“My brother’s wife was kidnapped in 2008 and despite ransom payments, we never got her back.”
These were the words of writer; Arnold Obmanu as he came to donate-ng to raise funds to hold a symposium on how citizens can do more to strengthen the society and reduce the impact of mis-governance and corruption.
He had previously worked on a campaign for prompt treatment of gunshot Victims without police report, an effort that got an Act passed in the National assembly and now awaiting passage at the Senate. He also authored a book, The Survival Mindset: A Systematic Approach to Combating Corruption in Nigeria which has received great reviews.
Using the donate-ng platform, he was able to raise ₦ 1,120,000 which formed a good part of the funds needed to hold the workshop that featured Nigerians from all work of life; coming together to brainstorm and share ideas on the ways to combat corruption from the point the of view of people from different understanding, ethnic nationalities and religious diversities.
The event was held on the 27th April, 2017 with the State Commissioner for ICPC, the Chairman of the Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council, some senior Civil Servants, and representatives of the Trade Union Congress, students and lecturers of the University of Port Harcourt, media and some private Sector reps in attendance. Keynote speech was delivered by the Guest Speaker, Prof Ibibia Worika, Dean of the Faculty of Law, Uniport.
Also comments and questions was taken from the participants while free copies of the The survival mindset was distributed to the attendees.
In a telephone interview with the editor, he expressed satisfaction with donate-ng. He also stated that the level of support and feedbacks he got during the period of the crowdfunding is unrivaled in Nigeria and can only be compared to world-class organization. He further stated that the ease of use of the platform, the provision to draw funds even while the project was ongoing and the ability to receive funds from abroad is an added advantage compared to other crowdfunding platforms in Nigeria.
He thanked the donate-ng team for the wonderful job done and would be returning for the next project, while also recommending the platform to anyone raising funds for a good cause.
