Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has invited 19-year-old London Metropolitan University Law student, Temidayo (Dayo) Israel-Abdulai, to a reception at Buckingham Palace that marks her forthcoming visit to Uganda this November for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM.)
Dayo has been invited alongside other African leaders in the UK and is the youngest person to attend a reception of this kind at the Palace. His invitation comes as a result of his outstanding commitment to Africa and Africa’s Diaspora Youth Development.
Dayo, who has met many other world leaders such as Nelson Mandela, Kofi Anan and President Obasanjo, said it was an honour to receive an invitation of this kind from the Queen. ‘I believe it will give me an opportunity to see what goes on inside such a powerful palace,’ he commented.
President of the University’s Nigerian Society and a valued member of London Met’s student volunteer schemes, Dayo is an influential and impressive student whose history of extra-curricular activity includes a visit to Malawi in 2005 to attend the United Nations Young General Assembly Annual Session and the development of the Africa Diaspora Youth Forum.
At London Met he has served as Peer Support Officer and as a Student Academic Representative for the Department of Law, Governance and International Relations, and has also been a member of the Student Welcome Team.
In his role as President of the Nigerian Society, Dayo he has put together a monthly ‘Black Student Business Networking Evening’ on the last Tuesday of every month. He has also served as President of the University’s Human Rights Society and as Leader of the University’s Law Society and Christian Union.
Dayo’s influence stretches beyond the University. All year round he hosts a series of Youth Empowerment and mentoring tours across the United States, and currently he is working as a British Red Cross Humanitarian Citizen Ambassador and as a Special Representative of the Young General Assembly UN Meetings.
In September, Dayo addressed the Youth Session of the UN, commemorating the International Day of Peace at the UN headquarters in New York. In attendance were the UN Secretary General, Bai Ki Moon, and the UN Goodwill Ambassador and celebrated actor, Michael Douglas.
This December, Dayo is leading a youth delegation on a special pilgrimage to Israel, which is being hosted by the Diplomatic Community in Israel.
Dayo has won many awards for his work, including the People Working Earnestly for Africa (PEWA) Award, the Gathering of African Best (GAB) Award, and, in January 2007, he was a finalist in two categories for the biggest youth award in Africa, The Future Nigeria Award. He was also a finalist for the Young Person of the Year Award and the Youth Advocacy Award, all culminating in his invitation to Buckingham Palace.
7 November 2007
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