Abideen Olasupo, the executive director, Brain Builders International (BBI), a non-governmental organisation, has been selected as the only Nigerian among the 12 global ambassadors for Youth Power Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) campaign inititative.
The initiative, organised by Restless Development, UK, in collaboration with Project Everyone and Action for Sustainable Development seeks to bring youth activists together to call for support in achieving the SDGs.
Other ambassadors of the initiative are citizens of the US, Mexico, Philippines, UK, Lebanon, Kenya, Ghana, France, India, Cameroon and Barbados.
In a statement, the organiser of the initiative said the Youth Power campaign was borne out of the need to accelerate the achievement of the global goals or SDGs, adopted by the United Nations in 2015.
It also seeks to call on world leaders to end poverty, reduce inequality, and combat climate change by 2030.
“We have made progress but nowhere near enough. We are running out of time. Young people stand ready, and united, to take the lead in making the Global Goals a reality,” the statement read.
“As the youth-led climate strikes have shown, collective action from young people is already changing things for the better. Young people are fighting FOR fairness, justice, and the environment. They are fighting AGAINST inequality, persecution and climate change.
“They (the advocates) will be instrumental in organising the biggest youth generation in history to make the world a better place. They will provide
technical advocacy and campaigning support, establish systems of
learning and collaboration as well as funding, resourcing and amplifying
grassroots youth-led campaigns all over the world.”
Olasupo, a local and international multiple award winning advocate who was selected in 2017 and 2018 as the 8th Most Influential Young Nigerian-https://www.unilorin.edu.ng/index.php/fnews/6458-unilorin-graduate-is-8th-most-influential-young-nigerian and one of the 100 Most Influential Young African-https://thenationonlineng.net/ex-campuslife-man-among-100-most-influential-young-africans/, is known for his engagement in youth advocacy, holding government accountable, climate action and social research.
With over 8 years experience advocating for social change, Olasupo, a Nigerian entrepreneur, has influenced policy making and good governance through the works of his organisation.
Prior to his appointment by the UK-based organisation, Olasupo, under the umbrella of BBI, had began efforts towards localising the SDGs across Nigeria and the Africa continent.
He is also one of the ten goal keeper steering committee members working worth CIVICUS and Bill and Melinda Gate Foundation to give over $870,000 grant to start up with SDGs targethttps://www.civicus.org/index.php/what-we-do/innovate/actionaccelerator/steering-committee
BBI has also translated the SDGs into major local languages in Nigeria and Arabic, for which it won “Digital Leaders Award for Not-for-profit Organization of the Year” in 2019.
Olasupo’s organisation also has a community of volunteers and ambassadors across Nigeria tertiary institutions, as well as advocates across the 774 local government areas in Nigeria.
