Akin Fadeyi partners NOA on project to showcase successful Nigerian entrepreneurs

The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has partnered with Akin Fadeyi, founder of the Akin Fadeyi Foundation, on the ‘Nigeria happens to me’ project.

The project is an NOA-led effort to highlight Nigerian entrepreneurs who are defying the odds and thriving in business and creative spaces, in order to promote national resilience and a sense of optimism among citizens.

In a statement posted on his Facebook page on Sunday, Fadeyi said Nigeria affects individuals in various ways, noting that the country’s story contains many social shortcomings.

“It can be better and the government owes citizens the imperative dividends of social contract. Demanding for it is a given,” he said.

“Nonetheless, it won’t always be a woeful aggregated inference when we look at an exhaustive picture.”

Fadeyi lauded Issa Onilu, director-general of the NOA, for developing the idea of celebrating Nigerian stories amidst the negative narratives spreading across the country.

He said in his conversations with Onilu, the agency had shown a clear commitment to giving visibility to Nigerians succeeding despite difficulties.

“We owe them this amplification that sells them and expands their business frontiers,” Onilu was quoted as saying.

Fadeyi promised that the interviews with unsung Nigerians achieving great feats despite serious challenges would help draw more attention to their efforts.

“The pilot scheme, which is scheduled to begin in Lagos would be coordinated by Mr. Tukur Adedeji Mustafa and NOA Director, while in Osun State, the NOA director, Stephen Adebiyi will play host to our team,” he said.

“We will go state by state till we have covered the whole of the South West.”

‘NOA IS FIRST FG INSTITUTION TO ADOPT CORRUPTION IN MY COUNTRY PROJECT’

Fadeyi explained that his strategic relationship with the NOA began several years ago.

“The National Orientation Agency was the first federal government institution to adopt our corruption not in my country project in 2016,” he said.

“I also recall that after the production of our COVID-19 messages in 2020, the NOA took it to the Secretary to the Federal Government, Boss Mustapha and he instructed NTA to grant us free airtime every night for about 8 months in partnership with the FG.

“The Lagos government equally partnered through the kind disposition of the Honorable Commissioner, Gbenga Omotoso.

“This explains why I do not engage the government in fisticuffs. I derive more results from mainstreaming advocacy intervention ideologies to the center in a way that bridges the gap between the government and the people even as I have deployed technology, our FlagIt App and other initiatives to engender intervention for our people against social injustice.

“I leverage persuasive strategies to fulfill accountability without hurling a stone.”

On the new project, Fadeyi said the foundation’s corporate production arm and Bufferzone Ltd, its donor-feeder, would work alongside the NOA.

He noted that the aim is to showcase the resilience and achievements of Nigerian entrepreneurs.

He added that people who had benefited from the Bank of Industry loan, or knew others who had done well and deserved to be featured on platforms like Facebook, should bring such names to his attention.