Birthday Garlands to Drs . Kole Shettima & Amina Salihu For The Conquest Of Another Value-Added Year In Selfless Humanitarian Services

By Kanempress

13th February 2023

Nigeria’s Media owners, Managers and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) celebrates the duo of Dr. Kole Shettima and Dr. Amina Salihu as they move higher on the calendar ladder in their earthly sojourn as oasis in the desert- beacons of succour to their numerous beneficiaries!

It is such an oddly coincidence that this year’s birthday of the two philanthropists and social activists comes at a time Nigeria is facing numerous government induced challenges- like naira and fuel scarcity crisis, political apprehension, insecurity and other myriads of violent among others- the social ills they have devoted their life and resources to fight.

By practical examples and personal principles- Kole and Amina have over the years served as elixirs of collective struggle for a better country. One can rightly eulogize them for their dogged commitments and investment of their intellectual assets as well as their unreserved deployment of their resources to causes capable of turning  Nigeria’s plight positively.

Over the years and in their forays into social struggle for just society, representative democracy, equitable distribution of social wealth their altruistic approach and unblemished records in social interventions have stood them out as rare bred with unique attributes.

Kole and Amina anchor their efforts on the conviction that this country’s vast and diverse potentials can be translated into life realities for the people.

Little wonder, in their professional lives, the duo has dedicated massive amounts of time, efforts and resources to building bridges of partnership and comradeship all across the country.

Kole and Amina belong both to the school of thought that prioritizes going together to go farther rather than going alone to go faster, especially when it comes to creating opportunities, project implementation and developmental learning.

As a result, the duo has been at the forefront of initiatives to mentoring civil organizations to grow through participatory collaborations.

Their patriotic zeal and cosmopolitan humane disposition to all without considerations for creed, colour or tongue have helped them in achieving uncommon feats in social engagements.

 Kole and Amina have made it a point to encourage their colleague activists in Nigeria’s civic movement not to settle for less.

This commitment to excellence and the ideal is evident in the numerous conversations the duo has initiated and shaped about ensuring project impacts in developmental discourses.

They project an abiding nexus with the grassroots by ensuring the voices and views of historically marginalized groups are effectively reflected in program implementations.

In this regard, the duo has been at the forefront of ensuring that civil society organizations hold themselves accountable in terms of their commitment to their beneficiaries. As such, gender, social inclusion, and equity are not abstract and textbook suppositions for Kole and Amina.

Those tenets for them, are the driving forces that civil society should use in practice to alter social relations.

There is always a “so what” question for this special duo of untiring, committed, and dedicated facilitators of efforts to strengthen democracy, human welfare, social security, and good governance.

The question stands at the heart of the struggle for impact in terms of the betterment of the social conditions of the vulnerable and oppressed.

For us at the Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED) , it is not simply a matter of paying glowing tributes. It is about constantly internalizing the approaches and ideas that these two civic leaders have so generously shared in the trajectory of their socio-vocational callings.

Their unwavering belief in the possibility of a better world characterized by justice, equity, and respect for human dignity remain unshaken.

We are awed by the level of optimism being exhibited by Kole and Amina that in spite of daunting challenges confronting our great nation, they still see great possibilities in Nigeria’s future even as they work tirelessly with renewed vigour to bring the desired change to reality.

Kanempress is proud to celebrates these MacArthur Foundation Fellows for their legendary contributions to policies, plans, and programs, which have empowered and mobilized civic agencies in Nigeria to deepen the conversation around human rights and citizens’ welfare.

Their total dedication to civic involvement, and recognition of the underprivileged voice in developmental policies and planning as an indispensable tool for mobilizing grassroots efforts and support for national growth is unparalleled.

These are by no means noble feats considering the intricacies of transparency and accountability deficits in Nigeria.

As they celebrate the milestone today, we and the entire management of Kanempress wish them more joy, strength, and God’s bountiful blessings.

Happy birthday Dr. Kole Ahmed Shettima , and Dr. Amina Salihu! We wish you many more joyful returns of this special day