Editor’s Note:

A young-world revolution is unfolding before our eyes, rupturing the idea that only experience can change the world. Increasingly, young people are participating actively in all aspects of human life, and changing the way we think, look and do what we do.

At YNaija, we know these stars from across Nigeria – the decision-makers, changemakers, and influencers breaking boundaries in Nigeria; and we’ve made it our duty annually, to celebrate them over the last nine years. In delivering this year’s edition, we have worked with an eminent jury to review and ensure it remains truly ‘powerful.’

Corporate 

In case you missed it: Odunayo Eweniyi, Sani Yusuf, Abasi Ene-Obong…See the #YNaijaPowerList2020 for Technology

Reginald Aziza  

Reginald Aziza is a brilliant transactional lawyer and a fierce litigator, philanthropist, global citizen and a mentor to many young lawyers.  

He graduated from Obafemi Awolowo University with the highest number of awards, proceeded to the Nigerian Law School where he won a number of awards and the overall best male performance with a first class. He also attended University of Cambridge and bagged a first class and winning awards as top 3 of his class with outstanding performance and is currently undergoing is PhD in the University of Oxford. 

He is currently an in-house Attorney in Chevron Nigeria.

Charles Isidi  

Charles is currently the Head of Growth at Thrive Agric – an agricultural technology company making agriculture profitable and has grown exponentially in the past few years, with Charles driving its growth. At Thrive Agric, Charles ‘develops and implement cohesive brand communication, marketing and growth strategy that communicates brand values and positions the brand as progressive in the agricultural technology space.’ 

From someone who loves consuming knowledge, Thrive Agric has good hands in charge of taking it to greater heights.

Samuel Otigba 

A Senior Partner at a Brand/Digital Marketing Specialist company (Smart Edge) and an advisory board member at the United Nation’s NGO, Youth Charter, Samuel has expertise in interface design, strategic and digital marketing.  

He runs a social startup called Treadler – a mobile app connecting friends through shared activities in real time. 

As a social entrepreneur, super connector and relationship broker, he nurtures business relationships and continuously leverages on social capital by identifying mutual business beneficial situations to broker high powered one-on- one business introductions.

Tolulope Olorundero 

Tolulope is an entrepreneurial communications professional, with exceptional skills in strategic business collaborations and public relations.  

As Founder and Team Lead at Mosron Communications, a boutique public relations consulting practice in Lagos, Nigeria, she led the team to conceptualise and deliver one of the first virtual press conferences in Nigeria.

Having worked across several sectors of the economy, founded and expanded 3 businesses over the last 10 years with an appreciable level of success, Tolulope remains a strong advocate of customer-centric brand positioning for growing brands online.

She has facilitated trainings at the Nigerian Publishers Association, African Women in Media Conference as well as the school of Media and Communications, Pan Atlantic University. She also teaches and writes on business communication strategies for SMEs, executive/personal branding for C-suites and entrepreneurs, LinkedIn optimisation as well as writing and communications skills.

She has to her credit, two e-books: LinkedIn Optimisation for Professionals and Business Communication Strategies for Digital Entrepreneurs and Sales Professionals.

 Babajide Duroshola 

Babajide is an experienced professional whose mission is to help founders build long-lasting technology-enabled companies in Africa. His experience spans tech, banking and consulting.  

Currently leading Safeboda‘s expansion into Nigeria and building from the ground up, his role is to build the country strategy, with a focus on growth, expansion, our brand and P&L management.

Prior to that, he worked as a Community Manager with Andela where he was responsible for leading the community and owning the brand of Andela, to attract new community members and fellows to the organisation.

Bankole Williams 

Bankole Williams is a Consultant par excellence and a Peak Performance Career Coach who has a proven record of helping organisations develop their human capacity to surpass their annual financial targets.

He is a renowned force in Consulting; assisting no less than 12 prominent banks in Nigeria develop and deploy solutions for long-term profitability and sustainability. For his exceptional work in Human Capacity Development, in 2019, he was given the Coaching Icons Award. 

Known also as a Social Reformer with a goal to solve the problems of unemployment and underemployment through his foundation – Live Your Dreams Africa Foundation, he has received several awards and recognitions for his inspiring social work in Youth and Social Development by State Governments, including Lagos, Cross River and Abia. 

LYD is the 2019 recipient of the Google.org Award for Youth Empowerment in Africa. Through his foundation, over 21,000 youth have been empowered and since 2018, his foundation has created 462 jobs.  

Bankole is presently the CEO of LYD Consulting which empowers employees of Corporate Institutions to get great work done in less time so they can surpass their employers’ annual financial targets.

Kunle Kakanfo 

Dr. Kunle Kakanfo is a pragmatic health innovation curator, metrics management expert, public health professional, humanitarian, social reformer, wellness professional & leadership expert.  

He is passionate about the drive for innovation in health within Nigeria & sub-Sahara Africa by championing disruptive & edge-thinking, and distilling the leanings into actionable insights that help reduce disruption risk and spark new opportunities for innovation, business growth and investment.

Esther Agbarakwe  

Esther is passionate about people centered communication that inspire action on climate change. As a dedicated and highly enthusiastic strategic communications professional with excellent interpersonal, leadership and communication skills, she has worked in projects for more than 10 years with international experience spanning fours including with the United Nations, DFID, World Bank, AfDB in advancing priorities for MDGs and most recently the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). 

She was the Communications and Public Mobilisation for Climate Action department of the United Nations – where she took ownership and demonstrated the ability to drive strategic engagements on programme and communications activities on sustainable development action including climate action. She also took leadership on Youth Engagement & Public Mobilisation for the Secretary-General Climate Action Summit, including the successful and effective organising of the widely acclaimed first ever UN Youth Climate Summit, among other roles, until December 2019.  

Esther’s great personality and drive to keep doing it right has led her to become the Programme Officer, Public Mobilisation & Communication, Executive Office of the Secretary-General; a position she gained in March 2020.

Omoleye Omoruyi

Omoleye Omoruyi… an apprentice web/game developer, novelist, sensitive to happenings in the world. Meet him @Lord_rickie on Twitter/Instagram