Nigerian emerges President-General of World Youth Organisation

Ambassador Matthew Adeyemi Adeniyi has emerged the substantive President-General of World Youth Organization (WYO), an affiliate of the United Nations (UN).

Ambassador Adeniyi was elected and inaugurated yesterday in New Delhi, India, as the first elected President-General of WYO, after a keenly contested election where he triumphed over other contestants from eight countries namely the US, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Yemen, Palestine, Albania, Sudan and Nepal.

According to Davies Johnson from Austria, the chairman of the electoral committee, Adeniyi polled 1,679 votes to defeat his closest rival, Jack Adraka of the United States who scored 511 votes.

Matthew Adeniyi, who was proclaimed as an ambassador in 2013 at the United Nations Headquarters, New York City, the USA, clinched the seat at the Vigyan Bhawan venue of the event.

Prior to the election and inauguration of the Ambassador Adeniyi-led Exco, which will run the affairs of the world youth body for the next four years, WYO was run by a transition committee held by Max Goodwin Kieran from Romford, the United Kingdom.

Other EXCO members of the organisation with Ambassador Adeniyi for the next four years are Karla Sugey Rodriguez (Mexico), Secretary General; Claire Pace (Malta), Treasurer; and Vice Presidents Devjyoti Dutya (North America), Rochana Richardson (Europe), Emmah Musenyah (Africa), Fursan Mohammed (Asia), Junior Menezes (South America), Elvana Shala (Australia). All other countries of the world are represented at the executive committee level.

The first elected President-General of WYO, Ambassador Adeniyi, who hails from Ogbomoso, Oyo State, has been involved in youth projects and empowerment activities since his days as a student Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso.