Baywood Foundation Established To Support Communities Plagued By Poverty-Baywood Ibe

Founder of Baywood Foundation, Emperor Baywood Ibe has reiterated his commitment to mankind, stating that he cannot be derailed into politics.

Ibe who addressed journalists at a press conference in Lagos on Tuesday reeled out the achievements of his organisation.

At the well attended press conference, the philanthropist said “Baywood Foundation was established in 2005 and incorporated by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) in 2014.

“It is also incorporated in the State of Florida, USA and has 501c3 status which makes Baywood Foundation eligible for international funding because of tax exemptions,” Ibe said.

He also told the media that Baywood Foundation was set up to support populations and communities plagued by poverty, unemployment, poor healthcare access, illiteracy, marginalisation and exclusion.

According Ibe, the foundation is being funded by his family. “It has from inception been exclusively funded from personal and family resources.

“The thematic areas of Baywood Foundation are Advancement of Youth causes, healthcare, education and economic well-being.

“Consequently, over 100,000 indigent community people have been supported by the Foundation with 100 percent free diagnostic, consultative, pharmaceutical, referral and follow-up services.”

His philanthropic activities also extend to various communities which have benefited from Baywood Foundation’s relief operations.

Talking about the organisation’s intervention in the education sector, Ibe said his organisaiton has sustained 20 teachers on its pay roll in Enugu State.

“In the last five years, we have 20 teachers on our payroll in Enugu State. These are auxiliary teachers in community schools,” he said, adding that, “Those communities don’t have enough teachers, we moved in and we have been paying them.

“We have a system where we spot those primary school pupils whose parents don’t have what it takes to keep them in school; buy uniforms and books and support them with stipends.

“Baywood Foundation has also successfully carried out several interventions in other sectors including education and infrastructural development,” he explained.

In the health sector, the philanthropist also explained that the outfit has been of tremendous benefit to communities in need of its services.

“A minimum of four communities benefit annually from our comprehensive and free medical outreaches in the last 10 years,” he said.

Community and infrastructural development are not left out in the philanthropic outreaches of Baywood Foundation.

“Amongst other philanthropic activities, Baywood Foundation constructed a 9km-asphalted road which traverses several communities namely Agbogugu, Isu-Awaa, Agbudu and Ihe town, all in Agwu Local Government Area of Enugu State,” he relayed.

As an individual who looks beyond the present, Emperor Baywood Ibe has invested his time and resources through his foundation in youth development and reorientation.

According to him, the organisation is known for youth orientation.

“Baywood Foundation is also renowned for youth-oriented initiatives which have positively impacted on young people in Nigeria.

“We are at the vanguard of stakeholder-resonant programmes which have significantly impacted on the development of youths in Nigeria, driving affirmative action for investment in youths to reposition them for greater relevance in the socio-political arena.

“In the past several years, Baywood Foundation has engaged with key stakeholders across broad-ranging demographics in Nigeria to mobilize and galvanize youths, supported and funded relevant initiatives including a widely heralded book called BEYOND RHETORIC which is a clarion call for affirmative action beyond mere lip-service.

“At the launch of BEYOND RHETORIC in Lagos, the major highlight was for the demand for the adoption of 3O% affirmative action on youths,” he said.

As part of the activities of the organisation, Baywood Foundation has partnered with Enugu State University of Technology (ESUT), the West Africa Network for Peace building (WANEP), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU) in furtherance of the affirmative action to organise a programme called Harnessing the Potentials of the Youths in Nigeria at the establishment of the Institute for Peace and Development in ESUT.

“This is part of ongoing efforts to lend our voice to the clarion call for greater youth participation across various cadres in government,” he said, adding that, “Part of the challenges as identified by Baywood Foundation include Neglect/Abandonment of Youths, Lack of Engagement with the Youths, No Collaboration with the Youths.

“All these have culminated in lack of opportunities for the youths to actively participate in Governance. These problems are lamentable, anti-democratic including the exclusionist disposition of African leaders who capitalise on ethnic, religious as well as socio-economic divisions in their countries to perpetuate themselves in office,” he noted.

Worried about African leaders who hold on to power for decades, Ibe said there is the need to emphasise the affirmative action n favour of the youths.

“The African continent is riddled with Presidents who have spent over 35 years in office and are aiming for 40 years or more. The statistics in this regard make for very sober reflection indeed, hence the clarion call for affirmative action.

“The consequences of this characteristic of African leaders have led to the gross socio-economic under-development of Africa, corruption, genocides and the exclusion of many generations of youths from governance” he said.

Baywood Foundation however commended President Buhari who signed the “Not Too Young To Run” bill in 2018 to reduce the age limits across political offices, including the Presidency.

According to Ibe, “This is a step in the right direction but is however not enough because it does not address the systemic constraints militating against youth participation in governance.

“To support the ‘Not Too Young To Run’ bill, Baywood Foundation is again reiterating the adoption of the 30% youth affirmative action.

“Beyond Nigeria, age limits are a common barrier to young people seeking political office in Africa. Only a few countries such as Guinea, Uganda, Kenya, Mozambique and South Africa have the same minimum age limit for voting and seeking office, according to the International Parliamentary Union (IPU).

“Globally, only 2% of lawmakers are under the age of 30, a figure even less in Africa, where only 1.2% of lawmakers/policy makers are 30 years or below.

“Indeed, high age limits explain the conundrum of aged Presidents on a continent that is home to the world’s ten youngest countries. This is totally unacceptable and a major constraint to youth participation in governance,” he explained.

He however enjoined the youths to build their own brands through education and enlightenment which he said are necessary tools to advance the course of national reorientation.