Adetoye Oremosu is a promising Nigerian youth, who is today rated as the first African to be named a Citizen Ambassador of the United Nations. SEYI GESINDE reports.

Adetoye Oremosu is a Nigerian youth, who is today seen as one of the citizens of the world by the virtue of his recognition by the United Nations as UN’s Citizen Ambassador, after he was selected among six global winners during a contest.

The competition, which focused on the Millennium Development Goals, had winners emerge from Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Russian Federation, Mexico and the United States.

They are Adetoye Oremosu, representing Nigeria; Mansour Albadran, from Saudi Arabia; Olga Shibaeva, from Russian Federation; Gerardo Mendoza Capetillo, from Mexico; Adam Burtle, from the United States and Connor Parker, from Australia.

They are all below 35 years of age.

Before the six emerged, according to UN’s Department of Public Information, over 400 entries were submitted to the headquarters office, after which the six winners were selected by a panel of United Nations officials and contest partners, among which is Adetoye, the only African candidate.

The winners, who were designated “UN Citizen Ambassadors” had visited United Nations headquarters in New York, on United Nations Day, where they met United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon and were taken on a special tour of UN’s headquarters and enjoyed VIP seating at the United Nations Day Concert in the General Assembly Hall.

According to UN’s Department of Public Information, during the contest, “participants were asked to address the Millennium Development Goals, which are eight objectives aimed at achieving tangible improvements by 2015, in the fields of poverty, hunger, disease, maternal and child deaths, education, gender equality and sustainability.

“The Goal-themed contest culminated with a special screening of the winning videos before world leaders in the General Assembly Hall at headquarters in New York, during the historic Summit on the Millennium Development Goals.”

The contest, which was organised by the UN Department of Public Information in partnership with the United Nations Foundation, the United Nations Development Programme and TV5Monde, according to the UN was an innovative one hosted on the United Nations Channel on YouTube.

It was part of a series of initiatives launched by UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, to “increase awareness of the work of the United Nations and to engage a new generation of world citizens through the Internet and online social networking.

“The winning videos were honoured for their personal and creative take on the Goals. In his winning video, Oremosu (of Nigeria) lamented the lack of education and its effect on society, while Albadran of Saudi Arabia urged world leaders to ‘forget the mistakes of our past’ in order to make this a better world.

“Capetillo of Mexico, stated that the Goals are what ‘humanity needs for a more just, more tolerant and more secure world’ and similarly, Parker of Australia, suggested that the world must ‘stand as one and take on the fight against poverty with both hands,” UN’s Department of Public Information said.

It said when the awardees were honoured, “videos featuring Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Goodwill Ambassadors: Jackie Chan, Angelique Kidjo, Youssou N’Dour and Leo Messi, and United Nations Messengers of Peace, Stevie Wonder and Princess Haya, asked online users how to make the world a ‘better, safer place’ and were viewed over 56,000 times during the campaign.