Growing Up in Nigeria in the 80's, this was my high school. I was a very proud class president and I never wanted to leave Nigeria, I loved Nigeria, my friends, the people, everything...the community at large was just amazing! My parents made the tough decision to send me back to the States to further my education due to an unstable educational climate (that still to some degree persist today). 

In those days, it would take several years for the average student to gain acceptance into the college or university of their choice. We knew this because we had watch my older who was an academic standout have to apply and re-apply to finally gain admission into Obafemi Awolowo University. My family simply did not  want me to have that same experience so my return to the United States to further my education became imminent. 

Over the years I kept in contact with my classmates, through different organizations we had set up during my summer trips back to Nigeria. Eventually the students ended up establishing a much robust organization including all of students who graduated in the class of 1991. I  never finished with them but they always made me feel welcome and a part of that group of kids that came together at Holy Saviours after completing primary school. Recently I was invited to join the group's social media platform,  and through our conversations and comradery it became apparent many classmates were facing different financial issues especially those classmates that still reside in our township of Ile-Oluji.  We had ideas to start a fund that members could draw from and repay in a negotiated timeline but we ended raising over 1 million Naira up and donated the monies to the distressed families in our group and some funds were retained to donate to our beloved high school that brought us all together.

 A leadership team visited the school and met with the principal and talked with the current students about the current state of affairs of the school and inquired about any proposed improvement or restoration projects being considered. The Principal shared a spreadsheet with them showing all the projects they would need help with, from renovating dilapidated buildings, to stocking the library with books, shelves, tables and chairs and creating a science lab, the images and reality of these children just overwhelmed me. This is just not fair for a nation that boast so many scholars around the world, the fundament institutions for learning and development in so many of our rural communities are beyond embarrassing. 

Like so many Nigerians in the diaspora that have found success professionally, we must use whatever influence and platforms we have to not only raise awareness to the national tragedy but also as an opportunity to raise money and help as many of these institutions that we can. We can begin with Holy Saviours High School as our model and renovate it, supply the students with text books and multimedia equipment and it bring to a global standard for a learning institution. I want this project of love to make a difference in the way we look at education and its importance in shaping our community both locally and in the diaspora. The library should be a state of the art multimedia learning center focused on telling our story from the beginning of civilization to present and covering the global black experience not only in Africa but throughout the diaspora. Our kids need to know Africa can be a major player as we venture deeper into the 21st century and exporting our best talents and minds to Europe, Asia and The America can no longer be the preferred solution if we are to rebuild Africa better. An institution like this can have a profound impact on the psychological development of the children as future leaders of Africa. Please help us donate and help us raise money  to rehabilitate and build a place we can all be proud of. All proceeds will go directly to this project and nothing else. Kindly check back for updates on our progress as we begin this transformation.