On the 21st of August 2021, we were voted into office to deliver tangible results on the 5C mandate. Below are a number of our achievements so far:
1.) CONTINUITY:
-Relaunch and expansion of the Ambassadorship Programme created under the tenure of the previous Chairman Barr. Sir Chibuzo Ubochi and executive members.
-Setting up of new Nigerians In Diaspora Organisation UK South committees, appointing Leads for them, handing out their various remits and encouraging members to join them.
-Devising strategies to improve the effectiveness of the ‘NIDO UKS Week in Nigeria’ for 2022.
2.) CAPABILITY:
-Revamp and relaunch of brand new website worth over £2000, built at no cost to NIDO UK South as a labour of love by our Hon. Youth Affairs Director Michael Ife.
-Fundraising and deploying 100 percent of the funds raised to Mr. Monday Etu, a disabled Nigerian who used the money to change his life and set up his own business as an entrepreneur and recently married his childhood sweetheart.
-Fundraising and providing on-going support to the Albino Foundation in Nigeria. Our organisation works closely with the founder and CEO of the Albino Foundation Mr. Jake Epelle.
-Fundraising completed for the Royal School of Educational Therapy Foundation in Abuja FCT, Nigeria. This educational setting carries out vital work with children born with neurodevelopmental disabilities.
3.) CAPACITY BUILDING:
-Researching and sourcing options for corporate & governmental funding in order to channel said funds towards homeland development projects in Nigeria. In this aspect, a specific achievement is that the Chair of the Education Committee Lady Nikki Emelike, CEO of Neasden College has successfully applied to the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) for NIDO UK South to be a registered & officially recognised vendor for the FCDO.
– Creating a membership form that is fit for purpose and captures essential data about the makeup of our members, with special emphasis on their professional backgrounds. This is key because a unique selling point of NIDO is the coming together of Diaspora professionals to harness their skills and talents in pursuance of homeland development.
-Effective identification of the welfare needs of both members and Nigerians back home and working tirelessly towards meeting those needs both in the short term and the long term.
-Ensuring a good flow of accurate and up-to-date information between the leadership team and members.
4.) COMPETENCY:
-Unprecedented and record breaking delegation of 47 self-funded members represented our chapter at the NIDO Europe AGM which took place from the 11th-13th of November 2021 in Aberdeen, Scotland. This was by far the highest number of delegates from a single chapter ever to attend an AGM. The delegation was ably led by our Hon Chairman Prince Henry Egenti PhD.
-At the AGM in Aberdeen, NIDO UK SOUTH won a record breaking 3 awards, namely: Certificate of Induction to the NIDOE Board of Trustees, Outstanding NIDOE AGM Chapter Award & NIDOE Chapter Chairman of the Year Award.
-NIDO UK South has also awarded His Excellency Ambassador Sarafa Tunji Isola, Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the Court of St James’s in recognition of His Excellency’s laudable initiatives at the High Commission that have ensured timely and focused service delivery to the Nigerian community in the UK.
-NIDO UKS executive members represented the Nigerian Diaspora at the world’s first rollout of the enhanced E-passport outside Nigeria. The Chairman delivered a goodwill address to the High Commissioner on behalf of the Nigerian community in the UK.
-NIDO UK South Chairman was invited to represent our organisation at the reception following the presentation of His Excellency Ambassador Sarafa Tunji Isola’s letter of credence to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second. The reception was held at Prince Philip House, Carlton House Terrace and attended by the Secretary General of the Commonwealth Rt. Hon Patricia Scotland, Baroness Martha Osamor, MP Kate Osamor, H.E Seth George Ramocan, CD, Jamaica’s High Commissioner to the UK, H.E Albert Njoteh Fotabong, High Commissioner for the Republic of Cameroon in London, other members of foreign missions, Foreign Direct Investors, friends of Nigeria and many other notable individuals from all walks of life.
-Planning and successfully delivering the 100 days in office celebrations.
-Planning and successfully celebrating the 2021 NIDO UK South Christmas Party.
5.) COLLABORATIONS & INCLUSIONS:
-Expanding chapter membership with the ambition to eventually include every single Nigerian professional based in the UK in this organisation. Especially in light of research that has revealed that collectively, the Nigerian Diaspora in the United Kingdom is worth a whopping £70 BILLION assets.
-Dedicated committee headed by Ctzn Omusa Baba Ohyoma has been set up to collaborate with the Central Association of Nigerians in the UK (CANUK) for the benefit of Diaspora based Nigerians.
-Development of partnerships with government officials and private sector bodies both in Nigeria and the UK in pursuance of homeland development.