Vice President Kashim Shettima has commended the MacArthur Foundation for its significant contributions to Nigeria’s development and democracy over the past three decades.
He gave the commendation on Wednesday in Abuja at the commemoration of the 30th anniversary and end of on Nigeria programme of the MacArthur Foundation in Nigeria.
The vice president noted the importance of collaboration in governance, urging the foundation to strengthen its partnership with the federal government to fast-track the delivery of the programmes and policies of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Represented by the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Office of the Vice President, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, Shettima said, “No government can, or should function in isolation. The success of every democracy lies in accepting and nurturing partnerships.”
- Abducted Kebbi district head dies in captivity, 8 others rescued
- Cameroon’s 91-year-old President Biya in good health, gov’t says
He said after 30 years of watching its interventions, it is clear that the foundation has demonstrated the importance of collaboration, the value of partnership, and the cost of conflict in service delivery.
He said, “The successes we have recorded across various sectors of our nation—especially in promoting accountability in governance -are owed to our shared resolve to work together.”
He recalled the impact of the foundation’s interventions in the country over the years, noting that the scope and frequency of the foundation’s support have far-reaching consequences.
“The beneficiaries of your grants are not distant or abstract figures -they are everyday people. They are organisations and individuals who, without your timely interventions, might have faltered in their civil pursuits. They are the promoters of democratic values, the visionaries advocating for a society where fairness and justice are not mere ideals but lived realities,” he said.
Speaking earlier, Dr Kole Shettima, the Director of the Mac Arthur Foundation, said it is worthy of the grantee partners, present and past, to be celebrated for the work they have done to save lives, improve human capital development, and enable the government to provide public services.
“I have spent a quarter-century at the MacArthur Foundation. It is a rare privilege that I don’t take lightly. I thank the foundation for giving me this opportunity to serve humanity. At the beginning of this journey were Kayode Fayemi, Bisi Adeleke-Fayemi, and Sonny Oyegbulam.” he said.
He also listed many others who he said were responsible for the success stories recorded.
