Ayodeji Osowobi named Commonwealth Young Person of the Year

Founder, Stand to End Rape Initiative, Ayodeji Osowobi has been named the Commonwealth Young Person of the Year. By doing so, the 28-year-old Nigerian became the first Nigerian recipient of such prestigious honour.

She won the award on Wednesday, March 13, 2019, and she was presented the gong by Patricia Scotland, the Commonwealth secretary-general at Marlborough House, the Commonwealth Secretariat’s London headquarters. Osowobi got the honour over 15 other nominees.

According to The Cable, “The Commonwealth Youth Awards for Excellence in Development Work aim to raise the profile and highlight the contribution young people make to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”

On the same day, she 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. Osowobi had started Stand to End Rape (STER) in 2012, after some gruesome life experiences as she told Loose Talk Podcast in 2018.

After she accepted the gong, the Ahmadu Bello University Graduate said, “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,” she said.

Osowobi then goes on to say that, “Our organisation provides medical, legal, mental health and psychosocial support, and empowerment services – depending on the requirement. In certain instances, we provide shelter access and financial support to survivors.”

She continues that, “Having experienced sexual violence myself, I understand the cultural barrier of speaking up, and the lapses or lack of services available.

“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 as we work towards achieving a ‘Connected Commonwealth.’”

In a chat with Pulse, an elated Osowobi says, "I feel great and empowered by this award. It reminds me that working tirelessly in my community makes a global impact. This awards is an arsenal for my team, myself and every other young person to fight patriarchal systems that limit the rights of women and girls.

"I’m super elated that this award reaffirms the voices of survivors and empowers advocates like myself who are creating change in their Commonwealth Countries.

"To be the first West African and Nigerian to win this makes me so proud of myself."

While presenting the award, Patricia Scotland, the secretary-general, who presented the awards, she simply said, “The Commonwealth Young Person of the Year 2019 is female.”

She continues, “The Commonwealth has remained at the forefront of youth engagement because we recognise – within the diversity and broad distribution of our worldwide family – the powerful individual agency of young people.

“With many of our nations experiencing a demographic bulge of younger people, partnering with youth becomes ever more important.”

In 2018, Nigeria’s Omowumi Ogunrotimi of Gender Mobile was a finalist in the Commonwealth Young Person of the Year category, and she went on to win £1,000 for her work with Gender Mobile.