing to the incumbent senator and contestant under the erstwhile ruling party APC, Adeola ‘Yayi’ Olamilekanola, by 243,516 votes to Adeola’s 323,817. Adeola received 41.38% of the votes, while Rhodes-Vivour received 39.40%. He contested the result in court, citing electoral violence and disruptions as reasons why the result should not be valid. However, the court deemed that not to be enough and upheld the election of his opponent.

He is the Labour party gubernatorial candidate for the upcoming 2023 Lagos State gubernatorial election. He was initially one of the nominees gearing up to contest under the PDP but pulled out just before the primary election was held. He cross-carpeted to the Labour party, contesting during a substitute election through which the substantive candidate of the party was to be chosen, and came out victorious, getting 111 votes, to defeat former All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain Moshood Salvador, who got 102 votes.

Personal life

He is married to Dr. Ify Rhodes-Vivour (née Aniebo), a molecular geneticist by profession who is the daughter of the former military administrator to Kogi and Borno states, Augustine Aniebo.

Wife and Children

He is married to Dr. Ify Aniebo, Ph.D., a molecular geneticist.

Details about their children are currently not known. NewsWireNGR will update this publication as soon as it’s revealed.

Net worth

Gbadebo is a successful architect with vast experience in the field.

However, details of his estimated net worth will be included as soon as it is known.

Controversy

GBV became more obvious in the public sphere when he criticized the then Minister of Agriculture, Akinwumi Adeshina, for his move to introduce Genetically Modified Foods (GMOs) to the country.

In a detailed publication in The Guardian newspaper, Gbadebo expressed his displeasure towards this move and advised the Minister to desist from it. In the publication, he also noted that Nigeria is not prepared for GMOs and even advanced countries are placing a ban on them.

In his words, Gbadebo said, “Six of the eight countries that make up the G8 have put bans in place in relation to the commercial cultivation of GMOs, with Russia going as far as passing a law that aims to treat anyone that brings GMOs into the country as a terrorist.”

Our agricultural systems, eating habits, and cultural requirements are not the same as those of Americans, for example, and bringing these crops into our country will expose us to unimaginable health impacts. “

Also in the publication, he called on the national assembly to intervene. He said “We also call on the National Assembly to urgently investigate the process leading to the granting of the permit on Sunday, May 1, 2016, to assure Nigerians that we are not pawns in a commercial game to open Africa to toxic technologies as well as control our food systems”

The minister, however, replied to Gbadebo in another publication accusing Gbadebo of mistaking biotechnology for GMO. Akinwumi said in his statement, “The author, unfortunately, confuses biotechnology with GMOs, which is done to deliberately misinform the population. He does not understand science. Noise is not fact nor science.”

To further express his displeasure towards the government’s move on GMOs, in June 2017, Gbadebo reportedly spearheaded a 2000-man march against the Senate in collaboration with environmentalists like Nnimmo Bassey.