Lagos Commissioner Adefisayo, Oba Abolarin and Pastor Irukwu, discuss education at IA-Foundation fundraiser

An event giving participants the opportunity to brainstorm and profess ways to reduce the number of ‘out-of-school’ children and improve the standard of education in Nigeria, takes place on Saturday 27 February 2021.

The Annual Charity event is organised by IA-Foundation - a charity with the objective of “enabling the less-privileged through education.”   As a result of pandemic-induced restrictions, this year's event will hold virtually via Zoom from 6pm (UK time).

With more children out of school in these unprecedented times, the event is an opportunity to socialise and network, whilst raising funds to take a Nigerian child off the street.

The theme of the event is #breaking barriers#. The Foundation is indeed on a mission to break barriers such as poverty, security and other societal challenges that could prevent a Nigerian child from having access to formal education.

This year’s virtual event is organised by a 10-man organising committee made up of high-profile members of the community both in UK and in Nigeria; and  chaired by Mr Tolu Deru.

This year’s event features high profile guest speakers based in Nigeria and in the UK. 

They include: Mrs. Folasade Adefisayo - the Commissioner for Education in Nigeria's Lagos State. Before her appointment to the cabinet of Lagos State, the Merit Award winner of the Federal Republic of Nigeria was the Principal Consultant/CEO of Leading Learning Ltd, an educational consultancy firm. She retired from Corona Schools’ Trust Council in 2010 after serving as the Executive Director and CEO for 8 years.

Oba (Dr) Adedokun Abolarin, the Orangun of Oke-Ila and proprietor of Abolarin College in Oke-Ila Orangun in Osun State. The king is a renowned teacher and lawyer, who is using his royal stool to fight poverty with education. More importantly, he is helping the future generation by providing free and qualitative education for the future generation.

Also  speaking will be Pastor (Mrs) Sola Irukwu of Bright Futures for Africa - a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) which she co-founded with her husband - Pastor Agu Irukwu. Pastor Sola Irukwu is also a co-Pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG)'s Jesus House Parish - the largest parish in London.

The charity's CEO/Founder - Mrs Ibironke Adeagbo, a chartered accountant and education advocate, said: “I am all about catalysing, I always have been, but especially in the last couple of years, as I relish the opportunity to invest in so many people through the Foundation.”

According to a survey by United Nations, the population of ‘out of school’ children in Nigeria has risen from 10.5 million to 13.2 million - the highest in the world. Ibironke believes this cannot be right, nor fair. “We need to change this narrative and very quickly too!

“The education crisis in Nigeria is one that requires urgent, collective, and concrete action to surmount. At IA-Foundation, we do not believe that we are the solution to this problem, but we do believe that we are a part of the solution.”

Mrs Adeagbo is also embarking on a 10km charity walk to raise funds for the Foundation and ensure Nigerian children are off the streets.

Organisers also state that there will be lots of good music, raffle prizes, awards, networking opportunities, and more.

* Please register to attend the event at:  https://iafoundation2021.eventbrite.co.uk/