He is the founder of a nonprofit and non-governmental charity organization registered in Nigeria and the United States, Dennis Aikoriogie Foundation. Dennis Aikoriogie is also the co-founder of Go Read Information Technology Limited, a tech company that impacts education across the world.
Aikoriogie is also the CEO of Global Hobnob Nigeria Limited and Global Hobnob LLC New York, that is involved in shipping, residential services, household items and portfolio investments. Aikoriogie remains a force and an inspiration to other budding entrepreneurs. In this chat with OMONIYI ALLI, he bares it all.
Did your childhood prepare you for what you do right now?
Yes, having lost my dad after secondary or high school, many people thought I will not have a university or college degree.
My Mom, who was a civil servant, had to see me and my sibling through school, though the resources was not too lacking plus support from relatives, we acknowledged it would have been easier and better if my dad was around.
My Christian background as a Catholic also shape what I do right now, the brotherly and agape love taught had a deep root in me, I understood the importance of the corporal of works of mercy.
What is the inspiration behind Dennis Aikoriogie Foundation?
I have relatively fair number of friends and followers on Facebook, very frequently they kept on asking me to show love, which I did by sending call cards and cash support.
While growing up I have seen many people struggle through school and everyday life, this coupled with the experience of losing my dad and how my mom had taken care of us, made me come to the realization that I must give back to the society no matter how little.
On June 2021 to mark my birthday that year the Dennis Aikoriogie Foundation was born and I reached out to widows and the needy, before the launch of my Foundation, I had supported other charities in Nigeria.
What impact has your foundation had since inception?
As an emerging non-profit that is solely funded by me we have been able to impact lives of the underserved and unserved in Nigeria, with fundraiser I have initiated, I have had the support of family and few friends and we have served people in Benin, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Uyo, Imo and Abia.
We believe we could do more with the right sponsors and partners; we are currently restructuring the board of the foundation.
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Tell us more about your companies, GoRead Information Technology Limited and Global Hobnob Nigeria Limited?
GoRead is an emerging company I co-founded with a friend to introduce an innovation to private and public schools, that makes learning easy, educational materials accessible and affordable. Global Hobnob Nigeria Limited is the production and exporting arm of Global Hobnob LLC New York, where we ship food and cash crops overseas.
You’ve worked in different capacities, across sectors. How did these work experiences impact your life?
I have worked in the banking, insurance, public and private sectors. Every sector comes with its own unique experience and these experiences have shaped and impacted me greatly.
Tell us about your other projects and activities?
I am working on an outsourcing and HR companies in Nigeria and the United States to provide services to American companies and provide jobs to teeming Nigeria youths. I also intend in the nearest future to dabble into Oil and Gas, Fashion, Real Estate and invest in some Franchises.
As a businessman with vast experience, how would you rate the economic growth of Nigeria?
Post-independence, Nigeria has not experienced much economic growth, I believe we have the potential to compete in the business world, we have not had the right policies to put us in the right footing, issues like access to capital, ease of doing business, lack of industrialization for which epileptic electricity could be the contributing factor, we keep on exporting products with no value addition and makes Nigeria products less competitive on the global stage.
Tell us some of the activities in your foundation?
Free medical missions and outreaches, which we have organized in Abuja, Port Harcourt and Benin. Scholarship and tuition assistance programme, we have helped indigent students pay their tuition and have given scholarships to see them through school, recently, we also distributed free notebooks, pens and other materials to Ancilla orphanage school in Imo State.
Widow programme, from time to time we have reach out to widows in the community, we have provided food items and cash donations to support their families.
Youths and women empowerment we intend to equip youths and women with the right kind of entrepreneurial skills and financial literacy to survive in modern business world and upon completion of such training we set up them up in the skilled area they have just acquired knowledge, we also intend to leverage on fintech.
Water access, sanitation, and hygiene, we are working on providing clean and portable water to rural communities and educate them on sanitation and hygiene.
These are short and medium term or operational goals, the long term or strategic goal is having an orphanage, in the orphanage we are going to build school and hospital to provide services freely to the community.
If you could have an audience with the President of Nigeria, what would you tell him to do differently?
I would advise him to ensure that there is stable electricity in the country because it plays a catalytic role in small and medium enterprises, which are the drivers of any economy.
To ensure a credible electoral system is in place, strengthen and liberalize democratic participation and try as much as possible to demonetize the political process, simply put. To build strong institutions.
Lastly, my word to him will be to ensure the security of lives and property appointing capable people in position of authority.
You are a man of many parts; how do you unwind and still have time for family duties?
I try as much as possible to spend time with my family despite the busy schedule. Occasionally, we go out to events church, parties and see movies together.
I plan to spend more quality time with my family, going on vacation, sights seeing etc. We are currently working building the foundation to financial freedom to enable us ample time for family and leisure.
