Odu’a Reinforces Commitment to  Education, Health, Youth Development

Chinedu Eze

Odu’a Investment Company Limited (OICL) has reinforced its determination to promote education, health and youth development in the South-west region of Nigeria.

To take off this objective, the group has officially launched the Odu’a Investment

Foundation (OIF) and inaugurated its Advisory Council.

Making this known in Lagos,  the group said it acknowledged the fact that there is a universal correlation between business performance and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and that firms that contribute meaningfully to solving societal challenges, such as education, job creation, health and youth empowerment, often reap the dividends from generation to generation.

Olatokunbo Awolowo-Dosumu will serve as the chairman of the Advisory Council, while Dr. Olusegun Olugboyegun, Chief Onikepo Akande, Dr. Biodun Shobanjo, Dr. Victoria Adunola Samson, Chief Wole Olanipekun, and Aderami Makanjuola are members of the Council.

The Group Chairman of the Council, Otunba Bimbo Ashiru, who spoke on what prompted the foundation, said it was done in furtherance of one of the objectives of OIF’s five-year strategic plan to plough back to the people of the South-west states of Oyo, Ondo, Ogun, Osun, Ekiti and Lagos, the Odu’a Investment Company Limited.

He said the OIF would serve as an independent social corporate arm of OICL to give back to society and improve the life and livelihood of the citizenry within the confines of the owners’ states, thus complementing the efforts of the state governments in impacting lives meaningfully to its people.

Ashiru said the three-priority focus of the Foundation is youth empowerment, education, and healthcare.

Youth empowerment covers Information and Communications Technology (ICT) capacity building for youths; creation of innovation hubs and incubation centres; strategic job creation; investing and supporting youths in the agriculture sector.

He said the education aspect covers institutional and infrastructural support; literacy education; girl-child education; adult literacy; vocational-technical skills training; grants and scholarships for indigent students, while the healthcare focuses on reproductive health; adolescent health projects; control of communicable and non-communicable diseases; institutional support and capacity building.

“The Foundation will serve as a conveyor of goodwill from OICL to the good people of South-west extraction while enhancing the quality of life and livelihood of the people. Some highly revered sons and daughters of Southwest origin with proven records of impeccable character and who have distinguished themselves in their chosen field of endeavours have given their acceptance to serve and act on the Advisory Council of the foundation as ‘Think-Tank’. This class of respected individuals to be known as the Advisory Council is seven in number, and will be inaugurated at the launching of the Foundation coming up on July 27, 2023 in  Ikeja.

“The primary role of the council is to protect the corporate image of the foundation by effectively representing and promoting the interests of the foundation and relevant stakeholders.

On her part, Independent Director, OICL Folusho Olaniyan, said: “The Odu’a Investment Foundation will open to partnerships with governments, donor agencies, implementing partners, private companies, multinationals, groups, and community-based organisations towards the attainment of its vision. We will build a strong base that will bring about the dividend of CSR in Southwest,” he stated.

 Ashiru assured the region that this would be done in such a way that there would be transparency and the people would have confidence in the foundation.