Queen Elizabeth Honours Three Nigerians At Buckingham Palace, London

Isaac Damian Ezirim

 On Tuesday night, Queen Elizabeth presented the prestigious Queen's Young Leaders Award at a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace, London, to three Nigerians: Hauwa Ojeifo, Isaac Ezirim and Kennedy Ekezie-Joseph. They received the awards in honor of the work they are doing to transform lives in their respective communities.


Meghan Markel and Prince Harry (The Duke and the Duchess of Sussex), David Beckham and others were present at the ceremony.

Hauwa Ojeifo, one of the three winners, runs a support group for women called She Writes Woman. The group focuses on the support and dissemination of mental health among some of the most vulnerable people in the community.

Isaac Ezirim, also one of the winners, is the founder of Teens Can Code. His initiative focuses on teaching adolescents computer coding and how to build web and mobile applications using the same tools used by professionals in the technology industry.

Kenedy Joseph Ekezie

Kennedy Ekezie-Joseph, 19, is the youngest of the winners. He is the founder of the Calabar Youth Council for the Rights of Women (CYCWR). This initiative works to promote the rights of women in Nigeria and supports the rights of women in the areas of female genital mutilation (FGM), domestic abuse, forced child marriage and access to education for girls.

The Queen's Young's Leader Award recognizes and celebrates exceptional people aged 18 to 29 across the Commonwealth who are leading in their communities and using their life-transforming skills. The winners of this prestigious award will receive a unique training, mentoring and networking package, which includes a one-week residential program in the UK during which they will receive prizes from Her Majesty the Queen.

Hauwa Ojeifo