Lieutenant general Ipoola Alani Akinrinade CFR FSS (born 3 October 1939) is a retired Nigerian military officer who was Chief of Army Staff (COAS) from October 1979 to April 1980, and then Chief of Defence Staff until 1981 during the Nigerian Second Republic.

[2] Joining the army, he began officer cadet training at the Royal Nigeria Military Forces Training College, Kaduna in April 1960, then went to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the United Kingdom (August 1960).

Later he took the Infantry Officer Career/Airborne Course in the USA (August 1965 - July 1966), attended Staff College Camberley (January - December 1971) and attended the Royal College of Defence Studies in the United Kingdom (January - December 1978).

[1] After retirement, Akinrinade engaged in large-scale farming and was chairman of Niger Feeds and Agriculture Operations (1982–1985).

[2] He became a member of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), a pro-democracy group, during the Sani Abacha regime.