Home Lifestyle Rt. Hon. Dekor Endorses InnerCity Mission as Model for Community Development Initiatives – THISDAYLIVE
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Rt. Hon. Dekor Endorses InnerCity Mission as Model for Community Development Initiatives – THISDAYLIVE

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The Chairman of the House Committee on Host Communities, Rt. Hon. Dumnamene Dekor (Rivers State, PDP), has called for stronger partnerships to drive education and community development across Nigeria.
He made this call during the Global Roundtable organized by the InnerCity Mission for Children, held in commemoration of World Food Day and the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.
Hon. Dekor commended the InnerCity Mission for its far-reaching impact, describing it as “a shining example of faith in action and compassion in motion.” He praised the organization’s dedication to transforming the lives of vulnerable children, envisioning a future where such models redefine community development across the nation.

“I must thank Pastor Chris Oyakhilome and all of you who have been part of driving this process,” Hon. Dekor said. “Let me congratulate those of you who have been driving this programme. Because when I got into the school, a lot of things went through my mind. The first thing I was imagining, my son or my daughter having to be brought out of the streets to get this kind of impact in their lives.”

The lawmaker emphasized education’s pivotal role in combating poverty and societal challenges. He lamented that while policies often exist at all tiers of governance, weak implementation remains a national setback. “Part of the problem we have in Nigeria today, at all levels of governance — federal, subnational, and local — is implementation,” he said. “We have very well thought-out policies, but execution is a problem. This particular package should stand as a model. If the government decides, even with what is being put into education, which we believe is the one catalyst that will fight poverty and other vices in society, and if 50 percent of what is being spent is monitored and implemented properly, our societies will be better.”

Hon. Dekor further announced plans to partner with over 120 Host Communities Development Trusts under his committee’s purview to channel more resources toward supporting educational and humanitarian initiatives. He cited his community’s experience in Bori, Rivers State, where volunteers successfully revived a struggling school. “The Host Communities Development Trusts have been put in place, well over 120 of them as of today. By the special grace of God, we will use the office God has given us to partner with those development trusts,” he stated.

He underscored the connection between hunger and learning, saying, “Education and welfare go hand in hand. A hungry child cannot learn, and a family in poverty cannot contribute to nation-building.” Concluding, Hon. Dekor reaffirmed the commitment of the House Committee on Host Communities to collaborate with the InnerCity Mission, urging stakeholders to work together toward building a Nigeria where no child is denied education or trapped in poverty.

The Global Roundtable, the first of its kind, brought together lawmakers, institutional partners, academicians, program beneficiaries, and community members. Attendees were taken on a tour of the Mission’s Food Bank in Lagos and its 100 percent free school, which features fully equipped computer rooms donated by Shell, a modern library, skill acquisition center, dispensary, and kitchen. The children receive two meals daily and are provided with free uniforms, books, shoes, and school bags.
This model, the organization revealed, has been replicated in fourteen fully built schools, with five more under construction. The existing schools are located in Festac, Murbia, Taraba State, Ibeju-Lekki, Simawa in Ogun State, Iguobazuwa and Ewu in Edo State, Yola in Adamawa State, Badagry, and Owerri in Imo State, as well as in Pune, India, Malawi, and Liberia. Under construction are schools in Warri, Port Harcourt, Uganda, the Central African Republic, and the Fiji Islands. Upon completion, the InnerCity Mission will have schools across all six geopolitical zones of Nigeria and in several other countries.

The organization also showcased its Food Bank Network, which spans the United States, the United Kingdom, Abuja, and multiple locations in Lagos. During the tour, the team demonstrated how meals are packaged into family relief bags and revealed that over five billion meals have already been distributed as part of its “7 Billion Meals by 2025” campaign.

With a presence in 109 countries, the InnerCity Mission has provided school supplies to over 700,000 children, benefited 405 million individuals, supported more than 1,000 orphanages, and empowered over 100,000 women within the past seven years. In 2020 and 2021, the organization collaborated with government agencies to distribute 88 million and 323 million meals respectively, helping cushion the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in various parts of the world.

Other lawmakers at the event, Hon. Muktar Shagaya and Hon. Godspower Kelechi Nwogu, were visibly moved by the organization’s work and were subsequently announced by Hon. Dekor as Fellow Ambassadors of the InnerCity Mission.



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