FUND-YES is a national grassroots economic self-emancipation, poverty alleviation, family economic empowerment, financial investment and wealth building business cooperative society of youths, women and interested financial investors, whose common goal, is to build a transnational grassroots cooperative business community and networking platform where Nigerian youth and women entrepreneurs are offered a viable platform to connect, partner and do business with interested local, diaspora and global financial investors for the mutual benefit of generating income and building wealth, both for themselves, their families and the Nigerian economy.
In its drive to accomplish its goal of driving a cooperative business community for financial investment and wealth creation through entrepreneurship revolution, FUND-YES has launched a multifaceted “entrepreneurship fund” for youths and women, known as “FUND-YES Entrepreneurship Enhancement Fund”, also called “FeeFund” in its short form”, which was publicly unveiled on Friday 31st May, 2024 at the prestigious Transcorp Hilton Abuja by prominent and highly accomplished Nigerians, including His Royal Highness, Alhaji (Dr) Yahaya Abubakar CFR (Etsu Nupe); Prof Maurice Iwu, former INEC Chairman and renowned Professor of Pharmacognosy; Senator Emmanuel Ebok-Essien, PANDEF Chairman and Founder of Ritman University; Hajiya Lami Adamu, President of National Council for Women Societies (NCWS); Dr Pogu Bitrus, Chairman of Middle Belt Forum (MBF); Apostle Lawrence Achudume, Senior Pastor of Victory Life Bible Church; Alhaja Rafiah Idowu Sanni, President of the Federation of Muslim Women Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN); Comrade Kennedy Iyere, a frontline Humanitarian Activist and high-profile Social Entrepreneur; Comrade Ken Robinson, National Organizing Secretary of PANDEF; Dr Yunusa Tanko, a renowned Statesman and others.
The official launch of “FeeFund” was a dinner ceremony which was a high-profile event that brought together several dignitaries and notable public figures. The likes of Etsu Nupe, Professor Maurice Iwu, Senator Emmanuel Ebok-Essien, Dr Sarah Ogar Mni and Comrade Kennedy Iyere had in their individual interviews with the press affirmed that the launch of “FeeFund” by FUND-YES Cooperative is a step in the right direction in the country’s ongoing efforts to overturn the burden of economic hardship presently confronting millions of Nigerian families or households.
According to them, the worrisome insecurity, poverty and hunger which have plagued the country calls for the imperative need to create jobs and employment opportunities for Nigerian youths and women. They buttressed the need for wealthy Nigerians, private sector organizations and government at all levels to partner and collaborate with the initiative and to also ensure to make their contributions to the “fund”, as well as support its activities aimed towards stimulating entrepreneurial revolution in Nigeria for the purpose of curbing the country’s high rate of youth and women unemployment.
Speaking to Journalists at the event, Comrade Kennedy Iyere who is the founder of FUND-YES clearly stated the reason behind the creation of “FeeFund”, which is to drive self-employment and
entrepreneurship revolution among youths and women towards solving Nigeria’s worrisome problems of unemployment, youth crime and household poverty while creating mass employment, generating income and building wealth for poverty alleviation, family economic empowerment and national economic development.
“Millions of Nigerian youths and women who are today unemployed are not dull or lazy but intelligent, educated and skilled people with brilliant business ideas who unfortunately lack access to the business financing and enterprise development assistance needed to set up and grow their own businesses, as entrepreneurs and owners of MSMEs.
The critical need to address the business financing constraints faced by aspiring youth and women entrepreneurs and also by others who are already existing entrepreneurs, is the reason that compelled us to establish the FUND-YES Entrepreneurship Enhancement Fund (FeeFund) for youths and women, which also exists to provide enterprise development assistance for youth and women entrepreneurs” Iyere stated
“It is a known fact that millions of Nigerian youths are unemployed, poverty-stricken and helplessly frustrated without hope of a better tomorrow. They are angry with Nigeria and this unfortunate reality places the country’s future in great danger beyond its current security challenges. Where youths are denied the opportunity to actively participate in the economy, crime becomes their best alternative. The country’s rising youth unemployment is a ticking time bomb whose looming explosion will doubtless come with more damaging consequences than could ever imagine. If nothing is done to reverse Nigeria’s trend of high youth unemployment, millions of angry unemployed youths will sooner than later translate their frustration into a full-blown anti-government rebellion and indeed a social revolution. Let us not forget that the “EndSARS Protest” was a narrow escape from a social revolution”, Iyere lamented
“Without fixing the problem of “Youth Bulge” and high youth unemployment, Nigeria will keep sitting dangerously on a keg of gunpowder. With household poverty deepening on a daily basis and youth unemployment widening every day, Nigeria is obviously fast drifting towards political collapse. The critical necessity to pragmatically tackle Nigeria’s two key social problems of “youth penury” and “household poverty” was what inspired the setting up of “FeeFund” powered by FUND-YES”, Iyere affirmed.
Iyere said that the “FeeFund Global Donation Campaign” will kick-start on Friday 7th June, 2024 which will be driven by a high-powered team of advocates comprising notable public figures, celebrities, grant specialists, fundraising professionals, business leaders, philanthropists, donors and fundraising volunteers. He stated that the initial amount of philanthropic funds designed to be generated through the proposed global fundraising campaign shall be publicly disclosed during a press conference scheduled to hold before the flag-off of the global fundraising campaign. He urged wealthy Nigerians, foreign philanthropists and prospective donors all over the world to generously partner with “FeeFund” by donating their funds. He also urges Nigerian government at all levels to likewise give their partnership and support to “FeeFund”.
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