Dr. Omawumi Evelyn Urhobo is the President/CEO of Morgan Smart Development Foundation (MSDF). In this interview, she spoke on why she set up the foundation and other issues. Read on.
Kindly introduce yourself.
I am Dr. Omawumi Evelyn Urhobo, President/CE0 of Morgan Smart Development Foundation (MSDF), a Non-Government Organisation (NG0) working for the empowerment of the rural and urban women and youths in Nigeria. I was born in Okere Warri, Delta State in November, 1952.
Education Background?
I attended the famous Hussey College, Warri Delta State for my O/level and A levels education from 1965 to 1971. I proceeded to the University of Lagos in 1972 and graduated with a B.Sc (Hons) degree in Sociology in 1975. I have Msc degree in Corporate Governance from Leeds Metropolitan University Leeds in the U.K, and an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Public Administration from the Evangel Christian University, Mouri Louisiana USA. I also have an Advanced Certificate in Management from the Administrative Staff College Ascon Badagry, and a Certificate in mediation and Conciliation from the Institute of Chartered Mediation and Conciliation (ICMC) in 2003. I have attended several training courses that includes a One Month Training Workshop for Global Women in Management (GWIM45) at the Centre for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA), Washington DC in 2009. I have also attended the Harvard Business School in Boston, Massachusetts, the Fuqua Business School, Duke University in Durham North Carolina and the Lagos Business School, Lagos etc
What are the specific focuses of Morgan Smart Development Foundation?
The Morgan Smart Development Foundation endowed by myself (Dr Urhobo) in year 2002 in memory of my late father, is dedicated to the empowerment of rural and urban poor women and youths in Nigeria for poverty reduction, employment generation and sustainable socio-economic development of Nigeria especially in the Niger Delta Region.
This Foundation has endeavoured to achieve its objectives through the following activities:
1. Promoting poverty alleviation programs by organising capacity workshops to build the capacities of women and youths in employment generation activities, sustainable livelihood programs, skill acquisition, training in confidence building and enterprise development and assisting the women and youths to access micro credit to establish their businesses.
2. Working with local communities to identify developmental gaps and assisting in developing projects/programs through Sustainable livelihood Assessment (SLA), Participatory Rural Appraisals (PRA)/Need Assessment and other methods, and helping the communities to source for funds to implement micro infrastructures that impacted directly on the poor women and youths in such communities.
3. Advocacy for poor women and youths in Nigeria especially in the Niger Delta Region.
4. Designing Peace Building mechanisms like alternative dispute resolutions methods to help strengthen conflict resolution activities in the region.
5. Promoting gender main streaming in the design, implementation and monitoring at decision making levels to ensure the elimination of all gender inequalities, discrimination and barriers.
These activities are carried out through 5 thematic areas of intervention by the Foundation which are:
1) Economic Empowerment (EE)
2) Micro Project Implementation (MPI)
3) Capacity Building/Leadership Training (CB<)
4) Peace Building & Alternative Dispute Resolution Strategies (PB/ADR)
5) Communication & Advocacy (C&A)
Why did you set up the Morgan Smart Development Foundation? b) What inspired it set up?
The endowment of the Foundation was born out of my deep personal concern for the endemic poverty that has persisted inspite of the fact that the region produces over 90% of the oil wealth of the nation. I found it regrettable that the people in the region are still severely yoke with the burden of poverty, deprivation, social and environmental degradation as a result of the oil exploration activities of the oil companies, inspite of the oil wealth. The severity of the above malaise I found to be more prevalent amongst the women and youths which have resulted in the serious youth’s restiveness and militancy in the communities that have also hampered any developmental efforts by government agencies and other stakeholders in delivering sustainable development in the region. This reality I was further confronted with when I resumed work in Delta State in February, 2003 as the state coordinator of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) where I worked for 10years before I retired in November 2012. In fact, my concern for the prevailing poverty in the region has earlier led to my joining the establishment of the Okere Community Bank in 1994 that later transformed into Coastline Micro Finance Bank in 2007 of which I am presently the Chairman of the Board of the Bank. The Bank which presently have a customer base of over 25,000 customers have been effectively used to empower people especially poor women with the provision of micro credit and revolving loan scheme thereby creating wealth and alleviating poverty amongst them. The endowment of the Foundation I see as my own modest contribution to society because of my belief that government cannot do it all in addressing the magnitude of developmental challenges that exist in the region.
