In commemoration of the 2021 Martin Luther King Day, the A. D. King Foundation, a US-based non-profit, has awarded the African Luther King Heroes Awards to 10 “extraordinary and outstanding Nigerians” in honour of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The announcement was made at the virtual maiden edition of the African Luther King Summit on Friday, January 29, with Dr. Naomi Barber Luther King and Dr. Melinda H. Barrow, Founder, 6th Region Global Chamber of Commerce, and Mrs. Aisha Yesufu, human rights activist, in attendance.

A statement said the awardees were carefully selected based on their courage, leadership, work as agents of change, investments in youths and enterprise development and have also shown tangible result from their community-oriented work, emulating Dr. King in leadership and philosophy.

One of the awardees, Raquel Kasham Daniel, is social entrepreneur and Founder of Beyond the Classroom Foundation.

She was awarded for her exceptional contribution working in marginalised communities in Nigeria focusing on education for children and sexual and reproductive health for adolescent girls.

She is also the Co-Founder of Nzuriaiki.com, an online platform designed to showcase volunteer opportunities in Nigeria.

She is the author of FLOW, a girls guide to menstruation and “There is A New Virus in Town” a coronavirus book for children.

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Omotola Fawunmi, a social justice advocate and Founder of Rebirth Hub Africa, was awarded for her service to youths, especially women and girls in low income communities.

She connects them to resources, opportunities, and also leadership development pathways for economic and social prosperity.

Omotola also works to end modern slavery by rescuing, returning, and rehabilitating victims of modern slavery across Africa from the Middle East.

Since 2019 her organisation has safely returned over 500 ladies from Lebanon, Oman, Cote-divoire, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, Iraq, Gambia, Kenya back home.

Owolabi Williams, a boys development advocate, entrepreneur, Founder and President of Boys Lead Foundation, was awarded for his selfless service through equipping, and empowering boys and young men of colour to transform our world, by being productive citizens.

He mentors young boys and teaches about the role of fathers in the lives of their sons.

Through his Foundation, he also runs leadership clubs for boys in schools and communities in Nigeria, Canada and United States focusing on social-emotional learning, life skills, entrepreneurial initiatives, and juvenile reintegration.

Oludare Akinlaja is an educator, development consultant and ManagingPartner of Oludare Akinlaja Research and Development Company.

He was awarded for developing the skill level of the African youths to drive the productivity and prosperity of the continent.

He has been in the forefront of driving quality education and lifelong learning through the setup of Yadaversity, a school using a multidisciplinary approach to train the youths of Africa for develop the continent.

Akinlaja, the author of “The Leadership Revolution”, is passionate about Africa and insists that the continent is filled with people that can drive its transformation.

Others awardees are Olusola Owonikoko, Programs Director, Project Enable; Mobolaji Ogunlende, Founder of Real Act of Kindness Foundation; Aisha Yesufu, Human Rights Activists; Wale Ajani, Tech Entreprenuer and CEO, Entrepreneurship & Leadership Business Academy.

Charles O’Tudor, Public Speaker and Principal Consultant of ADSTRAT Branding,  and  Adebunmi Akinbo, Secretary, Association for Information and Communication Technology on Local Content (ICTLOCA), were also honoured with the award.

“Specifically, we wanted people who have made contributions in the areas of promoting peace, education, improving communities in Africa and have demonstrated leadership and volunteerism like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. himself,” says Dr. Babs Onabanjo, Executive Director, of A. D. King Foundation, Atlanta, USA.

Mr. Stephen OguntoyinboExecutive Director of Alarinka Communications, and partner with A. D. King Foundation, stated that the goal of the award is to encourage more young Nigerians to participate in community building.

Each year, the organization will recognize individuals who demonstrate Dr. King’s spirit and legacy through their dedication and contributions in Africa and these 10 awardees are representative of the plethora of young people who devote time and energy to improve the lives of others and who are beacons of light within their communities.

Vanguard News Nigeria