By Abel Leonard/ Lafia
Maikaya Development Foundation is a nonprofit organization aimed at improving the social, economic and health wellbeing of individuals and communities at large with key focus on peace, economic empowerment for women and youth, health and education. “We touch the lives of people or communities based on need, irrespective of ethnicity, religion, gender or political affiliation” This is in line with the sustainable development goals (SDGs) which are built on the principle of “leaving no one behind”.
Nigeria is at a critical juncture. With the sharp fall in oil prices as a result of COVID-19, the economy is projected to contract by over 4% in 2020, plunging the country into its deepest recession since the 1980s. Government revenues could fall by more than 15 billion dollars this year, and the crisis will push an additional 5 million Nigerians into poverty in 2022.
“ our priority is to engage the people in supporting the Government’s strategic priorities by taking a phased and adaptive approach,” said Musa Muhammed Maikaya, Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation. “To realize its long-term potential, the country has to make tangible progress on key challenges and pursue some bold reforms. Our engagement will focus on supporting Nigeria’s efforts to reduce poverty and promote sustained economic development in Nigeria at large.”
Investing in human capital development by increasing access to basic education, quality water and sanitation services; improving primary healthcare; and increasing the coverage and effectiveness of social assistance programs.
Additional investments in promoting women’s empowerment and youth employment and skills, especially for young women, will also help reduce maternal and child mortality.
Promoting jobs and economic transformation and diversification by supporting measures to unlock investment and youths’ engagement.
Enhancing resilience by strengthening service delivery and livelihood opportunities in all the regions grappling with insecurity,
Strengthening the foundations of the public in supporting the less privileges in making ends means.
“The beneficiaries of the Foundation in different aspects in 2020 alone run into thousands. As a result of the lockdown at the advent of COVID-19 we deliberately sorted out over five hundred women doing petty businesses and supported them with funds that enabled them maintain their engagements. We concentrated at this point on women because we know that even with limited funds, women can easily do businesses that will manage the house, family and still remain in business. Imagine giving making available N5,000 available (free) to any woman selling akara., moi-moi, akamu and all sort petty businesses. You will be surprised that her family will feed from that business, she will send her kids to school and still help keep the family intact.
“The Foundation recognised this facts on the impact women play in the society and deliberately give them such amount, she will prepare Madidi before you know it she is running her Madidi business, she is not buying the material on credit anymore she is at peace with her self, the children are taking one or two “Madidi”from there do their roam around and still come back, the man himself will come back and meet some coco it’s still within and she is running her business we see that will make more sense and we adopted that in 2020”. He said.
The Foundation also trained 500 youths on skills acquisition. They were certified after the 3-month program and some of them are employers of Labour today.
“To achieve sustainable post-COVID economic recovery, the country needs to strengthen reforms that support the government in reducing the hardship caused by covid 19 Maikaya said Economics and Sustainability. “In close coordination will continue to expand its support for the youth in Nigeria.
Understanding the Unity of Nigeria, the CEO said the Unity of Nigeria is not negotiable hence there is a need to love one another as Nigerians and to preach peace at all times that is why the Foundation usually organize football tournaments in various local government areas, especially in Nasarawa State to bring the various tribes together awarding cash prices to individuals who distinguished them selves and the winners of the the tournament.
“there a lot of activities at some points at the peak of insecurity when people were suspicious of each other for one reason or the other, we try to organize football matches, we have tournament and people come from different places and exchange pleasantries thereby entrenching harmonious living.
Maikaya Development Foundation furnished a science laboratory and complete classroom furnishing of a secondary school in Nasarawa State. The state government acknowledged the Foundation with a Commendation Letter for its support for education.
The Social Welfare department of Nasarawa State also commended the Foundation for its support in healthcare, prisons and aspects of social engagements.
Our correspondent gathered that the foundation is not restricted to Nasarawa state, it is currently going on in other States that is the but the headquarters is Nasarawa.
Reacting to the challenges faced by the foundation, the CEO said “challenge come with opportunity, they are together challenge”.
The challenge he said was the covid 19 pandemic where People were asked to stay indoors for their safety and the safety of the society, but to the foundation, it was an opportunity to help people in reducing poverty because they couldn’t go about their normal businesses.
“These people have some activities they earn their livings from, now they are constraint to be at home, so us we restrategise and say this is an opportunity to identify some people and see how we could support them meager resources to create an impact in their lives by adding value”.
One of the basic challenges is that the foundation is now overstretched as many people are now identifying with the foundation thereby increasing the numbers making it difficult to handle all issues at the same. “They are asking Maikaya foundation beyond what the foundation can handle”.
The foundation is one of the reliable foundation in Nigeria with one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for development in the state and Nigeria at large. is taking broad, fast action to help Nigeria to strengthen the pandemic response. It is supporting public health interventions, working to ensure the reduction of poverty to the barest level, and helping the the people of Nasarawa state and the Nigerian people continue to operate and sustain jobs.
