At Victor Tulutu Briggs Foundation lies a mission rooted in the belief that education and empowerment initiatives are the keys to unlocking the potential within every individual, especially the youth and women. Since its official launch last year, the Foundation has successfully embarked on several humanitarian projects aimed at improving the quality of life of Nigerians. In this conversation, Dr. Victor Briggs shares how impactful its projects and initiatives have been. Ferdinand Ekechukwu brings the excerpts:
You have been involved in various initiatives in healthcare, empowerment and education, through your foundation – the Victor Tulutu Briggs Foundation – what is the motivation behind it?
So, first, I dedicate it to God Almighty, and the motivation is that growing up as a child, as a youth, I encountered quite a lot of difficulties that propelled me to say that if I have the opportunity to, in business or wherever I find myself to do something worthy, I will definitely give back to society. So, growing up, I also met my wife (Amelda Briggs) as my girlfriend and she also has the same kind of passion I have. Then I said ‘ok, this is the right time’. So we started giving back. I have been giving back for quite a long time. But I said okay, let’s make it official when I also met some of my friends and some people who also have the same interest that I have. We now said okay, we have to make it big. That’s the formation of the Victor Tulutu Briggs Foundation. We did the official launch last year. And since we did that, because they also have the same interest that I have, it has been so, so smooth. They bring ideas; we bring ideas together, where necessary, they have to contribute, they contribute. Solely, we are the ones sponsoring the programmes. We haven’t got any financial support from anywhere and I can tell you that from last year to this year put together, we have done quite a lot, and we have spent over a billion naira through the foundation in different activities we have done, including sports. As I speak to you now, scholarship is ongoing in the University of Port Harcourt. We are extending it to River State University (RUST). We have done different programmes both in Lagos. If you go to the barracks in Ikoyi we went there. The place is very dilapidated we had to renovate the schools and also renovate the quarters, and also bought ACs for them. It’s there with the garrison commander, General Buka. We went to Lagos State, we saw the Police Commissioner, we set up a conference centre for them, the same thing we did in zone 2 with the AIG in zone 2 there same we did. And we also paid for about 200 JAMB forms in Lagos, and also we paid for about 2000 JAMB forms all over Nigeria. It was very wholesome project. JAMB also wrote to us and also appreciated us for what we did. This year’s JAMB is about the eighth edition of the JAMB forms we have paid for schools. Not just that, we also select some of the best in JAMB through some of the programmes we do we also paid their institution fees for them. Now we want to select the best in their academics then we also want to take them for our scholarships.
So far, the projects you have listed, appears to be self-sponsored by the foundation?
Yes, of course, self-sponsored by me, like the Spelling Bee Competition we had in Lagos state recently, that program we spent close to 11 million naira. That’s the first of its kind for the foundation. Those three children that emerged winners from different secondary schools in the state, so far its government schools, we are going to see them through the universities; we are going to sponsor them, out of the 20 schools, those three people that came out first, second, third in the competition, after giving them 1million, 500, and 300 hundred thousand naira each, we are still going to sponsor them through universities.
Can you share with us the foundation’s core mission and how has it evolved?
The core mission of the foundation is: one education, then empowerment of women and men who are less privileged, and also healthcare. Those are our core areas that we think that we can be able to impact people. Education is the most important thing in the life of our children and even the youths to propel them and also bring them together from far and wide from different parts of the world so that they can be able to meet their peers and also give them the opportunity to be exposed to do things for themselves because that’s the future that we have. Then, we do small scale business empowerment for people so that they can be able to engage in small scale trade to support them so that they can be able to feed their family and help their children. And the other one is healthcare in various communities. And of course you know health is life. So those are the core areas that we are really into. Then add to it sports because sports can also give them a lot of opportunities for them to go out there to help themselves and help the society. Those are the four key areas that we are focusing on.
