How Covenant Odedele Inspired Us -

How Covenant Odedele Inspired Us

Covenant is an ambitious young leader and FAME Alumni from Nigeria.

“My FAME journey started in 2018 at the FAME Leadership Programme for Secondary Schools in Ibadan. I love to question myself, but I was clueless about the answers to most of the questions I had burning in my heart about my reason for existing. “Thank God! FAME gave me an opportunity to find some of the answers to the burning questions in my heart in, 2018.” Today, Covenant is a successful university student and social innovator, he credits his participation in FAME leadership programmes for laying the strong foundation he has continued to build upon in recent years.

“My transformation process started at the FAME leadership programme where I learned valuable leadership skills for the future like Visioning, Self-Leadership, Decision-Making, Problem-Solving, and Time Management.” “After the programme it dawned on me that I was a leader and the future really is my own creation, personally, professionally, and relationally.” Covenant said, “the programme inspired him to raise his aspirations and excel at school.

He said, “After my exposure to the FAME Lead programme, I realized that leadership is more about influence and accepting responsibility rather than just occupying a position.

He said, “Then one day I heard about the FAME Prefects Training Programme from my school and I was so happy I was going to get another opportunity to learn the mindset and skillset to deliver my new role as the Head Boy of my School.” He said, “After my exposure to the FAME Lead programne, I realized that leadership is more about influence and accepting responsibility rather than just occupying a position.” “At the leadership and management training programme for prefects, I remember learning skills like empathy, emotional intelligence, critical thinking, creativity, effective communication and values like influence, responsibility, and Self-awareness.” “The knowledge gained from the FAME Lead programme gave me the confidence to lead my peers and overcome my cluelessness. I was able to lead my team of prefects and the students in my school effectively, thanks to FAME.

After his impactful tenure as Head Boy of Wesley College, Ibadan, and the completion of his secondary education, he said, “I was inspired to do so much more. I did not believe leadership ended after been relieved of my position as “For me, completing secondary school was everything, because that meant, I was a step closer to what I really wanted to be: a changemaker, making a difference and serving my community”. “I went online to search for the FAME website and applied to join the team as a volunteer. I was privileged to be selected to serve as a facilitator at the FAME Global Leadership Programme 2021-2022.” “Now, I am studying Medicine & Surgery at the University of Ibadan. Paying it forward and making a difference in the lives of students in my Alumni.”

“Immediately, when I entered university, I recognized a problem amongst most students on campus. Most of them were struggling to network, upscale, and unlock their potential. I decided to create a student-focused online community to tackle this problem called Students of LinkedIn.” “I help raise awareness and use technology to spotlight students across the world who are breaking limits to inspire other students to take action that transforms society, even while in school. Today, the community has reached 5M+ students in over 15 countries who are doing well academically, leveraging personal development opportunities, and are also very socially responsible.”

“In 2022, I started another initiative called “The Congress” which is a leadership and civic engagement programme that converges youths in Nigerian for conversations and deliberations about the role of individual citizens in the development of the country.”

He said, “This informed my decision to take every step that revolves around equipping teenage millennials in Nigeria by co-building a space for conversations and ideas that drive transformation.”

“I am ardently passionate about the transformation of the African adolescent. Over the years, I have found immense purpose in every endeavor that tells the story of the teenager the way it should go.”

He said, “This informed my decision to take every step that revolves around equipping teenage millennials in Nigeria by co-building a space for conversations and ideas that drive transformation.” “FAME made me see problems as opportunities. I became more creative and gained innovative skills. Thank you FAME for helping me emerge as the muchneeded change my communities require.”

In 2023, he emerged as the youngest Nigerian winner of the prestigious 2023 Princess Diana Award. He was recognized as one of the 188 emerging young visionaries and leaders from 31 countries across the world for his social enterprise, “Students on Linkedin” which helps university students capitalize LinkedIn profitably, while optimizing them for career development and workplace readiness.

He is a recipient of numerous local and national awards. He is a 2023 Fellow of The Carrington Fellowship of the US Consulate in Nigeria. He led a team of 5 to win the 2023 Naija Policy Hackathon, and he led the presentation of policy recommendations to the Nigerian Student Loan Bill at the hearing of the Nigerian Senate Ad-Hoc Committee on Student Loan Bill. In May 2024, he was among the 6-man delegation that welcomed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex; Prince Harry and Princess Meghan during their inaugural visit to Nigeria. Covenant is the first medical student to be selected for the highly competitive Nigeria Higher Education Foundation Scholars’ Program.

Today, Covenant is a successful University student and social innovator, crediting his participation in FAME programmes for laying the strong foundation he has continued to build upon in recent years. Looking towards the future, Covenant currently has a high cumulative grade point average. He is now in his fourth year in medical school at the University of Ibadan. He has been recently elected as the President of the Students’ Union of the University of Ibadan in Nigeria. He wishes to keep harnessing the skills he gained from FAME to focus on more community development and youth transformation.

Covenant is one of the thousands we have impacted through our leadership programmes.

For nearly a decade, you’ve helped The FAME Foundation bring quality leadership and skills-based education and stories like this to so many people around the world. We want to thank you for your support. Skills-based education is truly changing everything for students from public secondary schools. And for students like Covenant, life has never been more inspiring and full of hope.”