Jokotola Akoni, Chief Scientific Officer at the Abuja Environmental Protection Board in Abuja, Nigeria, was a 2007 Watson International Scholar of the Environment. She works extensively in environmental pollution monitoring and management, environmental degradation and development monitoring, and waste management. As management staff, she has served on committees on EIA reviews and urban pollution control. She presently serves as a member on the Committee for the Formulation of Science and Technology Policies for the Federal Capital Territory. She is also a member of the Nigerian Environmental Society (NES), International Society for Environmental Geotechnology (ISEG), Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction (GADR), and Campaign for the Prevention of Accidents (CAPRAS).
While at the Institute, Akoni participated in the Land Use Science course and also assessed the Abuja Master Plan as a tool for the sustainable development of Nigeria’s new capital. Her case study focused on the impacts arising from its abuse, restoration, and enforcement in ensuring a sustainable city. She also worked on developing networks for joint programs and project implementation in urban environmental quality assessment, particularly urban air quality. Akoni holds a BSc and MSc in microbiology from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, respectively. She also has a diploma in environmental management from the Technische Universität in Dresden, Germany.