Ibironke Adeagbo, the quintessential British Nigerian chartered accountant and founder of IA-Foundation, is organising a Black Tie Charity event on 8thof February 2020 in Essex, United Kingdom in aid of the disadvantaged children in Africa.
Ibironke Adeagbo FCCA FCA CPFA set up her IA-Foundation, because of her passion for education and determination to help in removing any obstacle that could prevent any Nigerian child from getting a good education.
Ibironke is an accounting graduate from Olabisi Onabanjo University, Nigeria and has a post-graduate diploma in Information Management from London South Bank University in the UK.
With three accountancy qualifications and twenty-four years post-qualification experience in the UK, she currently works as a Finance Director in the education sector. In the UK, she works tirelessly to ensure children from deprived background get into top universities, such as Oxford and Cambridge.
Ibironke, was formerly the chairperson of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) UK. She is also a former treasurer of the body responsible for the welfare of all Nigerians in the UK diaspora called, Central Association of Nigerians in the UK (CANUK).
While growing up, when she told her father she wanted to study accountancy, her father was apprehensive, saying it was too difficult a career for a woman, because it is a male-dominated profession. Ibironke was absolutely determined to prove her father wrong, by not just passing just one professional accountancy qualification but three. Having overcome her own share of obstacles on her journey to success, it is very important to her to live in gratitude by giving back and creating opportunities for others. By putting a touch in the path of others to brighten their pathways too and remove any obstacle that could prevent them from achieving their potentials and aspirations.
Offering some words of encouragement and inspiration to prospective applicants to the Foundation, Ibironke said: “I am all about catalysing, I always have been, but especially in the last couple of years, as I relish the opportunity to invest in so many people through the Foundation.”
According to a survey by United Nations, the population of ‘out of school’ children in Nigeria has risen from 10.5 million to 13.2 million. The highest in the world. Ibironke believes this cannot be right, nor fair. “We need to change this narrative and very quickly too”!
The education crisis in Nigeria is one that requires urgent, collective and concrete action to surmount. At IA-Foundation, we do not believe that we are the solution to this problem, but we do believe that we are a part of the solution.
Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today. Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. Ibironke believes education drives the economy. Therefore, she believes everyone must have access to good education. She believes if anyone develops a passion for learning, such a person will not cease to grow. Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself. An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.
President Barak Obama once said, “if you think education is expensive, wait until you see how much ignorance costs”. Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time, we are the change we seek, Change is here and now.
The four keys areas, which the Foundation is focusing on, are:
1. Awarding bursary to students that are experiencing hardship
2. Educating the girl child
3. Helping students with learning difficulties
4. Awarding excellence in education
This is being achieved by:
1. Fundraising to raise funds to award bursary to students experiencing hardship.
2. Sponsoring a girl child’s education
3. Providing resources to support children with learning difficult, especially those that cannot be educated in mainstream education
4. Set up endowments for students that excel remarkably in their studies
In a press release made available to African Voice, Ibironke said, “We believe our work in Nigeria, gives us the leverage to positively impact the lives of millions of children in Nigeria. We are developing a range of partnerships to help improve education outcomes. We are currently working in Lagos, Ogun and Nasarawa states”.
“We are a solutions-driven, implementation-focused organization, set up to empower vulnerable Nigerian children, so they can have a peaceful and prosperous future.”
So far in its first year of existence IA-Foundation have-
- Set up an endowment fund to for the best graduating accounting student in Olabisi Onabanjo University, to improve the quality of accounting graduates from the University
- IA-Foundation donated learning resources to schools in Ogun state
- IA-Foundation paid for JAMB forms and WAEC examination fees for children from deprived backgrounds
- IA-Foundation donated funds to help children with SEN/learning disabilities
- IA-Foundation visited an IDP camp in Nasarawa state to donate resources to child ‘out-of-school’ in the camp.
With the above initiatives and more, IA-Foundation believes this will help put children, their families and their countries onto a better development path. Education is one of the most effective ways to end the cycle of poverty; enabling growth, peace and prosperity. It reduces conflict, improves social mobility, enhances stability and strengthens nations.
At IA-Foundation, we are committed to helping achieve United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 of ensuring quality education becomes a reality for the millions of children in Nigeria.
IA-Foundation encourages everyone to join and be part of this initiative that is going to have a huge impact on the next generation of working-class Nigerians.
The Black Tie event will hold on Saturday 8th February 2020 at the Forest Row Centre, Lodge Lane, Collier Row, Essex. RM5 2LD.
For further details visit:
www.IA-Foundation.org or email: info@IA-foundation.org
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