Zuriel Oduwole is not a name that suddenly leapt out of nowhere. Through sheer hard work and pristine service, she has risen to the ranks of her career.
Oduwole, an advocate for peace, education, and gender equality, has been nominated for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize.
For Nigeria, beyond the pride of having a compatriot getting nominated, this latest feat has elicited pride among Nigerians, Africans and women worldwide.
The flurry of congratulations pouring in for Oduwole clearly confirms the saying that “success has many relatives” and that “failure is an orphan.”
The Nobel peace prize, one of the world’s most esteemed honours, acknowledges individuals and organisations that have made significant contributions to peace and human rights.
Past recipients include Nelson Mandela, former US Presidents Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama, Kenyan environmentalist Wangari Maathai, and former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee will announce the 2025 laureate later this year.
Regardless of the outcome, Oduwole’s nomination underscores the growing impact of youth advocacy in global policy and sustainable peace efforts.
Oduwole didn’t begin her advocacy today. She has demonstrated the rare eloquence, determination among her peers and for standing out in the midst of others.
Oduwole’s feat shows that women, globally, are challenging the status quo by contributing immensely and working hard. They are self-confident and not afraid to push all the boundaries required to breast the tape in whatever field they choose.
Nigerian ancestry have succeeded and are still succeeding which is why it’s no surprise that many hold prominent positions on the global stage.
In 2013, Oduwole founded “Dream Up, Speak Up, Stand Up” (DUSUSU) to empower youths, especially girls, to advocate for education and leadership opportunities.
Likewise, at just 14 years of age, she met with then-U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry at the State Department to push for ‘reward-based’ education programmes in developing nations, particularly to improve school retention for girls.
This engagement with US leadership reinforced her global efforts to promote education as a driver of peace and opportunity.
That is not all. Her involvement was instrumental in ending child marriage in Mozambique in 2019, following discussions with President Filipe Nyus, to mention a few of her outstanding achievements.
Her nomination recognises her efforts and reflects Nigeria’s growing influence on the global stage.
Born in Los Angeles to Nigerian grandparents, Oduwole has engaged with over 35 world leaders, including presidents and prime ministers, to discuss policy and development issues. Her efforts focus on improving education access for marginalised communities and promoting systemic change.
Meanwhile, the list of Nigerian descent that are making waves across the globe is non-exhaustive, and Oduwole’s nomination has once again proven the point that peace, education and all other areas are not exclusively to the male club.
At 13, Oduwole mediated a territorial dispute between Guyana and Venezuela, meeting with then-President David Granger at the United Nations to emphasise the importance of peaceful dialogue. In 2020, she consulted with Egyptian President, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on global peace strategies during the Arab blockade of Qatar, which concluded peacefully in 2021.
Her advocacy for education, which she views as fundamental to both development and stability, has been central to her mission from an early age.
In 2022, Oduwole received the 8th UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Leadership Award in New York, recognising her decade-long mediation efforts and advocacy for gender parity.
Her involvement was instrumental in ending child marriage in Mozambique in 2019, following discussions with President Filipe Nyus.
Oduwole did not stumble on stardom by accident but intricately sketched her way to the top to earn this nomination. It was a hard climb, assisted, as all such are, by perseverance.
