@50: Development expert, Fagboyo launches IPADEV to promote social justice, others

A development expert and former regional head in Nigeria of the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID), Dr Margaret Fagboyo, has launched a Non Government Organization (NGO) known as Inclusive Pathway Development Initiative (IPADEV) to promote social justice in the country.

The NGO has a clear vision of promoting an inclusive society where every individual, regardless of gender, background, or status, has equal opportunities to thrive and contribute to sustainable development.

The launch at the weekend in Abuja, which coincident with the 50th birthday of the founder and the Executive Director, Dr. Fagboyo, had prominent Nigerians, including Ekiti State Governor (represented), Senators, many House of Representatives members, Ekiti State House of Assembly members, top government officials and Civel Society leaders, among others in attendance.

Speaking with newsmen on the birth of the NGO, Mr. Fagboyo said she decided to found the organisation as a means to give back to society positively.

According to her, a life without service is a life in pain. And I pray that this new chapter, that the Lord will make it fulfilling for me, fruitful, purposeful, impactful.

“All I have to say is gratitude. Gratitude for what God has done in my life. Gratitude for what God has taken. And like I said in my speech, I choose gratitude over regrets. I have not regretted anything. If there’s anything I have regretted, it’s like not taking steps when I am supposed to take them.

You know, I lean back at some point. But at 50, I told myself that anything that I want to do, I’ll go for it. I want to continue to raise the bar. I want to continue to make impact.

“And I thank God for the birth of IPADEV. I also want to use that opportunity to give back to the society. Like I said, I have a tripod journey. I worked with development partners for 18 years. I worked with government for three years. I have been in the NGO space for three years. And I said, with all these experiences, it should not die within me. Let me give back to the society. And that was what brought about IPADEV.

“And I pray that we will use the platform to give back to the society, to also take care of the traditionally left behind. You know, the Sustainable Development Goals say, leave no one behind. And that is the reason behind IPADEV. We don’t want to leave anyone behind. We want an inclusive government. We are the old, the women, the young, the people living with disability can also engage and contribute and also benefit from the society.”

When asked on what Nigerians should expect from the organization in the next ten years, Dr. Fagboyo said: “Well, in the next 10 years, I want to see IPADEV on high sky, contributing to gender equality, contributing to inclusion, contributing to accountability.

“I want to see us as an NGO that will be leading, I will be a young NGO that has just been created but making waves in the next 10 years. We are also going to learn from the people we met in this space. And you know, the civic space is shrinking. And there is discussion about how do we revive that shrinking space? And that is why IPADEV is also coming on board to contribute its own quota to the society.”

She however, pleaded with the
National Assembly to pass an inclusive bill so that women can have their space, be included, and can occupy positions that are meant for them.

Speaking with newsmen after the launch of IPADEV, founding Executive Director of the Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development, Dr. Otive Igbuzor, said Dr Margaret Fagboyo has had a distinguished career having worked with DFID for 18 years, worked in government for four years as Special Adviser to Governor Kayode Fayemi on SDGs and worked with Centre LSD for three years.

Dr. Otive said: “So, what I expect from her is that she will be focused on these areas and initiate programmes that will change the tragedy. For instance, we know that women are not treated well. They are discriminated against in Nigeria. All indexes indicate that Nigeria is one of the worst countries in the world in terms of women empowerment, especially women in leadership positions.

“So, I expect that she will join all others to push the frontiers of gender equality and women empowerment.
Particularly, in terms of community development, that she will promote active citizen participation because that is a key issue in Nigeria.

“We have a political elite that has captured the state.They have captured the legislature. They have captured the judiciary. They have captured the media. So, we want active citizens so that we can move forward.”

Also, a popular activist and former Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria, Ene Obi, said Dr. Fagboyo was launching the NGO at the right time to advance the cause of inclusivity in Nigeria.

“We are talking about inclusivity of women because what we have is male parliament in Nigeria and she has been through some of the roads.

“For her to be 50 and having gone through such a wonderful career and rededicating herself to the service of humanity, this is the time to come because we have more than half of Nigerians live below the poverty line.

“The women need help, children need help, everywhere you are looking at help and so her coming on board at this time is quite special and we welcome her into the fold because in civil society there is a lot of burden of the kind of rot we have in the society now. You know what we are facing right now, that people are living in an existential environment, people are trying to exist, no longer just survivors, just refugees.

“So we expect so much of her but we are willing to, we have welcomed her and we are happy that when she’s celebrating her 60, it would have been 10 years of IPADEV and contribution to humanity. It’s the best place to be.”