Zuriel Oduwole, a 22-year-old Nigerian advocate for peace, education, and gender equality, has bagged a nomination for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize.

At such an early age, Oduwole has been involved in a number of impactful global initiatives and negotiations, such as mediating on a territorial dispute between Guyana and Venezuela at just the age of 13.

Advocacy for education is at the centre of Oduwole’s moves. In 2013, she founded the “Dream Up, Speak Up, Stand Up” (DUSUSU) initiative to empower young people, especially girls, to advocate for education and leadership opportunities.

At the age of 14, she met with then-US Secretary of State John Kerry at the State Department to campaign for “reward-based” education programs in developing countries, particularly in the aspect of school retention for girls.

ALSO READ: Tyla Becomes First Female African Artist To Hit One Billion Streams On Spotify

In 2020, she worked as a consultant with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on global peace strategies during the Arab blockade of Qatar, which ended peacefully in 2021.

Oduwole met with the 8th Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, in New York in 2022 as part of her decade-long moves for gender parity.

Reacting to her nomination, Oduwole noted that she has “never sought recognition, only to speak up where it’s needed.”

“This honor reflects the urgent need to invest in young voices as agents of change.”