The journey so far?
As at December 2012 the Morgan Smart Development Foundation has been actively involved in development efforts in the region for 10years. The Foundation has in the last 10 years worked assiduously in the Niger Delta Region to implement projects and programs that have brought relief to poor women and youths in the region. The Foundation has successful partnered with several donor agencies and oil companies to implement several projects in the region. These partners included the European Union Mpp3, Chevron, Shell, ExxonMobil, American Embassy, PIND, PACT, NDDC, DESOPADEC, Delta State Government, British Council etc.
Challenges and achievements?
The Foundation will be celebrating the 10 years anniversary of its activities in the Niger Delta Region on the 5th of December this year. This is going to be done with the commissioning of the Morgan Smart Women and Youths Empowerment Resource Centre Warri, built by the Foundation. The Resource Centre comprises a Hall, an ICT Lab and a Library. This Centre is amongst several projects and programs that the Foundation has implemented in the region. Through funding from the European Union MPP3, the foundation implemented the following projects:
* Renovation of Umolu secondary school Umolu in Ndokwa East LGA, Delta State.
* Construction of 2 Boreholes for Otukutu Community, Ughelli North, Delta State.
* Construction of 1 Borehole in Oviri-Olomoro Community in Isoko South LGA, Delta State.
* A Completely equipped 4 Rooms Health Centre at Ukpokiti in Warri South LGA, Delta State.
* Construction of 3 Classrooms,4 Unit Toilets and a Ring Well for Okpara Waterside.
* Secondary school in Waterside Okpara Ethiope West LGA, Delta State.
* Construction of 3 Classroom block, a detached 4 Unit toilet and a ring well at Ememoh Primary School Oteghele a riverine community in Warri South LGA, Delta State.
All these above Projects were funded by the European Union Mpp3
The America Embassy in Nigeria funded the construction of: A Detached 4 Unit Toilets and a Ring Well, at a Market at Egbokodo Community, Okpe LGA, Delta State.
The Chevron in the implementation of its GMoU with its impacted communities in its area of oil exploration in the Niger Delta Region, retained the services of the Foundation to provide Advisory technical consultancy services to the Itsekiri regional committee (comprising 23 communities) in Delta State and Ilaje regional committees in Ondo state as chairmen of the project review committee to ensure due process, transparency in the implementation of projects and programs in the Chevron impacted communities. This has been a success assignment by the Foundation as over 150 projects have implemented in the two council areas through this process. The Foundation also participate in other standing committees of the GMoU process including the Peace Building Committee, Communication Committee, Audit sub Committee and the Employment Committee. The Foundation had earlier carried out for Chevron a sustainable livelihood assessment (SLA) survey of some of its impacted communities with which a 5 years community development plan (CDP) was drawn up for project and programs were implemented in the communities. The Foundation was appointed as a member of a consortium of four (4) NGOs to participate in the activities of the Participatory Partnerships For Community Development (PPCD) an initiative of Chevron to build the capacity of members of the regional development committees through carrying out organisational capacity assessments (OCA) and organising capacity trainings/workshops on peace, leadership, communication etc for community members.
The Foundation partnered with PIND in the production of High Quality/High Definition Photographs of ordinary women conducting livelihood activities in nine states for PIND maiden calendar in celebrating the hard working women in the region. The foundation later distributed grants made available by PIND to the women.
The Foundation also partnered with Esso Exploration and Production Nig ltd (EEPNL) in a #30m Project spread over a 3 years period for the economic empowerment of some Coastal Communities in Delta and Ondo State. This involved the donation of fishing boats and accessories, chainsaws and micro grants to some women cooperative societies in selected communities in d 2 states. The program started with a kick off/entrepreneurial capacity building workshop for would be beneficiaries of the micro grants. This program included a six months computer training for 24 youths selected to participate from the coastal communities. At the end of the program the successful youths were given starter packs like desk top computer, monitor, scanner, printer, ups and #20,000 cash grant to set up their own businesses. Through partnership of the Foundation with Shell in the livewire program sponsored by Shell, the foundation facilitated the participation of over 30 youths in the business idea program and 5 youths won start up award of the program worth #250,000. The livewire program is a complimentary youth enterprise initiative jointly funded by Shell to train young school leavers on basic business principles and offer credit and start up fund to enable beneficiaries to develop their businesses. In partnering with Shell, a Livewire Resource Centre was opened at the foundation secretariat to provide information on over ninety five (95) micro-enterprises that youths can access to establish their businesses.
