PROJECTS

Basically our projects are researched to compliment each other in actualization. Our target audience is the downtrodden, the neglected, afflicted and oppressed. Our mission apart from finding solutions to their problems is to re-orientate their thinking to be more purposeful and God fearing. We help individuals apart from, discovering themselves, to also learn to cherish other people, hard work and life generally. We have set out to compliment rather than antagonize the efforts of government especially in areas where the ordinary Nigerians are adversely and directly affected.

CURRENT PROJECTS

Ø 1. ANTI-CRIME, DRUG AND HIV/AIDS CAMPAIGNS: We have been distributing fliers and write ups to youth wings about the dangers inherent in violence and living a life of crime. We strongly believe that with awareness comes collective action, without people talking people out of their miseries, they will unleash their frustrations in the form of crime on the society with reckless abandon. This campaign has taken us to many slums where we have been organizing musical concerts, while using the atmosphere to convey the message to recalcitrant youths, especially during the April 2003 elections. The result has been very encouraging as more youths are giving up the life of crime.

Ø 2. PRISON REORIENTATION AND REFORM: Based on the above activity we decided to take a step further by reaching out to the prisons to meet with condemned and suspected criminals. We work hand in hand with the Nigerian Prisons Service and we have been assisting in the rights of those detained without trail, while looking for accommodation and job for those that are newly released. With time we hope to improve on this project as we enlarge our financial base.

Ø 3. JOB SOURCING OR YOUTH EMPOWERMENT: We discovered that we cannot be talking people out of crime without finding a solution to the cause of it, as such we have been sourcing for various categories of jobs for rehabilitated members that have convinced us, in their re-orientation and rehabilitation process. We hope to give out loans to those that are interested in buying and selling or those with the ideas or proposals that has to do with community development.

Ø 4. DESTITUTE REHABILITATION AND WELFARE: For now we are concentrating on under-aged destitutes, we hope to develop a government-supported arrangement for old people, especially pensioners. We discovered in our research that the number of children between the ages of 7-16 years roaming the streets or combing the beaches of Lagos is increasing by the day, most of these kids are products of the various tribal/religious wars in native communities, others are stubborn kids with a passion for violence or youthful exuberance.  They are ready materials for recruits into pickpocket and robbery gangs, some are drug peddlers, some of them are even assassins many of whom have up to two or three murders to their credit. Most have killed before they attain the age of 15. We have been gathering and preaching to them. Our next move is to rent an accommodation that can serve as a school where we can gather them, educate and re-orientate them and reunite them back with their families. We have about 47 of such kids on our list, from our feasibility studies; there are over 10,000 of them scattered in slums or ghettos of Lagos.

Ø 5. HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCACY: Apart from fighting for the rights of those imprisoned unjustifiably, we have been defending the plight of old pensioners, whose welfare is being toyed with by either the government or their past employers. We also defend the ordinary people who are being oppressed by the rich or powerful.

Ø 6. ORPHANAGE WELFARE; We make it our habit to delegate ourselves to visit orphanage centers every first Saturday of the month to encourage and deliver gift items. This is a way of giving them hope and offering counseling where necessary.

Ø 7. SEMINARS/WORKSHOPS; so far we have only done one seminar, titled “INSECURITY AND THE AVERAGE NIGERIAN: THE ROLE OF THE GOVERNMENT AND CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS” it was held at Café Bavaria with top security personnel from the government agencies and the organized private sector. We have a couple of others lined up. We hope to organize more frequently workshops that are strategic and instrumental to the development of our projections.

Ø 8. VOLUNTEERISM & COMMUNITY SERVICE: In other to keep our growing membership busy, we registered with Victoria Island Local government as a community based organization (CBO). We have been assisting in the areas of traffic control and waste management. We hope to register as international volunteers with international organizations like the United Nations, Red Cross and others which will enable us send our members on international missions in times of natural or manmade disasters. We also hope to develop our search and rescue team.

Ø 9. BEACH RESORT AND TOURISM CENTER: Our missionary work made it necessary for us to establish Pragmatic Beach Resorts at Opposite International Merchant Bank (IMB) plaza, Victoria Island, and Alpha Paradise Beach, Lekki peninsular, Lagos. It is made up of restaurant and Bar for relaxation of members and the general public. They also double as our meeting and reach out base where we meet every Friday and Saturday with different categories of people including foreigners. On these beaches we have a search and rescue team made up of first aid and swimming experts. We were alarmed when we discovered that the number of people who die on the beaches of Lagos state due to the absence of lifeguards or danger signs is over 1000 per year. As we develop we hope to provide better equipments for them.

FUTURE PROJECTS

Ø 10. AGRICULTURE: as part of our empowerment program, we hope to liaise with traditional rulers to make available community lands that can be cultivated for proper farming. This will enable us engage our growing list of unemployed youths and newly released inmates. The blue print for this project is being developed.

Ø 11. RADIO/TELEVISION PROGRAM/DOCUMENTARIES; as part of our reach out campaign, we intend to run Television and radio programs that will enable us penetrate the imagination of people and get their attention to the reality of a new era.

Ø 12. SECURITY: Due to the growing number of retired and serving force men in our membership, and our mutually beneficial relationship with The Nigerian Police, The Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), we are conducting full scale feasibility studies into the possibility of a security outfit that will focus on absolute security with forensics capabilities and martial arts training center. It will also double as a detective and security research outfit offering service to the government and the people.  This will serve as another employment generating avenue for members that are relevant to this profession.

From the above you will agree with us that our task is not an enviable one. Apart from being capital intensive, they are time consuming with high demand for a lot of guts and energy. This is not possible without the commendable efforts of committed members who have dedicated themselves so spiritedly to the organizations ideals. Our motto “Others First Self Last” is a reflection of this determination.