OPENING SPEECH
The opening speech of Engr. (Mrs.) Funmilayo Ayinke Adejoko on Valentine’s Day Hangout with Funmi Ayinke Humanity Foundation (FHF) dated 14th February, 2020.
Tagged: Charting Your Own Course and Destiny
PROTOCOLS
The Chairman of the day,
The Executive Vice Chancellor of FUNAAB,
The Registrar of FUNAAB,
The Top Government Functionaries Seated,
Gentlemen of the Press,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
And my esteemed young friends.
Great Nigeria Youth!!!
To God be all the glory, honour and adoration for making this gathering a reality on this season of love. It excites my heart and it’s indeed a great joy and pleasure for me to be here today.
Before I proceed, I will like to appreciate my dependable and inspiring better-half, the most understanding and supportive man in my world. I am so glad to have you because getting married to you has changed my life for better, and for that, I’m extremely thankful.
I would also like to seize this opportunity to appreciate my team members for working tirelessly in making sure we have a successful event.
On the screen, you can see the faces of widows and young people whom we have been able to reach out to by increasing their earning capacity through our social development and empowerment program. FunmiAyinke Humanity Foundation is primarily established to give back to the society, improve the standard of living of those under our care, mental and intellectual capacity building, restoring and rekindling the hopes of the socially displaced, give strength, confidence and power to the weak arms and with a future goal of placing food on every table via a well formulated and designed model of outreaches to all sectors of the society whether educated or artisans, young or old, male or female, orphan or single parent raised product, able or displaced, less privilege and under opportune.
An Old Chinese proverb tells it perfectly and which I always share with my team members – “If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody. But when it comes to helping someone, very often we don’t often consciously weigh the potential pay-off.
My passion and desire for the vulnerable in our society was borne out of deep emotions and empathy to the socially deprived beings in our society today. I feel challenged and unhappy on the inside of me when I see people having little or nothing to eat when others have enough to waste.
We may pretend unconcerned or not notice a human like us sweating profusely under the scorching sunshine while selling sachet of water or gala in traffic congested routes while we are busy listening to music and enjoying the air conditioned vehicles but we see it through the wound-up glasses. We don’t have to own it all before we remember the poor and the needy in our society, all we need is living emotion and a little act of love.
Caelee Andrefski quote “It is important to know that not everyone is lucky as you are”.
SPOTLIGHTS ON ACHIEVEMENTS
- FunmiAyinke Humanity Foundation has liberated over 10,000 widows from shackles of lack and insufficiency both mentally and financially.
- We have magnanimously given out scholarships to pupils in the primary and secondary schools.
- This humanity has trained, developed and supported orphans or products of single parenthood on their choice of profession.
- We have supported and empowered the small and medium scale businesses of young people financially.
- We have also been able to settle the medical bills of those who could not afford to pay them.
- Lastly, FunmiAyinke Humanity Foundation has extended the hand of love by restoring and rekindling the hopes of its many followers across its social media pages (Twitter, Facebook and Instagram).
It is noteworthy to mention that FunmiAyinke Humanity Foundation is fully on ground to collate the data of every person present in this hall with their present needs and budgets, we will be contacting subsequently for purpose of mentoring, guidance, counseling and all other purposes which includes exposing you to various opportunities at our disposal. Our contacts information will be duly provided as our arms are wide enough to embrace you, we have shoulders strong enough for you to lean on, and our ears are trustworthy enough to give you needed audience, our mouths are trained to keep your secrets and our heart large enough to give attention and bear your burdens.
We have started the good works by extending our hands to the society, we call on other well meaning aristocrats and influencers across the globe to join in the good course, while we also encourage those who are heartily disturbed about humanity and are leaving no stone unturned to facilitate a “Global Zero Hunger Project” with our foundation. We are open to partnership at all levels from relevant stakeholders be it individual, cooperate organizations or even the government provided good motives are verified and it is people oriented.
To the youth, life is beautiful. God present us with the gift of life not to suffer from what we can have as our right. High rate of unemployment is a hot issue in the developing countries and Nigeria having an average of about 23.1% unemployed youth. But the good news is that FunmiAyinke Foundation will intensify more in supporting young people with financial aid to support your business ideas thus making you an employer of labour and reducing the rate of unemployment in our nation. Together, we will fulfill our destiny.
In closing, I would like to thank (…………………………………………..) from the bottom of my heart for the honor of being selected to be their (……………………………………………) award. My deepest appreciation also goes to (………………………………………..) for nominating me and I shall forever remain grateful for the recognition that I will receive today. Allow me to state categorically that although this is a personal award, it is and will always remain as a result of dedicated teamwork, involving hardworking family and team members.
Once again, I thank you all and God bless you real good.
