May 2018

www.thesparkng.com
The Spark | Ignite/Connect/Achieve
FROM OUR GUEST EDITORS
BE THE SPARK
e believe each individual is gifted with a
skill or talent, and has one burden or one
Wsocietal problem that they don’t like seeing.
That one burden or discomfort for that individual is
a problem that they can tackle. It is not just money
that is required to solve a problem. Your time, your
knowledge, your resources, your skill can be used
towards solving societal problems. Most times, you
cannot solve these challenges on your own but you
can collaborate to create the change you desire.
A social problem is a challenge that disrupts and
affects an individual’s well-being in society. There
are so many social challenges in Nigeria such as
unemployment, healthcare, education, corruption,
social injustice, terrorism, etc.
Funke Shonekan
Executive Director of the
Chris Ogunbanjo Foundation.
The Chris Ogunbanjo Foundation is a
non-governmental charitable organization that
focuses on its two centres: 1) The Centre for Peace &
Conflict Resolution (CPCR) and 2) The Centre for the
Promotion of Industrial Society and
Private Enterprise.
Tanwa Ashiru
founder of Bulwark Intelligence, a security, intelligence and
defense solutions company; Head of the Centre for Peace &
Conflict Resolution with the Chris Ogunbanjo Foundation.
In 2006, I (Funke Shonekan) founded a social enterprise called Young Adult
Professionals & Entrepreneurs also known as YAP&E. My passion has always
been networking and collaborations. This led me to get the opportunity
to be recognised as the Next Generation outreach ambassador for Nigeria
and the co-chair Regional Director for NEXUS, which is a global movement
that bridges the gap between Social Investors and Philanthropists to social
entrepreneurs.
Right now, the Chris Ogunbanjo Foundation – Centre for Peace and
Conflict Resolution (COF CPCR) has been actively working on programs
that directly impact individuals within the society by shaping their
mindsets about peaceful co-existence, conflict and how to best resolve
them.
One key way we have made impact has been in the area of encouraging
more Lagosians to support the Lagos State Security Trust Fund. This is
a non-politically aligned program that helps equip Lagos state law
enforcement agencies. You will find that as a result of this program, Lagos
state is one of the most peaceful and secure states in Nigeria despite its
huge population and local challenges.
We also teach members of the public about mediation techniques and
conflict resolution. We decided to partner with Project Secure toward the
upcoming Free Security and Safety seminar for Children in Lagos, in honour
of Children’s Day. We will be teaching the kids mediation techniques. It’s
important that they learn from an early age that violence is never the way
forward. There are peaceful means of solving our differences and agreeing
towards a common goal.
We have the next 7 months to create sustainable programs for impact. We
are going to develop sustainable, innovative and impactful programs
towards achieving our Sustainable Development Goals before 2030.
With the CPCR, one of the programs we will be implementing in the next
few months is a nationwide Mediation Training for Women in IDP Camps.
You see, women play a vital role in peace building and conflict resolution
in the society. They have the ability to mould the mindset of their children
who are the future generation of Nigeria. So if we start showing them the
necessary mediation, conflict resolution and peace building skills, they will
not only be able to teach their children peaceful ethics, but they will also
be able to intervene in conflict issues within their communities, by talking
some sense into those who they have influence over and consequentially
bring about a more peaceful society.
Our society is in need of more people who are willing to give themselves.
I (Tanwa Ashiru) understand it’s not always easy. In this part of town, your
time is money and you need money to eat. So it’s hard for people to give
their time, their money or their food!
But I believe we need to start thinking about others for a change. Let’s give
our knowledge, time and skills. That’s why we’re excited to work with The
Spark by BusinessDay on this edition of the magazine, with the theme,
“Social Entrepreneurship”.
This edition is packed with lots of knowledge in unique and exciting
content, including access to cash grants worth over a million Naira, insight
and clearer understanding of what social entrepreneurship is all about, as
well as several guides to help even the early starters find success.
The goal is to not only celebrate the brands that have chosen to give back
to their communities and the nation as a whole, but to give aspiring social
entrepreneurs, who carry the burden to provide empowerment solutions,
with a roadmap they can follow to help people, build brands and earn a
living while at it.
@thesparkng
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