The Foundation endowed a Scholarship Fund to give scholarship to intelligent children from poor homes the opportunity to access quality education. With this program 47 students are already under the sponsorship of the foundation. The Foundation also organize yearly summer camps for the students for counseling, mentoring and to inculcate good values into them. They are also taught skills during camp. The Foundation has also paid NECO fees for 10 students to enable them sit for the exams. The staff of the Foundation have benefited from several capacity building programs including my sponsorship by Exxonmobil to a one month Global Women in Management GWIM (48) Workshop in Washington DC in 2009 organised by Centre for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA). In attendance at this workshop were 26 women leaders from 19 countries. The objective of the workshop was to empower women leaders for full participation in development. It was during this workshop that I had the privilege of addressing an American Congress briefing on “The Role of Women in Strengthening The Global Economy” where I advocated for investment on women at the community level in the Niger Delta as a panacea for the poverty, youth restiveness and militancy in the Niger Delta Region. Using the CEDPA methodology, the Foundation started organising workshops for women holding leadership position at community level to build their capacity to engender change in their communities. The Foundation has so far funded 3 of these workshops. I also see my appointment as a member of the National Advisory Committee of the Nigerian Stability and Reconciliation Program of the British Council and funded by DFID as recognition of the work of the Foundation in the last 10 years in the Niger Delta. There are several other achievements of the Foundation that cannot be listed here. The greatest challenge of the Foundation in its 10 years of activities is the paucity of funds to carry out its activities. There are several projects and programs that have been articulated through need assessment and other processes by the Foundation and sent to prospective donor agencies for funding that are still pending. There is also the challenge of the difficult terrain of the Niger Delta in which the Foundation carry out its work and in some cases lives of our workers are endangered in the process of carrying out our activities. These challenges have however not deterred the Foundation from successfully implementing its projects and programs in the region.
Next steps:
The Foundation see the acquisition of the Morgan Smart Women and Youths Empowerment Resource Centre as a big plus for the Foundation as it intend running series of training workshop in income generation and leadership development over the next few years as its commitment to building the capacity and skills of our women youths to participate more effectively in the development process in their communities and by extension contributing to sustainable development in the region. The foundation is going to push more for access to Funds from donor partners for its numerous programs that are impacting on the poor women and youths in the Niger Delta. The Foundation is also planning to expand the number of beneficiaries and scope of its scholarship program for intelligent children from poor homes over the next few years.
How has your work impacted on beneficiaries?
While I have always said that whatever our successes in the foundation are, they are but a drop of water in the ocean in view of the magnitude of the challenges in the region. However we do know that with the work of the foundation, lives have been touched in the Niger Delta Region and relieve brought to the communities where we have implemented projects like schools, water and Health Centre projects etc.
How do you relax when you are not working?
I am usually amused when this question is asked because it always brings up some reflections about how I actually relax. The truth is that I am so busy running a micro finance bank, a foundation, a management and engineering consultancy outfit and till November 2012 in full employment in the public service in addition to membership of a number of committees that the issue of relaxation is not really on the table. However I have had to take my doctor’s warning of the damage to my health seriously that I am trying to find the time for some relaxation now. I like dancing so I try to make time to attend some parties to loosen up. I have the pool, a gym and other facilities to relax with and I have promised myself to indulge now. A very relaxing activity now for me is to listen to gospel music which helps me to concentrate. Lol.
Final words…
I have always appreciated the faithfulness of God in my life as I see myself as a child of destiny. This is because considering where I am coming from with the death of my father before I was 9years old, and leaving me and a younger sibling to the care of a very young mother to bring up alone, it was a daunting challenge but my mother put her hands to plough and worked very hard to put food on our table. And through hard work and my sporting activities then, I was able to benefit from scholarships that supported my educational pursuit, which got me to where I am today. I have therefore always had this compelling desire to give back to society as pay back for God faithfulness in my life. In this country today, there is the compelling need to get governance right in view of the numerous resources that the country is blessed with. My prayer is that God will give us that accidental leader, (Using Prof Pat Utomi’s word) that will turn this country round for the greater good of all of us in the country. However while I fervently praying for that day to come, we must all endeavour individually to contribute our own quota to nation building and sustainable development by helping to bring some relief to our poor people especially our poor women and their poor children who did not ask to be born into this country. Thank you and God bless Nigeria.
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