Dayo Israel: From Children Parliament to the Queen’s Court!

Dayo Isreal

Asiwaju Dayo Israel endured the traumas of a broken home at an early age when his parents separated and eventually divorced. His involvement in youth development dates back to when he was eight years old. As a little child, he had an uncanny interest in child rights and was consumed with the passion to touch and make an impact in people’s lives. His passion made him join leading Human Rights Organizations such as CLO, CRP, and CDHR he also devoured all child advocacy texts he could lay his hands upon and he spent more than half of his weekly allowance buying newspapers even though his grandfather threatened to cut his weekly allowance. At 11, Dayo started his organization called the General Action Against the Violations of Human and Children’s Rights (GAAVOHCR) which has grown to be one of the foremost child rights organizations in Nigeria today.

Based on his impact in youth advocacy, two weeks after graduating from Secondary School (at age 15), he was sponsored by UNICEF to attend the (United Nations) Young General Assembly Session in South Africa and Swaziland. At this program, he was singled out to be interviewed by CNN. A month after (in September), he was in New York for the UN Special Session on Children. In October that same year, he was sponsored by the British Council to attend the UN People’s Conference in Italy and on arrival in November hosted the 1st National Conference on the Role of a Child in Nations Building which was attended by the 1st Lady of Lagos State amongst other eminent Personalities.

How did you get involved in youth development especially your background with the children’s parliament?

My involvement in youth development started when I was eight years old. I had the passion to touch and make a positive impact in people’s lives. I had many setbacks as a child: my parents divorced when I was very young and I lost my Dad when I was 11 years, but I always had this belief that I wasn’t a victim of circumstances, I knew that God had an assignment for me. Moved by my passion, I joined CLO, CRP, and CDHR all Human Rights Organizations and I read all the child advocacy and civil rights books that were available. I remember when I was about 10 – 14years old, I spent over half of my pocket money buying PM news despite the fact that my grandfather threatened to cut my weekly allowance because he thought I was wasting money buying them. Looking at that period, I believe I was building myself.

When I was 11 years, I started a child rights organization called, General Action Against the Violations of Human and Children’s Right (GAAVOHCR) with a couple of friends.

In those days, I was always attending the HURILAWS annual democratic conference at the Thisday Building in Apapa in my white (but sometimes dirty) school uniform and was always the youngest person in the midst of people like 30 years older than me. I also attended a couple of other stakeholder consultative meetings which I was not only the youngest but also the only person who didn’t drive a car.

In 2001, I was sponsored by UNICEF to attend the (United Nations) Young General Assembly Session in South Africa and Swaziland. The program attracted young people and over 70 presidents from all over the world; I was picked to be interviewed by CNN. Since then many great things have happened – I have led so many Nigerian Government delegations to UN meetings, represented the Nigerian Government at various International Youth Conferences, served in the Nigerian Children’s Parliament for 5years as the Deputy Senate President, appointed as the Chair of the Presidential Summit of Nigerian Children by President Obasanjo, headed NIDO YOUTH, just to mention but a few.

You achieved quite much when you were young, who was your inspiration?

Dayo Israel and President Obasanjo

I admired late Chief Gani Fawehinmi, (a renowned lawyer and human rights activist); I even studied law because of him. I remember sometime 1998, General Abacha was poised to succeed himself through the purported transmission to civil rule program; Gani organized a 5 million match in Lagos to protest against it. I wanted to go for the match but my mother discouraged me, out of passion, I sneaked out of the house that day to attend the match.

From your experience as a Child Rights advocate, what is your opinion that an 18yr old can be effective as the president of a country?

I believe it is possible. Young people have so much potential. I got into the Nigerian Children Parliament when I was 14 years and served as the Deputy Senate President. We achieved many great feats in the parliament and debated many policies that were to be passed into law. We pushed the Child Right Act, sat on the NEEDS and SEEDS program of the administration.

You contested for the President of your University’s students’ union in the UK, what inspired you and what experiences did you gain?

I used to think “I wish I had known earlier” was just a mere cliché but the lessons I learnt from the elections have proved it negative. Though I didn’t win the election, I learnt two very important life lessons that would forever remain useful for anyone in whatever career you chose to pursue especially politics.

Lesson 1 – Never trust anyone (esp. in politics) and Lesson 2 – There is no permanent friend in politics.
Maybe I should add 1 more lesson, Lesson 3 – Learn to fight the right enemy.

Having grown up in Africa or better still Nigeria – I was very familiar with the word “rigging” or “election malpractices” but I had never seen it in the form that it occurs here in London MET. The election was rigged by the incumbent and his Bengali community. The process was so flawed that some candidates who won different positions didn’t even campaign at all.

We were in it to win so we gave the campaign all our best. I wanted to help reform our University. I felt a dire need to create an impactful reform in the Student life and I really had big plans for the Union. I wanted to make it the pride of every student, I wanted to do stuff that would make Alumni want to come back to study here. That was why we went all out.

More importantly, this experience gave me more reason to support the various Youth Initiative in my country to get people out to vote during our last election. It’s important that people vote.

Throughout the whole campaign, we met people who were concerned about voting and couldn’t be bothered. Some said they don’t believe in democracy, I wish they had voted because the story would have been different, no matter how much you rig you cannot rig out a whole voting populace who believe in their vote and would defend it at all cost.

There are pictures of you meeting with the Queen of England, there’s one that you have lunch with Nelson Mandela, and there are very many others with other great leaders, what qualities and values stood you out amongst peers?

Dayo Israel and Queen Elizabeth II of England

Diligence – diligence to serve my generation. Diligence makes a man standbefore king. Everyone has a niche and everyone has an assignment. I discovered my assignment and I have given it all it takes. I have been doing a lot to contribute to development of Africans. There was a time we organized an International Summer School for young Africans, the program held in Nigeria and we had a budget of about

$40,000. As a person I didn’t have that amount but we still ventured to organize it. I dropped £2000 out of my school fees to support the Summer School and we were able to raise the money and the program was eventually a huge success.

I am not scared of death, I have great determination and I am passionate about my assignment. I am sold out to God, He is the reason I live.

Dayo Israel and Nigeria's Vice President Namadi Sambo

Who is Dayo Israel?

Asiwaju Dayo Israel is a Change Maker, Diplomat, Social Entrepreneur, Evangelist, Motivational and Inspirational Speaker, International Youth Advocate, Student Leader, High Performance Coach, Mentor, Conference Facilitator, and TV Talkshow Host. I am a policy adviser to governments all over the world. I studied law for my first degree, had Masters in International Relations, and I am currently doing a PhD in Government and Politics.

Dayo Israel and Bola Tinubu

Words of advice for youths…

You have an assignment, find it and give it your all. Your assignment is unique to you. Don’t do things because other people are doing it. Get the vision for your life; it is going to be bigger than you, you might think you don’t have all it takes to accomplish it but you will, even if you have no money, God will give you the provision. Many of us want to achieve greatness on the spot but sometimes you have to persevere and be patient and you will surely soon be living your dreams.

Dayo Israel and Babatunde Fashola