Three Nigerians to receive the Queen’s Young Leadership Award

08 Dec 2015
Financial Nigeria

Summary

The three Nigerians are 23-year-old Olanrewaju Adeloye from Lagos State, 23-year-old Imrana Alhaji Buba from Yobe State, and 28-year-old Olumide Femi Makanjuola also from Lagos State.

Queen Elizabeth II

Three young Nigerians have been chosen to receive the prestigious Queen’s Young Leaders Award. They are 23-year-old Olanrewaju Adeloye from Lagos State, 23-year-old Imrana Alhaji Buba from Yobe State, and 28-year-old Olumide Femi Makanjuola also from Lagos State.

The three Nigerians are among 60 young people from across the Commonwealth who are being recognised for being exceptional leaders in their communities. The Award, which will be presented in London by Her Majesty The Queen in 2016, celebrates the achievements of these young people who are taking the lead to transform the lives of others and make a lasting difference in their communities.

The Award was established by the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust – a charitable foundation, established in 2012, to mark and celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s 60-year contribution to the Commonwealth. It is organised in partnership with Comic Relief, also a UK charity, and the Royal Commonwealth Society, a network of Commonwealth individual and corporate citizens.

Nominees must have a proven experience in working to improve their communities locally, regionally or at a national level and must have evidence of some achievements. The nominees must also be aged between 18 and 29 for the year of the Award and be citizens of a Commonwealth country. The Queen’s Young Leaders Award nominees must demonstrate evidence of their leadership qualities, and must have overcome challenges to achieve their goals.

Olanrewaju Adeloye is being recognised for his dedication to maternal health. Imrana Alhaji Buba has been selected in recognition of his work around peace building, while Olumide Femi Makanjuola has been acknowledged for advocating on LGBTQI issues.

Adeloye said, “I am so honoured to be part of the Queen’s Young Leaders programme. I’ve always had an interest in health care, and volunteered as an intern at a small health centre, which served over 12,000 pregnant mothers and new-borns a month. I then co-founded SaferMom, a start-up which uses low cost mobile technologies (SMS, voice services and apps) to engage mothers with health information through pregnancy and their baby’s early years. More than 900 women in nine rural communities now use the service.”

Over the next three years the programme will support thousands of young people to achieve their goals. The Award winners will receive bespoke mentoring and online learning provided by the University of Cambridge. Award winners will attend a week-long residential programme in the UK in June, when they will receive their Award at Buckingham Palace from the Queen.

“Once again 60 incredible young people from around the Commonwealth have shown strength, leadership, empathy and drive,” Dr Astrid Bonfield, Chief Executive of The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust, said. “Some of our winners are just embarking on their leadership journey and others are more established. Either way, we recognise not only what these amazing young people have achieved, but also their potential in changing people’s lives for the better in the countries and communities in which they live.”

To see a full list of Award winners and Highly Commended runners up, and read more about their stories please visit www.queensyoungleaders.com.  
 


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