Dr. Dayo Israel, APC National Youth Leader
THE TOP10 MAGAZINE POLITICAL MOBILIZER OF THE YEAR
Nigeria’s 2023 general elections were a nervy episode in the country’s fragile democracy. The sitting President, elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the opposition party that wrestled power in 2015 after the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s 16-year reign was serving out his last term in 2023. The choices before Nigerians were whether to continue with APC, revert to PDP or try out another party. The stakes were very high indeed and the campaigns frenetic.
The influence of Dr. Dayo Israel, the inspirational, dynamic and energetic APC National Youth Leader helped to shape that political choice. To be fair, APC’s victory in the elections cannot be ascribed solely to Dayo, but the role the 39-year-old played in mobilizing the five million-strong youth-wing of the party across the country was pivotal to APC’s success at the polls.
Since Dayo’s emergence as APC National Youth Leader, he has energized the youth base of the party through initiatives such as their e-Membership programme, the hosting of the Progressives Young Leaders Summit that brought together thousands of young people, and the launching of the Progressives Young Leaders Award. Dayo aggressively mobilized Nigerian youths for the victory of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by establishing the 200,000-member APC National Youth Wing Campaign Council known as The Jagaban Movement, personally travelling to all of Nigeria’s 36 states to mobilize young voters; as well as pioneering the Operation Deliver Your Street Programme for BAT.
As part of his effort to promote youth participation in politics, Dayo secured 50% discount on nomination forms for young people contesting on the platform of the party, as well as campaigning for them. This was a first in the history of the party and it led to the election of 18 new members in the House of Representatives and one Senator under the age of 40. He has also pioneered various multi-sectoral training programmes for the youths of the party. He is a member of the party’s national working committee and a strong voice for the next generation on the decision-making table of Nigerian politics.
Dayo who was born in 1986 owes his political, organizational and leadership acumen to an early exposure to National and global leadership in action at the highest stage and a very sound educational background. At 16 years, He was selected by the United Nations to represent all delegates to the UN General Assembly Special Session on Children on a special CNN Live Interview in 2002 and led the Nigerian Children delegation to the UN World Summit on Sustainable Development in Jo’burg 2002 and the World Water Forum in Japan 2003 among other global meetings. At 21, he was specially invited by Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh to a private reception at Buckingham palace as a result of his contribution to Africa Diaspora Development, and remains the only ever recipient of the Young PEWA (Person Earnestly Working for Africa) Award at the office of the Mayor of London. He was also invited by the Obama Administration to the White House President’s Forum for Young African Leaders in Washington DC.
He has met and addressed so many world, African and Nigerian leaders, including Dr. Nelson Mandela, former Nigerian Heads of State and Presidents – General Yakubu Gowon, Olusegun Obasanjo, Goodluck Jonathan; former British Prime Minister Sir John Major, President Roberto Cavaco of Portugal; Presidents Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma of South Africa; amongst others.
Dayo is an Alumnus of the Harvard Business School, Cambridge Judge Business School, the Executive Development Programme of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a Duke University, USA, fellow, with a LLB in Law and Masters in International Relations from the London Metropolitan University. Currently, Dayo is undergoing his Executive Doctorate in Business Administration (EDBA), with his research focusing on Increasing Nigeria’s Public Sector Productivity through Strategic Change Management, Organisational Culture Reform and Technological Innovation.
Dayo began his leadership odyssey as a Legislative Aide in the National Assembly of Nigeria, where he piloted various constituency development projects including youth exchange programmes in the UK, US and Canada. He later served as Country Director for GLEEHD Foundation where he helped drive trade and investment between Africa and the West (Europe and North America) through various activities including Trade Delegations, Business Roundtables, Investment Forums and Bilateral Meetings that gave birth to multimillion-dollar partnerships.
He returned to Nigeria’s public service through the Government of Lagos State where he served as a Permanent Board Member of the Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board, overseeing quality assurance of all public primary schools and continuous professional development of Public school teachers in Lagos State.
Dayo has received many National and global recognitions for his inspirational leadership. He was named one of the 100 Most Influential People of African Descent (under 40) as part of the 2017 celebration of the UN Decade for people of Africa Descent at the One UN Plaza in New York. Dayo is a member of the British Council Global Change Makers Network, Connecting Futures Programme and Fellow of the US State Department International Visitors Leadership Programme (IVLP) that has produced over 400 Heads of Government globally. A Henley Business School Young Leader, Dayo has twice been recognized in 2016 and 2017 as one of 50 UK’s brightest young leaders. He was also recognized as one of the top 25 Promising Nigerian Youths under 35 To Serve Nigeria in 2016 and as one of Africa’s top 30 most inspirational young people of 2013.
Dayo was at the United Nations in Geneva, COP 28 in Dubai; The Commonwealth Africa Summit in London and the Raisina Dialogue in India to promote youth inclusion in global affairs, earning him a standing ovation on the floor of the United Nations during the UN Permanent Forum for People of African Descent Switzerland.
In Nigeria, Dayo has been conferred with Traditional titles in over 7 states in recognition of his exemplary contributions to Youth Developed.
Dr. Dayo Israel is being honoured as the Top10 Magazine’s Political Mobilizer of the Year 2024 in recognition of his effective drive in mobilizing the youth wing of APC as a formidable campaign force behind the continuous electoral victories of APC since the last general elections.
