Mrs Olusubomi Iginla-Aina, a recipient of the insignia, Member of the British Empire, MBE, is a true reflection of the Nigerian spirit of hardwork, diligence, integrity and trust-worthiness, the Chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has said.
Owing to her outstanding performance and achievements, NIDCOM boss conferred on Iginla-Aina the title of ‘Diaspora Ambassador’.
Dabiri-Erewa gave the title in her office when she received Iginla-Aina, the CEO, LightUp Foundation, who was decorated with the insignia of MBE, among 1,073 nominees on November 26, 2019 in honour of the Queen’s birthday.
According to the NIDCOM boss, the vision to have a better Nigeria was a clarion call for its citizens to take up and not a sole responsibility of the Federal Government.
She commended the LightUp CEO, and expressed the commission’s disposition to assist the organisation and equally promised to liaise with the Minister of Sports and Youth Development on her behalf, for her good gestures.
Dabiri-Erewa said that the conferment was a testament to the numerous selfless services Iginla Aina had done both at home and in the UK on youth development, child abuse and the less-privileged.
Receiving the title, the elated Iginla-Aina appreciated the commission for its kind gesture.
She said that she believed that her passion was a divine mandate to motivate the youths positively, and be a vocal person for the vulnerable, dating back to her leadership role days as Head Girl, Anglican Girls’ Grammar School, Surulere, Lagos State, and as the first female Student Union President, Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Ile-Ife, Osun State, more than 15 years ago.
She said her projection to the UK in 2005 started when Prof. Rogers Makanjuola, a former Vice Chancellor of OAU, referred her to UN ECOSOC to join a project gave birth to her own project, LightUp Foundation.
Aina, a mother of three and an LLM holder, said the foundation which started 19 years ago, had worked closely with youths in the UK and parts of Nigeria, especially in Abeokuta and Kwara.
She said that the foundation had pet projects such as Let’s Talk and Bag of Hope, which engage the youth on positive thinking, good value-system, community service and development.
She recalled that the highlights of the organisation was when five youths from the foundation, were selected out of a 15-man team to work on a project in the Croydon Borough, UK, as well as, proudly wearing the outfit she adorned while receiving her insignia from the Prince, by the inmates from the corrective facilities in Nigeria, plus
numerous fields of entrepreneurship which the inmates are participating.
Olusubomi, also a Guinness World Book of Records holder, pointed out that the foundation engaged another undertaking of reconnecting changed delinquents with their families, as some of them were disowned by their families while in correction centres.
With the partnership from JP Morgan Chase & Co., (an American multinational investment bank headquartered in New York City), she seems relentless on her plans to do more at home.
The LightUp Foundation is an NGO with the vision of improving child rights, youth empowerment and creating awareness on the dangers of child abuse.
It started since 2000 and has impacted over 10, 000 people via the Bag of Hope initiative, with 800 youths being impacted out of prisons.
