Background and Education
Gbadebo Chinedu Patrick Rhodes-Vivour, also known as GRV, was born on 8 March 1983 on Lagos Island, Nigeria. He grew up in Ikeja and attended Chrisland primary and secondary schools up to JSS3, before moving to Paris to complete his secondary education at École Active Bilingue. Rhodes-Vivour holds 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). After his first master's degree, he completed the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in 2008-2009. He later attained a second master's degree in Research and Public Policy from the University of Lagos (UNILAG).
Rhodes-Vivour comes from a family of distinguished lawyers. His parents are Barrister Olawale and Mrs. Nkechi Rhodes-Vivour. His uncle, Bode Rhodes-Vivour, is a former justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, and his grandfather, the late Judge Akinwunmi Rhodes-Vivour, served as a judge. He is also the great-grandson of Steven Bankole Rhodes, the second indigenous judge appointed in Nigeria.
Activism
Rhodes-Vivour is the convener of Nigerians Against GMO, an advocacy group opposing the proliferation of genetically modified foods in Nigeria. The group gained prominence in 2016, protesting against claims by Monsanto that GMOs are safe, and challenging the Nigerian Minister of Agriculture, Akinwumi Adesina, along with the multinational company. In 2017, he and Nnimmo Bassey led a 2,000-person march to the Senate to protest environmental degradation. He also campaigns for the inclusion of history as a subject in Nigerian school curricula.
In 2022, Rhodes-Vivour collaborated with WellaHealth to provide free health checks and insurance to 1 million people in Lagos with voter’s cards, in commemoration of World Malaria Day and to encourage voter registration.
Career
Rhodes-Vivour's professional experience includes working with Franklin Ellis Architects in the UK and with SISA, Kliff Consulting (now Building Partnership CCP), and Patrick Waheed Architects in Nigeria. He founded Spatial Tectonics, a design firm focused on unconventional construction methods for affordability. He is a partner at Multi Development Construction Corporation (MDCC) and sits on the boards of HomeQube Ltd, E-Terra Technologies, and Alkebulan Agro-Allied. He is also the chairman of The Rhodes-Vivour Foundation.
Political Career
Rhodes-Vivour was one of the first beneficiaries of the Not Too Young To Run legislation. In 2017, he contested for the chairmanship of Ikeja Local Government Area under the KOWA Party, citing the absence of godfatherism in the party as his reason for running. He lost to the candidate of the incumbent APC.
In 2019, he contested for the Lagos West senatorial seat under the PDP, focusing on infrastructure development and criticizing the incumbent as an "absentee senator." He lost to the incumbent APC senator, Solomon Adeola, by 243,516 votes to Adeola's 323,817. Rhodes-Vivour contested the results in court due to alleged electoral violence and disruptions, but the court upheld his opponent's election.
In the 2023 Lagos State gubernatorial election, Rhodes-Vivour was the Labour Party candidate. He initially planned to run under the PDP but defected to the Labour Party before the primary election. He won the Labour Party’s nomination, defeating former APC chieftain Moshood Salvador with 111 votes to Salvador’s 102. Rhodes-Vivour finished as the runner-up in the gubernatorial election, losing to the incumbent governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
Personal Life
Rhodes-Vivour is married to Dr. Ify Rhodes-Vivour (née Aniebo), a molecular geneticist and the daughter of Augustine Aniebo, a former military administrator of Kogi and Borno states.