TRACKING___Cross River State Governor, Prof Ben Ayade has made history with the appointment of 19-year old Louis Okon as the Personal Assistant – Technical (Data Management), the youngest person in government in Nigeria today.
The Governor approved the appointment alongside 426 other aides in a press statement in Calabar signed by the Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the Governor, Christian Ita.
Young Louis Okon, who’s the first of two children to Barr & Mrs Orok Okon hails from Duke Town in Calabar South local government area.
He took to his Instagram page to announce his appointment below:
Meet Louis Okon:
EDUCATION
AFRICAN LEADERSHIP ACADEMY, Johannesburg, Gauteng
Diploma in African Studies, Writing & Rhetoric & Entrepreneurial Leadership, Sep 2017 – Jun 2019
- Award for Academic Excellence in Literature-in-English, Year 1
- Participated in the Sustainable Development and Social Entrepreneurship Session of the Yale Young Global Scholars Program,Yale University,New Haven, Connecticut; July 2018.
- Participated in the Pioneer Academics program where I conducted research with Prof. Mark Jones of Rice University,USA. My research paper titled Comparative Analysis Of The Nigerian 2015 General Elections And The Ghanaian 2016 General Elections analysed the aforementioned elections and proposed recommendations aimed at improving the electioneering process in both West African nations.
- Outstanding Residential Assistant award.
SUREFOOT INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria High School Diploma, September 2015 – June 2017
- Best graduating student in Economics, Government, Literature-in-English, Civic Education, English Language, Tourism and Christian Religious Studies.
- Valedictorian of the graduating class of 2017.
- 1st Place Winner, My Rainbow Books National Creative Writing Competition 2015, Category C
WORK EXPERIENCE
FUNDS FOR YOUTH INITIATIVE, Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria
Founder, March 2019 – Date
- Spearheaded the design of the foundation, and created an operational blueprint.
- Leading the recruitment for the project team, which will seek grants and funding opportunities, which we hope to connect 12 beneficiaries for funding by July 2020 to start Micro and Small Scale Enterprises (MSEs).
- Leading the design of a curriculum to help grant beneficiaries sharpen their management and entrepreneurial skills.
GLOBAL CITIZENS INITIATIVE, Greenwich, Connecticut, United States of America
FELLOW, GLOBAL CITIZENS INITIATIVE, JULY 2018 – MARCH 2019
- Chosen as a fellow in a highly competitive process with youth globally as a result of my interest in my home community and hope to contribute to the realization of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
- Attended the exclusive Global Citizens Youth Summit, hosted at Harvard University, where I studied design-thinking and project management, and did problem solving analysis on various practical ethical issues.
- Engaged with Harvard Business School and Dartmouth College faculty members on 21st Century business practices and ethics.
- Formulated and presented a plan for the ‘Funds for Youth Initiative’.
SECRETARIAT, AFRICAN LEADERSHIP ACADEMY MODEL AFRICAN UNION
(ALAMAU), Honeydew, Gauteng, South Africa
Director-General, March 2018 – April 2019
- Oversaw the organisation of ALAMAU 2019, by ensuring effective marketing and recruitment, alongside budget implementation.
- Assisted the conference Chairperson to ensure that the delegate recruitment target of 250 was met and exceeded, alongside the coordination of funds in excess of $270,000.
- Coordinate the Logistics team, as I supervised fifteen staff in the Administration, Media & Communications, Finance and Events departments.
RESIDENTIAL LIFE, AFRICAN LEADERSHIP ACADEMY, Honeydew, Gauteng, South Africa
Residential Assistant, Classified Hall, April 2018 – April 2019
- Ensured the general well-being of the 18 residents of the Classified Hall.
- Oversaw strict adherence to handbook rules and general Residential Life health and safety requirements by Classified Hall residents.
- Organised recreational activities for the hall residents.
RESEARCH TEAM, AFRICAN LEADERSHIP ACADEMY MODEL AFRICAN UNION
(ALAMAU), Honeydew, Gauteng, South Africa
Deputy Chairperson, United Nations Economic Committee for Africa (UNECA) Committee, February 2018 – March 2018
- Assisted the Committee Chairperson in conducting the affairs of the 27 delegate committee.
- Monitored the performance of all delegates, and gave recommendations for delegate awards.
- Graded position papers and prepared delegate reports.
- Trained in general Model United Nations (MUN) Parliamentary procedure, alongside general MUN dais.
STUDENT COUNCIL, SUREFOOT INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, Calabar, Cross River State,
Nigeria
President and Founder, February 2016 – March 2017
- Led the proposal and process of the approval of the Student Council which served as a Student Government and consequently won the Presidency.
Coordinated other Council members to create a Constitution for the Council.
Spearheaded the creation of committees such as the Sports Committee which worked with non-council members to improve the efficiency of the Council.
DORM LIFE, SUREFOOT INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria
HEAD OF PREP, DECEMBER 2015 – FEBRUARY 2017
- Designed a new prep system and prep rules to help suit the studying needs of the younger and older students.
- Worked to implement the new prep system and this saw the academic performance of students skyrocket.
- Worked with the teachers of junior students in the dorms to ensure their optimal performance at school.
GASINVEST NIGERIA LIMITED, Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria
Legal Intern, July-September 2016
- Gained useful skills and experience with the legal team on the drafting of various legal documents including a Gas Sales and Purchase Agreement (GSPA) which was being worked on to facilitate a gas supply contract.
- Capitalized on my meetings with the CEO and legal team in interacting with clients and consultants that the company was working with, hence learning business procedures and gaining insights into the gas sector while also learning skills such as contract editing with focus in Gas Law.
THE CITIZENS CLUB, Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria
GROUND FACILITATOR, JULY 2016 – AUGUST 2016
- Compiled information on the list of local governments, clans and villages in Cross River State, alongside population quotes and this information assisted the firm in linking farmers to local and international buyers.
OTHER EXPERIENCE
- Member, International Relations Council, African Leadership Academy; September 2017-Present
MEMBER AFRICAN UNION, NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL MODEL UNITED NATIONS, MANHATTAN, NEW YORK; MARCH 2015
- Member, SOCHUM, National High School Model United Nations, Manhattan, New York;March 2014
ADDITIONAL SKILLS
- Project management
- Microsoft Office professional proficiency
- Public speaking
- Multilingual – English (professional), Efik (Native), French (novice)
