28-year-old Nigerian Awarded Commonwealth Young Person of the Year
28-year-old Nigerian CEO and Founder, Stand to End Rape Initiative (STER), Ayodeji Osowobi became the first Nigerian to be named the Commonwealth Young Person of the Year.
The Commonwealth secretary-general at Marlborough House Patricia Scotland, on Wednesday, March 13, 2019 presented the award to Ayodeji Osowobi who was honored over 15 other nominees.
The Commonwealth Youth Awards for Excellence in Development Work aim to raise the profile and highlight the contribution young people make to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Ayodeji , the Ahmadu bello university graduate was also named Most Outstanding Young Person in development work for Africa and Europe. On this, she beat three other nominees and became only the second African to take the gong home. She had started Stand to End Rape (STER) in 2012, after some horrific life experiences in 2018.
She gave a speech after accepting the award, saying “This award reminds me that when young people don’t look away in the face of injustice, and say ‘no’ to cultural biases, we have the capacity to create change because we are magic”.
“Winning this award encourages me to keep working hard to build a safe community for women, girls and men in Nigeria and that my story is valid.
“To my team and I, the award is a reminder that our work is seen, felt and should not stop now,”
Stand to End Rape Initiative (STER) provides medical, legal, mental health and psychosocial support, and empowerment services depending on the requirement. In certain instances, they shelter access and financial support to survivors.
Having experienced sexual violence, Osowobi understands the cultural barrier of speaking up, and the lapses or lack of services available to victims of sexual violence.
This award is a reaffirmation that elimination of sexual violence in Nigeria and other Commonwealth Countries is important and a core agenda of the Commonwealth Secretariat.
Patricia Scotland, the secretary general of the commonwealth while presenting the award said, The Commonwealth has remained at the forefront of youth engagement, as they recognize within the diversity and broad distribution of the worldwide family the powerful individual agency of young people. They also look forward to a continuous partnership with youths.
Ayodeji Osowobi is the first West African and the first Nigerian to win this award as she is an example of emulation by Nigerian youths.
