Comrade Ayodele Olawande is a Construction Engineer, Community Development Practitioner, Youth Advocate and Politician. He attended Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti where he studied Civil Engineering and Federal University of Technology, Akure, from where he obtained a qualification in Industrial Design. He is proceeded to the University of Maiduguri, Borno State, to study International Journalism. He also bagged a Masters degree in Project Management from the Rome Business School. A member of the Commonwealth Society of Nigeria, Olawande was recently honored and awarded a PhD (honoris causa) in Leadership and Development by Eminence University, Denver Colorado, (EUDC), USA.
At 28, Olawande commenced his career as an educator, organizing classes and instilling knowledge and values in the young people of his community. His passion grew to embrace a dynamic journey into the youth development sector, where he spearheaded efforts to harness the immense potentials of young adults, delivering results that garnered him recognition and led to his active involvement in grassroots politics, community organizing and citizen mobilization.
Career wise, Comrade Olawande has covered an impressive milestone, recording breakthroughs that surpass his 35-year-old. He worked variously as a Site Administrator/Engineer at Renz Nigeria Limited; Personal Assistant to the Special Adviser on Innovation to former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; Director of Project Monitoring at National Examination Council (NECO); Strategic Communications Officer at Emerging Community Africa; Operation Manager at The Way Project Nigeria Limited; and Field Officer in the Nigerian Social Investment Office (NSIO).
As a politician, he started out as a member of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), serving as the ward 9 Akure South Auditor of the party from 2009 to 2011. He was a founding member of the Ondo Youth for Aketi in 2012; and co-founder of the Action Youth Movement (AYM) between 2008 and 2012. He also served as the South West Co-Coordinator of the Asiwaju Grassroots Foundation (AGF) and the Ondo State Coordinator of the All Progressives Youth Forum (APYF).
As a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Olawande has undertook several national assignments for the party, some of which include: ICT Director of the party in Ondo State from 2015 to 2018; Member, APC Convention Planning Committee (2018); Member, APC Committee for several Governorship Elections in different states and other assignments related to National and State electoral process from 2015 to 2023. He also served as Deputy Director for Youth Mobilization in the APC Presidential Campaign Council in the 2023 Elections. Comrade Olawande was also the APC Youth Leader in Ondo State till 16th of October, 2023, when he was appointed Minister of State for Youth Development by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR. On 23rd of October, 2024, he was reassigned and appointed the substantive Minister for Youth Development. He is also the Co-chair (State Actor Co-chair), OGP, Nigeria Open Government Partnership.
His watchword, “The People First” is a testament to his dedication and commitment to the welfare of both old and young. His commitment and competence have made it possible for him to impact the lives of many, bringing unparalleled dedication towards the actualization of any task he commits himself to.