Yemi Adenuga

Oluwayemi "Yemi" Adenuga (née Solaru) is a Nigerian-Irish politician, community organiser and advocate for social justice initiatives. In May 2019, she became the first elected black female public representative in Ireland when she was elected to Meath County Council. She has also founded mentoring programs for women and youth, appeared on the television show Gogglebox Ireland, and worked as a radio and television broadcaster.

Early life and education Adenuga was born in Nigeria, and raised in a town outside of Lagos. She was the sixteenth of 27 children of a father with seven wives. She completed her MBA at Liverpool John Moores University.

Career Adenuga worked as a radio and television broadcaster in Nigeria for ten years before moving to Ireland in 2000. In 2004, after moving to Ireland with her family, she didn't find media industry work but instead found work in accounting. In 2020, after the murder of George Floyd, Meath County Council approved her motion to fund an educational initiative and become the first county in Ireland to openly take action against racism. She has also advocated for hate crimes legislation in Ireland that includes penalties for online harassment, and helped organise an online rally against racism.

Adenuga has launched several community initiatives, including the women and youth empowerment programs Sheroes Global Initiative and The Boys-to-Men project aimed at raising boys to be good men, the Meath Stand Against Racism education campaign,

Adenuga began the Sheroes program in Ireland in 2012,

Adenuga and her husband also manage Nigerian Carnival Ireland, a cultural, diversity and inclusion company that delivers programs in Ireland and Nigeria.

Personal life Adenuga is the mother of four children and is married to Deji Adenuga, a Nigerian actor, who was also her campaign manager.