Imrana Alhaji Buba
Imrana Alhaji Buba (born 6 August 1992) is a Nigerian social entrepreneur and activist who founded Youth Coalition Against Terrorism (YOCAT), a volunteer-based organization in northern Nigeria working to unite youth against violent extremism through peace education programs in schools and villages. He was awarded the Queen’s "Young Leaders Award" by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 2016 and rewarded as one of the "Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World" in 2017 by the Junior Chamber International.
Imrana Alhaji Buba | |
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Imrana Alhaji Buba receiving the 2016 Queen's Young Leaders Award from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II | |
Born | Imrana Alhaji Buba August 6, 1992 |
Nationality | Nigeria |
Education | University of Maiduguri University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom |
Occupation | Social Entrepreneur/Activist |
Known for | Uniting youths against terrorism Northern Nigeria |
Early life and education
Buba was born in Jakusko Yobe State on 6 August 1992[1][2] and grew up in Potiskum, Yobe state.[3] He is an alumnus of the University of Maiduguri, Borno state where he graduated with a first-class honours degree[4] in Political Science in 2015 and holds a master's degree in Africa and International Development from the University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom in 2018.[5][6]
Career and activism
Buba had a traumatic experience with Boko haram in June 2010 while he was travelling to the University of Maiduguri as an undergraduate when his bus was stopped by the terrorists and passengers were kidnapped, he survived and also had friends and family who were killed by the Boko haram insurgency.[7][8] As a result of this he founded the Youth Coalition Against Terrorism (YOCAT) in August 2010[9] to offer counselling services to victims of terrorism, as well as providing peace education and skills training for unemployed youths.[10][11]
He has provided employment opportunities for over 2000 youth in north-eastern Nigeria through partnerships with local government agencies and private organisations and the organization has recruited over 600 volunteers and partnered with many local bodies to organize different beneficial programs for young people in north-eastern Nigeria.[12][13][14]
In 2016, he was selected as one of 3 Nigerians and 21 African changemakers in the Commonwealth for the Queen’s Young Leaders Award by her majesty, Queen Elizabeth II of England[15][16][17][18][19] in recognition of his work around peace building in northern Nigeria and also became a fellow of Generation Change Fellowship of the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) as a result of his works in combating terrorism.[20]
He was selected for the 2017 JCI Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World,[21][22] in recognition of his effort to counter violent extremism and promote a culture of peace in Nigeria and was part of the 2017 Mandela Washington Fellowship program for Young African leaders in Washington D.C.[23] He is also a fellow of LEAP Africa SIP and YALI West Africa.[24]
His work and public accolades made him an expert and speaker, particularly regarding political instability in Nigeria. He was a speaker/panelist at the 2016/2017 International Day of Peace events at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP),[25] speaker at the 2017 Wage Peace event at the American University, speaker/panelist at the 2017 United Nations International Youth Day event,[26] speaker at the 2018 United Nations International Day for the Remembrance of Victims of Terrorism and the 2018 One Young World Summit.[27]
Buba’s vision is to promote a culture of peace and tolerance that can break the cycle of conflict, violence, and terror that plague Nigeria.[28][29][30]
Awards and recognitions
- 2016, Nominated for Future Award Africa award Prize for Advocacy[31]
- 2016, Generation Change Fellow of the United States Institute of Peace (USIP)[32]
- 2016, Policy Specialist on CVE and DDR with the Global Alliance for Youth Countering Violent Extremism[33]
- 2016, Queen’s Young Leaders Award
- 2017 JCI Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World[34]
- 2017, Mandela Washington Fellow
Links
- Age is not a limit to making a difference –Imrana Alhaji Buba
- Interview with Nigerian recipient of 2016 Queen's Young Leader award
References
- Published. "Age is not a limit to making a difference –Imrana Alhaji Buba". Punch Newspapers. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
- "Imrana Alhaji Buba". newtheiyc.ning.com. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
- Aluwong, Jeremiah (2019-06-29). "Everyday Heroes- Imrana Alhaji Buba • Connect Nigeria". Connect Nigeria. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
- "ORCID". orcid.org. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
- Published. "Age is not a limit to making a difference –Imrana Alhaji Buba". Punch Newspapers. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
- "Imrana A Buba | University of Edinburgh - Academia.edu". edinburgh.academia.edu. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
- "Imrana Buba, The Peace Advocate Fighting For The Future Of Northern Nigeria". Konbini - All Pop Everything! (in French). Retrieved 2019-08-30.
- "WEFLIVE". www.weflive.com. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
- "Imrana Alhaji Buba". One Young World. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
- Admin. "Fighting Terrorism Without Arms! Imrana Buba is our #BellaNaijaMCM this Week". Bella Naija. Retrieved 2019-08-13.
- Asika, Obiageli (2017-10-10). "5 Young Nigerian Leaders That Make Us Proud". DailyDigest Nigeria. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
- Admin. "5 Young Nigerian Leaders That Make Us Proud". Daily Digest. Archived from the original on 2017-05-14. Retrieved 2019-08-13.
- "WEFLIVE". www.weflive.com. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
- "United we stand: MCF Scholar honoured for work combating terrorism". Edinburgh Global. 2017-12-07. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
- "British monarch to honour 3 Nigerians with Queen's Young Leaders Award - Premium Times Nigeria". 2016-06-09. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
- "Queens Young Leaders – Alumni". Archived from the original on 2018-05-12. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
- "Three young Nigerians set to receive honours". www.pulse.ng. 2016-06-23. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
- AfricaNews (2016-06-24). "21 Africans receive Queen Elizabeth's 'Young Leaders Award'". Africanews. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
- "Nine young Muslims presented Queen's awards". The Muslim News. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
- "About Me – Imrana Alhaji Buba". Retrieved 2019-08-30.
- "PAST HONOREES". JCI TOYP of Nigeria. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
- Admin. "Cobhams, Mark Okoye, others, make JCI Ten Outstanding Young Persons of Nigeria list". guardian.ng. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
- "Imrana Alhaji Buba Bio". Wiki Mzansi. 2018-07-07. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
- AfricaNews (2016-08-19). "[Exclusive] Interview with Nigerian recipient of 2016 Queen's Young Leader award". Africanews. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
- "Imrana Alhaji Buba speaks about his experience as a victim of Boko Haram in Nigeria. | VICTIMS of TERRORISM SUPPORT PORTAL". www.un.org. Retrieved 2019-09-17.
- Admin. "Bios of Speakers and Moderators" (PDF). un.org. Retrieved 2019-09-16.
- "Expanding the Role of Youth in Building Peace, Security". Search for Common Ground. 2017-08-01. Retrieved 2019-09-17.
- AfricaNews (2016-08-19). "[Exclusive] Interview with Nigerian recipient of 2016 Queen's Young Leader award". Africanews. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
- "JCI". jci.cc. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
- "Expanding the Role of Youth in Building Peace, Security | YouthPower". www.youthpower.org. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
- Uju (2016-12-07). "Meet The Future Awards Africa 2016 Nominees". Answers Africa. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
- "Imrana Alhaji Buba". IREX. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
- Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "Refworld | In Nigeria, healing the scars of war might curtail its spread". Refworld. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
- "Imrana Alhaji Buba". One Young World. Retrieved 2019-08-30.