Joshua Aluko a businessman, is the founder of The Great People Foundation. In this interview with KINGSLEY ALUMONA, he speaks about his love for the poor and needy and, how he support underpriviledged students, among others.
What are the major problems facing Nigerian youths and how can they navigate these problems?
Without the knowledge of one’s purpose or duty, resources are often wasted and useless. Another thing is proper training/mentorship. Training and guidance are important to the development and actualisation of the potential of youths. They must be well-trained in what they have been told and have proper guidance towards execution. Funds/resources is another. Once the aforementioned are in place, resources can now be disbursed for establishments and empowerment. The outcome will be a well-rounded and robust output.
How would you advise the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation as regards improving the lives and education of young people in underserved Nigerian communities?
I would kindly suggest that she looks into investing and making available practical and financial training for the youth, bringing to their consciousness the economic needs of the country and how they can be met. Empowering them with finances should come next with a great structure for supervision.
What inspired your love for the poor and the needy, especially young people?
My love for the poor and needy was inspired by the understanding that every man deserves a better life and that without a good support system, man may not attain his full potential which is essential to changing his world. Life is not about you as an individual but the collective humanity. Fulfilment only comes from impacting the lives of others. This is our calling as individuals.
As an undergraduate, you raised funds to assist two of your classmates with tuition fees. How were you able to do that and what impact did it have on their education?
I was able to do this with the help of God. I stood in front of the classroom back then at the Osun State University, Ikire Campus, in 2011 and told the class about the dire situations of the two female students. I became resolute because I had friends who reason the way I reason and we kick-started the journey. For some reason, the entire class trusted me without knowing the names of the particular students involved and they donated. After sending the money to the students, I remember thinking to myself, “If I can do this for two students, I can do more.” Also, the female students eventually graduated and are now married.
You founded The Great People Foundation (GPF) as a student. What is the foundation about and how have you been sustaining it?
Back in 2013 when I was in my final year. It was fully registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) in November 2015. The foundation is a unique organisation that helps to save under-privileged undergraduates from dropping out of tertiary institutions and accelerating youth development. Major sources of funds have been private individuals and corporate organisations. Initially, I was told that Nigerians don’t like to give without immediate gratification. Well, I could not believe that. I knew people would give if they could see tangible reasons to do so. Thankfully, many proved me right to this day. We have had thousands of support in cash and kind.
What was the most recent work the foundation undertook, and how did it impact the beneficiaries?
The most recent work by the foundation has been The GPF Alumni Conference and GPF International Membership Day, January and August respectively. Both programmes witnessed the participation of thousands of GPF members both physically (January) and online (August). As a result of both programmes, 14 less-privileged undergraduates have been saved from dropping out of school while many others are inspired to make something great out of seemingly impossible situations.
In five years, where do you see your foundation, and how many lives would you love to impact within this period?
In the next five years, by God’s grace, GPF will be in 20 countries − at least with over 10,000 less-privileged undergraduates saved from dropping out of school. We will also have a well-established network of our graduated scholarship recipients and alumni associations, including established businesses to further empower youths both within and outside the country. Also, GPF will have a human resource arm that will ensure that many more of our graduates have jobs and can therefore contribute more to the development of their society.
You are an entrepreneur. What kind of work/business do you do? How is your business coping with the current economic reality facing the country?
I have a banquet business and a farm, and also I run event planning and execution. From a young age, I was taught to thrive regardless of the status of any country’s economy. Thank God for the great teachers around me. This is what I seek to teach the youths and the world in general: You can succeed regardless of what is happening around you.
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