Fellow Citizens,
In the course of the year, we have done extraordinary things with tools that only a few years ago were not even available to be used. Apart from helping to birth and amplify #OccupyNigeria, New Media has since done a lot more. Most of these have been largely ad-hoc and unplanned. Many of us have since realized the need to institutionalize these possibilities and advantages of tools that have helped us raise about N25 million for citizens with terminal diseases and even villagers in the Lepers Colony of Abuja who had N1million raised for them.

Like most of the good in our society, some people with evil intentions are already devising ways of abusing the process, like Kayode Ayanniyi who tried to falsely collect money from actress Funke Akindele under the pretense that his account was the original #SaveFunmi account. We cannot allow that to happen. On the morning #SaveFunmi got the attention of the Twitter community, I had planned to introduce us to Jamira whose needs had to do with his education. The little child had special birth complications and has since survived his worst times but he needs special attention to fully express his own unique identity. Needless to say I let go of Jamira’s issue to concentrate on Funmi considering the time related factors involved. Jamira’s need was held for the mean time. These are realities that show that our efforts, though useful and powerful have limits that can be dealt with to help improve and indeed sustain them over a much longer period. With the idea set in place, the issue of donor fatigue and that of not really being able to help one person at a time would be set aside. We have seen what we can do and this is about how we can do better. That is the essence of this note. I have come to ask how we can do better as private citizens using the new tools of social media to crowd-source for help for our fellow citizens and who knows may be even ourselves in certain cases – diseases aside.

This is a response to many who have mailed to say they’d like to be much more involved in the process and friends who have expressed their concern about the sustainability of our current ad-hoc process of coming through for our fellow citizens. Take the case of Funmi who had well over what she asked to be helped with. Had a system been in place, the excess would naturally have been directed elsewhere. Someone sent a token to me for Funmi from abroad. I told him Funmi had more than enough and I asked if the money could be diverted. I was thinking like one who had to help as many as possible and not someone obsessed with just one case. His response was that he sent it not to Funmi per se but to whoever I felt needed the money. Jamira needs it and I’d send it to the mum this week. That is what a sustainable system would do, only in this case, it would not be for one man to make the decision even though care would be taken for bureaucracy not to stall effectiveness and efficiency. A couple of people wanted for their already registered organisations to step in as the system to help with this idea of an Endowment Fund, that’d not only seek to get help for terminally ill citizens (especially young people) but that which also help young entrepreneurs who already have ideas in place. I did not agree with the mooted ideas because those organisations were not primarily set up for us to do what we are doing and what we intend for a system to do for us. The fact that we are able to also set up an entirely new organisation for this also tells the story better; that we started from somewhere without form and by starting an organisation for that purpose got form and hopefully did better things. We will start an organisation just for this purpose. To crowd-source funds to help citizens live better lives, not just by helping with their hospital bills but by also advocating for better health insurance systems and also assisting those with the need for help in their businesses to do better. It will be by citizens for citizens and the purpose of this note is so we put it out there early enough for all of us to be part of the process rather than just make it something only for a few of us to do and then for us to come tell you it is in place. I am already in discussion with celebrities with a heart for humanity and professionals who’d help with the system. At least one person has committed an office space for when we get started.

The picture in this post was taken from one of the brainstorming sessions we had concerning this. While we try to fix our politics and governance process, it is important we do what we can to at least do the bit we can do in the meantime. The best scenario is to have a government that works but while that remains elusive, we cannot decide to make help elusive to those who need same.

We need your ideas and content for this. Please email omojuwatv@gmail.com to share your ideas with us. We already have volunteers who had since signified their intention to work with whatever we come up with. We also have the commitment of certain people to make sure this works from their monthly commitments to it. I guess moving forward is the next thing. I will update you on every progress made in the days ahead.