22-Year-Old Nigerian Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

Zuriel Oduwole, a 22-year-old advocate for peace, education, and gender equality, has been nominated for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. Her nomination highlights her contributions to global diplomacy, education reform, and youth empowerment, reinforcing Nigeria’s growing influence on the world stage.

Born in Los Angeles to Nigerian grandparents, Oduwole has engaged with over 35 world leaders, including presidents and prime ministers, to address policy and development challenges. She has focused on improving education access for marginalized communities and driving systemic change. Her diplomatic efforts have also included mediation in international disputes. At just 13, she played a role in resolving a territorial disagreement between Guyana and Venezuela, meeting with then-President David Granger at the United Nations. In 2020, she consulted with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on strategies to maintain peace during the Arab blockade of Qatar, which ended in 2021.

Oduwole’s passion for education advocacy began when she was nine after witnessing young girls in Accra selling goods instead of attending school. This experience inspired her to use documentary filmmaking to highlight educational barriers. In 2013, she founded *Dream Up, Speak Up, Stand Up (DUSUSU)*, an initiative that empowers youth, particularly girls, to advocate for education and leadership opportunities. The program has reached young people across Africa and the Caribbean, providing them with tools to promote gender equality and access to quality education.

Her efforts to improve education policies have gained international recognition. In 2017, at just 14, she met with then-US Secretary of State John Kerry to push for ‘reward-based’ education programs to improve school retention rates for girls in developing countries. In 2019, her advocacy contributed to ending child marriage in Mozambique following discussions with President Filipe Nyusi. In 2022, she received the 8th UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Leadership Award in New York for her decade-long mediation work and commitment to gender parity.

Reacting to her Nobel Peace Prize nomination, Oduwole expressed humility and surprise. “I have never sought recognition, only to speak up where it’s needed,” she said. “This honor reflects the urgent need to invest in young voices as agents of change.”

The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the world’s most prestigious honors, recognizing individuals and organizations 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 increasing role of youth in global advocacy, policy development, and sustainable peace efforts.