Let’s look at your long-term vision for the foundation and its role in society…
Okay, well for us the level we are now what we expect we have just launched the foundation as I speak to you we are visiting the 23 local governments of Rivers State where we are giving all books and back to school materials for most of the schools in the 23 local governments. Even we attach police primary school, navy primary school and also the military primary school because you know those are public areas so that they can be able to also get funds to help themselves and the students. Other areas are government schools that we are giving these materials. But the basic thing is that the long-term we expect that now at this point we expect partnership from donors and global NGOs that can also partnership with us for which we have the dream in some of these key four areas that I have said. That would in a way impact the foundation. We are looking at the end of this year. But definitely from early next year partnership will start coming into stream because we have done quite a lot. We want to see that those things every year we have a budget for those four areas that we have itemized it will be going on con-currently. Every year we have to have a project to see that people pass through. We have to see entrepreneurs that we have made to set up businesses and where they are and to know where they are going.
Looking at some of the projects initiatives that you have embarked can you share any that you think has been impactful?
Most especially the educational part of it because as I speak to you people are in scholarship they don’t feel need to bother their parents. Every year we pay their fees. They are very happy. That one is very impactful to me. Then also the back to school initiative you know how economically things are down in the country. And considering what we have spent on books, bags and writing materials it’s a good thing. Also last year we paid school fees for all the students in my village. None of the parents paid, we did. We paid the school fees for the term. So those are the things. Even encouraging small scale business because they can be able to do their business without struggles to get money. We give them money to support it to make them grow so that they can scale up their business. Those are things that I have seen. And then also giving encouragement to quite a lot of our youths that with what we are doing there, there’s hope for the next generation.
Running an NGO comes with challenges, with regards to your team, how do you motivate them to stay committed to the foundation’s mission?
The first thing is that they are convinced that this is something that they too have to be committed to. Because you know stimulating or convincing your team, they must also have that passion. The most important thing to the Glory of God they must have that passion. So, it makes it easier for us because if you don’t have the passion no matter how people will push you will not be interested. So because they have that passion they too have now put their effort to say, every time, because we have already gotten an account, they will be putting in small, donating to the foundation no matter how small it is. So they are very, very interested in it and so it’s a good thing. It’s like minds. And it’s their dream and so to some of us our dreams that is coming through. That’s the most important thing.
What role do you see the foundation playing in sustainable developments?
We are going to key into the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) project, the World Bank project and other things. So we follow the trends of what is going on and also grow on it and also to see that we stabilise our NGO to global standardisation in line with humanitarian projects and developments.
What have you learned from your experience as a leader in the non-profit sector?
You know first, you must be determined and just like I said you must have the passion. Because even as you are doing that you will see all kind of people will throw things at you that you may not even like. Some people will accuse you for one thing, that you have interest for one thing or the other. Some people will accuse you that you have one interest or that. Of course when you are doing good, God has a way to bless you for doing well. Any person who is doing good God will also bless you. So if God blesses you in any way, it’s not a bad thing. So people say all sort of thing. But the thing is, I’m determined and this is what God has called me to do. I will stand by it and see that it comes into materialisation. And at the same time I’m very happy because I have told my children and my wife, everybody has keyed into it. Even if today I stay to the fullness of time till the day God calls me, my children will also take it up from there.
You talked about interest and people accusing you of one thing or the other. People run foundations and things like this as a stepping stone towards some end or ambition. Is there political motive or interest as such at your own corner underlining your passion in this work you are doing?
Okay so from my primary school through to my early age this is part of me everybody know. I gather people; I try to see how I relate with people. And if you check about me it’s been part of me as early as when I was small till now. It’s been part of me, I have been doing it. Then beside that you know even in your house there’s politics, there’s politics everywhere. If I am doing this now today and I have the opportunity to, and my people say this man has tried, this man has done this and they say they want to give me this or they want to support me for this, it’s not a big deal. But I don’t have interest to say I want to go and contest for anything as I speak to you right now. So that’s it. But does not mean that if I am and they call me to say come and serve or come and take this and I look at it, after looking at it and also communicating to God and my family and they say it’s okay, of course. But that’s not the original interest or original focus of this organisation.
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