Meet the Students

Meet the Students

Ilerioluwa Akinkugbe

Trying to play my part in moving Nigeria forward.

Abiodun Awoyemi

Abiodun Awoyemi

Abiodun Awoyemi is a Nigerian who strongly desires that, the nation begins the journey to prosperity in his lifetime. Leaving a plum oil and gas career to venture into the unknown, Abiodun started a for-profit social enterprise which he believes will fix Nigeria’s national security and public safety gaps. For Abiodun, Nigeria’s journey to national prosperity will not begin until the country is safe, secure, and resilient to the many preventable circumstances killing her people. With his startup, he is building capacity of communities and organizations to be fully prepared to prevent, mitigate, respond to, and recover quickly from all-hazard emergencies.
He has trained with many organizations in the United States, mostly with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of the Department of Homeland Security. Abiodun has a bachelors in Applied Geophysics from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, and completed a Master’s degree in Homeland Security at Pennsylvania State University, USA.

Kunle Jinadu

I’d like to refer to myself as a social entrepreneur focused on solving problems that affect the quality of life of Nigerians using innovation and technology. I think “entrepreneur in the public interest” is apt. I think it is possible to be an entrepreneur and be focused on public good at the same time.

Most of my work as an entrepreneur has revolved around nutritious food, education and jobs. I believe strongly that people should have these basic needs met. Some of these have impacted hundreds and been featured in local & international media.

Before becoming a full-time entrepreneur, I worked for over 5 years as an engineer at Ericsson helping to build and integrate first-time innovative solutions in Fraud detection, Revenue Assurance and mobile money in sub-saharan Africa. I also had a short stint in banking.

I hold a Bachelor’s degree from Covenant University (2007) where I graduated with a first class degree in Computer Science and had my first major opportunity to “make all the mistakes and learn real lessons from leading people”.

I want to help contribute to making Nigeria great.

Stephen Daniel

Stephen has a bachelor’s degree in Development Studies and a master’s degree in Research and Public Policy where he conducted a study on how educational institutions can impart 21st-century skills in students. He has over 8 years of experience in the educational and NGO space focused on sustainable human capital development in Africa.
Has founded and co-founded several organizations, including Dr. Progress Studios, Leaders Club, Society for Childs Educational Development, GREEN UCU, and Progress Farms. Currently, he works in the content creation space producing educative videos (www.drprogress.me) that teach on values and principles while sponsoring over 100 street children in school. His mission is to put smiles on faces from a place of love while solving problems and elevating African values and cultures.

Chiamaka Ifediora

Chiamaka Ifediora is an International Business Development Consultant and a trained Personal Performance Coach with over seventeen years corporate experience. She is currently the Principal Consultant for Tourism and Hospitality at Merging Borders International.

Passionately committed to tourism development in Africa that creates a positive experience for local people, local businesses, and tourists themselves, She has trained over 2,000 people, assisted over 100 businesses, supported several destinations and continues to inspire travelers.

Ifediora has consulted for both private and public enterprises in Nigeria, Ghana, United Kingdom, The Gambia, United States, Sierra Leone, UAE amongst others.

She has received degrees and training from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria, Harvard Business School, USA, The Coaching Academy, UK and The Travel Institute USA.

Chiamaka grew up in Lagos, Nigeria providing her with a unique perspective on social issues. Her love for tourism has taken her to over 55 countries.

Ayodeji Stephen

Ayodeji Adekanbi is a graduate of Physics from the University of Ilorin, Nigeria. He is a social and energy enthusiast whose heart is keen on seeing an eruption of Renewable Energy alive in Nigeria and Africa. Ayodeji is currently a Post graduate fellow of Renewable Energy at the prestigious premier University, Ibadan, Oyo state, Nigeria. Ayodeji is a staunch advocate of the Sustainable Development Goals and believes they are largely achievable by 2030, given our individual, mutual contribution in our respective sectors and mode of living

Yetunde Ogunribido

Yetunde Ogunribido is a business professional with experience in the retail energy and
consumer goods industry. Her role has spanned from volunteering on community service
projects to working in customer advocacy. She is passionate about the social sector and seeks
to play her part in contributing to positive social impact within her community.
Yetunde pursued a BSc in Business Administration at the University of
Illinois-Urbana-Champaign. She participated in several volunteer activities during her time in
Illinois and continued when she relocated to Nigeria.
While in Nigeria, she coordinated campaign activities for a young political party alongside few
other service projects. Her experience within the social sector has encouraged her to seek out
deeper understanding of public service and the role of active citizenship in Nigeria. She strongly
believes that “when you know better, you do better” and in her bid to do better, she chooses to
embrace active learning.

Adeoluwa Adebayo

Ajaude Chima

My name is Chima Nkama Ajaude, a trained Political Scientist with bias for Political Analysis, Public Policy, Political Economy and International Politics. I am interested in championing and charting the course for new brand of Nigeria that will be reckoned with among the comity of nations this thus informed my engagement with different not-for-profit organizations as a way of being instrument of this much desired change.

I firmly believe that people irrespective of their creed, race, social status and class should be treated equally. These have been enduring philosophy that influence how I relate with people in my sphere of contact.

Over the years, I demonstrated exemplary leadership and immense leadership capacity in playing formidable roles in different organizations I have identified with thus using such platforms as veritable tools for advancing the cause of social engineering.

I am passionate and committed on the mechanism of building cohesive nation and virile economy that will be a reference point for other nations.

My concern in the current state of the nation have spurred me to seize every opportunity at my disposal to entrench good governance, transparency, accountability and most importantly, justice and fairness thrives in our society, the lack explains the bane of development.

I engaged in playing football, snooker, reading and intellectual discourse at my leisure time

Iyanuoluwa Olaniran

My name is Iyanu Gabriel, I am passionate about technology, policy & economic development.



I am committed to helping successful organizations, corporations & governments solve their most pressing problems.



Currently, I work with the Local Operations team of Estonia-based technology firm; Bọlt (formerly Taxify) where I am primarily responsible for analytical excellence, operations & growth of various verticals. I also work with Imisi3D – a leading Extended Reality (XR) creation lab focused on building the XR ecosystem in Nigeria, and beyond. My work helps in growing a community of African Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality creators, creating solutions using AR/VR, and providing educational and engagement experiences with AR/VR.


In my spare time, you will catch me mostly indoors reading a good book – sometimes more, regularly tinkering with ideas, having insightful conversations with friends on innovation, emerging trends and paintings.

Toyin Emmanuel

Olúwatóyìn (Toyin) Emmanuel-Olubake works to help innovators and entrepreneurs unlock potential and bring positive transformation to communities.



Toyin is an investment professional with over 15 years of experience in financial services across West Africa and the UK. He currently works as the Associate Director of Portfolio for Acumen West Africa, where he helps support the growth of social enterprises and the development of the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the region.



Prior to this, Toyin worked in different capacities with Sahel Capital Agribusiness Managers and Afrinvest West Africa in Nigeria and London-Scottish Bank, Barclays Bank and Domestic and General Insurance in the UK. Toyin holds a BEng in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Nottingham.