By Victor Gotevbe,
All roads will lead to the Best Western Plus Hotel, London for the 2018 Nollywood Entertainment and Leadership Awards (NELAS) on December 8, 2018, which will attract outstanding entrepreneurs, politicians, traditional rulers and Nigerians in the Diaspora amongst others. Dr. Sylvester Okere Business man, Legislative and Political Consultant will receive a leadership award for his contribution to his community and the entertainment industry.
Dr. Okere is also an expert on security & intelligence solutions, certified and licensed private detective, certified Institutional Protection Manager ll, state-approved firearms collector. Owns and operate a state-licensed Private Security firm.
Okere is a TV analyst with experience on the local, national, and international level. A born activist & citizen’s diplomat who brought a fiercely revolutionary vision and mastered organizational skills to advance the affairs of millions of ethnic Africans in the United States for socio-economic and political developments.
He is a prominent African Activist and business leader; Okere is the founder & President of both Maryland Nigeria Chamber of Commerce and United People for African Congress (UPAC), the non-segmented umbrella organization that advocates for the rights of African nationals, empowers and uplifts them, and increases public acknowledgment and respect. Okere was the first chairman of Maryland Nigeria Sister State (which comprises of Ondo and Cross River state), and also served as a Board of Director for the Maryland Sister State Program, Inc.
Okere founded Watchman Protective Services, Inc., a multi-faceted private security, private investigation, and private detective agency he proudly owned and operated from 2004 to 2013 in the Washington DC/Maryland region. Okere is a Senior Partner with Strategic Groups USA LLC and Strategic Overseas Limited, an international consulting firm he created to advise and facilitate trade between the United States and African nations.
Okere is a visiting scholar with George Mason University, the largest public research institution in the Commonwealth of Virginia, interested in researching the African Diaspora’s involvement in the American political system and the interface between African immigrant entrepreneurs and American politics – to highlight their ever-increasing contributions across the nation.
Sylvester Okere (a former DNC_African Diaspora Liaison) was fittingly appointed as the first immigrant to fill Africa’s seat on the National Democratic Party (as DNC’s African Diaspora-Liaison/DNC Black Caucus) to represent the African Diaspora voice. Sylvester Okere tirelessly facilitated and mobilized the African Diaspora across the country for the DNC database, and for their integration in the participatory politics at the National Democratic Party.
Okere spearheaded the White House African Diaspora Policy Briefing during the 2016 African history month. Okere championed African diaspora for Hilary 2016. Okere spearheaded Continental Africans for Obama (Operation Vote in 2012) to galvanize Africa’s vote in reelecting President Obama. Okere served as Obama’s delegate, Obama’s Victory Trustee (OVT), National Leadership Council (NLC), DNC National Finance Committee (NFC), and Obama University Alumni (OU).
He is the first African immigrant to speak on a National platform on the 50th anniversary of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the Lincoln Memorial, sharing the same platform with many U.S. Congressmen such as Hon. John Lewis, US Senator Corey Booker, US Attorney General Eric Holder, and numerous eminent US politicians, Civil Rights, and Human Rights Activists. Sylvester Okere’s appointment as the DNC’s/NDECC Africa Representative was tasked with mobilizing African Diaspora across the United States. In Maryland, Okere became the first African immigrant in the state history to be elected as a delegate to the DNC convention, first African immigrant on the Executive Board of Maryland Democratic Party, also, first African immigrant to serve on the Affirmative Action Committee.
Sylvester Okere led the AGOA International Trade and Commerce Fact Finding Workshop held at Hilton Manhattan New York in February 2013. The initiative brought some leaders from Africa to participate, along with US lawmakers, the UN, Civil Societies, NGOs, and heads of government agencies to discuss critical issues surrounding AGOA.
Okere served on 2014-2015 Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) Reader Committee. Okere was tasked to evaluate program applicants based on set guidelines for the Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders (YALI) and to make recommendations to IREX for qualified applicants of the flagship program of President Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI).
Okere champions a USAID’s Global Innovation Exchange program for Africa. The Global Innovation Exchange is a global online marketplace for innovations, funding, insights, resources, and conversations, allowing the world to better work together to address humanity’s greatest challenges; and a unique resource by Center for Development Innovation | U.S. Global Development Lab at the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Sylvester Okere is very passionate about Social Re-Engineering of African youths and the restructuring of systems that impairs public (inclusive) prosperity and happiness. Okere works beyond party lines to serve all humanity regardless of their race, ethnicity, language or religion. Okere strongly believes that “Talent is universal but Opportunity is not.” Therefore, he is committed to being an instrument of blessing to God and man.
Okere’s wide networks of governments, private sectors, institutions, civil societies (NGOs), global communities of faith base, and the United Nations distinguish him across the globe. Okere has received numerous awards, recognition, and honors from institutions, local, states, national, and international authorities.
Sylvester Okere is a former Nigeria Immigration officer with 17 years of federal service. He lived a few years in Europe prior to migrating to the United States where he settled as a businessman, politician, and an activist. He is also a recipient of many national and continental awards; amongst two recent recognition: Prominent African Activist Award by NELAS UK, 2018 Presidential award of Nigerian-American Lawyers Association, The Outstanding Nigerian In Diaspora award 2017, Nollywood Who Is Who USA magazine African Community Leadership Award, and African Champion a community service award.
Sylvester Okere is a member of the World Association of Detectives (WAD), Certified Fraud Examiners (CFE), National Council of Investigators & Security Services, Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC), American Security Foundation, American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS), Public Record Retriever Network (PRRN), Professional Investigators Alliance of Maryland, Maryland Investigators and Security Association, and other esteemed associations.
