PVF declares war on poverty at leadership convention in Ibadan

THE Pillar and Vision Foundation (PVF), remains true and committed to its mission of banishing poverty among Nigerians through activities that promote capacity building and self-reliance.

The Founder/President of the non-governmental organisation, Pillar Ayo Adepoju, made the declaration on Thursday, September 27, while addressing a mammoth crowd of leaders of member-associations of traders and artisans at the foundation’s first National Leadership Convention, held at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium (formerly Liberty Stadium) in Ibadan, Oyo State.

According to Adepoju, the general aim of the PVF is to liberate people from oppression and poverty through programmes that have been carefully designed to stimulate productivity and financial freedom.

ALSO READ: APC postpones Lagos, Enugu, Adamawa governorship primaries

At the event, attended by about 22,000 members, including representatives from across the 36 states of the federation, Adepoju listed freedom from oppression, access to comprehensive health care, financial empowerment, securing of bright future for young people, establishment of ties with influential people and transition from wretchedness to riches as the six benefits which people stand to enjoy for belonging to the foundation.

The philanthropist, who asserted that the reason the misery and the general state of affairs of the Nigerian masses had remained constant was because they were not united in purpose, dreams and aspiration, said the convention was being used to refresh the foundation’s declaration of war on poverty in the country.

The PVF National President identified the 3,000 youths present at the convention as belonging to the seventh batch of beneficiaries of the skills acquisition programme of the foundation and put the number of the people the foundation has so far empowered through its various intervention activities at 28,000.

“Poverty is an outrage against humanity. It robs people of dignity, freedom and hope, of power over their own lives. Pillar and Vision Foundation has a vision of an end to poverty and we believe that that vision can become a reality,” he said.

The PVF Director of Planning and Strategy, Pillar Ramota Okemakinde, emphasised the need for the ordinary people in the society to come under the umbrella of the foundation and fight for their economic and financial freedom through the instrumentality of trade groups and associations.