Kunle Adelabu
-Father, lawmaker, others commend initiative
Ikorodu and Ibeju-Lekki-born America based former football player, Barr Luqman Akinsanya, and his family have launched a foundation to support youths in diverse areas in Lagos communities.
The foundation, which is aiming to improve education, sports, health, cultural integration, arts, science and entertainment, was launched during a house warming ceremony by the family at Adegbose family estate in Igbogbo/Bayeku Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Ikorodu Division of Lagos State, Southwest, Nigeria, on Saturday, December 21, 2019.
At the launch of the foundation/house warming, it was announced that four schools have been identified for the kick off of the project in Ikorodu and Ibeju Lekki Local Governments of Lagos State.
Speaking with THE IMPACT, the founder, Barr. Luqman Akinsanya, said that the foundation is his own way of giving back to the society, especially in area of rendering assistance to develop education.
“Pepc foundation is all about giving back to my community and Lagos State at large. It is going to be supporting schools in lkorodu with the donations of educational materials to primary, junior and senior secondary schools. That is our target.
“Aside education, we are also going to be dealing with sports, health while we also have strong plans for the empowerment of the youths and cultural integration and entertainment. We are going to be doing everything in our power to reach out to the less privilege in Lagos State”.
Akinsanya, who said that he was a product of the grassroots, also emphasized the importance of development in the grassroots, especially in the area of education.
“My parents have always been in support of the people in the grassroots and I am a product of the grassroots. This is a very important area, and developments should start from there. In view of this, we are going to start our project from the grassroots, most especially our educational projects, because that is what brought me to where I am today. We are also going to continue with my father’s legacy in sports development”, he stated.
Speaking on the cultural and educational aspects of the foundation, his wife, Mrs Abiodun Idowu Talabi, who stated that they would be getting assistance from the international community, added that they would be promoting African culture to teach the young ones African values.
“As a foundation, we have people internationally that are willing to support our foundation’s projects, especially the educational and cultural projects. Internationally, foreigners love our culture. It is the best and we don’t even know the value of what we have. Through cultural integration, we want to teach the students about who we are in order to help in moving us forward educationally and culturally”, she stated.
Hon. Kazeem Raheem Adewale, a three-term member of the Lagos State House of Assembly representing Ibeju-Lekki Constituency II, who was the chairman of the occasion, commended the Akinsanyas for giving back to the society through the foundation.
He pledged his support for the foundation to assisting it in achieving its dream.
“Here is a boy that has suffered a lot but knows what it meant to give back since God has blessed him. He knows what it means to support the people at the grassroots and make them achieve their dreams”, Hon. Adewale stated.
“It is very commendable to have come up with such initiative to assist the less privilege and such gesture deserves commendations and support.
“My presence here today is to assist him and key into his dream for the people at the grassroots so that the aims and objectives of the foundation will be achieved”, he pledged.
Also, Alhaji Kola Akinsanya, a retired police officer and the proud father of the founder of the foundation, commended the family for initiating a foundation that will help the less privilege.
“Today is a great day for me. I feel so great and appreciative of God Almighty for granting the young man wisdom and for giving him a very supportive wife. They are one-big-happy-united family. They are dedicated to improving the society and assisting the young ones and the less privilege. Their vision is very impressive and I thank God for their lives”, he stated happily.
He stated that his son is living the dream that he told him about some years back, adding that he will also be sustaining the humanitarian gestures that run in the family.
“He has that dream. He told me about his dream three years ago when I was in America that he was going to come up with something to advance what I have been doing and also do other things in developing the young ones. Today, he has come with the idea and we are really happy about it and we appreciate God for the wisdom. He is a great son of mine”.
Dr Abiodun Fatai-Abatan, a senior lecturer in the department of Political Science, Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, described the founder as a kind hearted young man who has been displaying humanitarian attitudes since his struggling days as a young man.
“Lookman is a gentleman and he has always been living for others for a very long time. He is a kindhearted man who loves to attend to the needs of other people. I have known him to be humble and loving guy”.
He stated that the foundation will allow Lookman to spread his kind gestures to many other people in need.
“Establishing a foundation is an opportunity to broaden his kind heartedness. An opportunity for him to reach out to more people. He is spreading his hands of love through the foundation to other people in terms of assisting them in the areas of education, health, sports and others. This is a foundation that will go down well to impact on the community and I wish him all the best”, he stated.
Abatan also charged those in-charge of the foundation to manage it well and act in accordance with its aims and objectives so that it can impact positively.
Oluwakemi ‘Bashexy’ Hassan, a senior legislative aide at the National Assembly, commended the desire of the family to assist the less privilege and add value to the society.
“This is indeed a great initiative from a young man desiring to add value to the society. I pray that the foundation will get better and achieve its set objectives”.
He, therefore, called for the sustenance of the foundation through good and effective management so that it will not go the way of many before it that were unable to achieve their aims and objectives.
It was indeed a great and memorable outing for the members of the Akinsanya family and their associates and well-wishers as they all had a swell time eating and drinking as well as dancing to good music.
Various gift items were also distributed to guests that came from near and far.
