CKN NEWS PUBLISHER (Chris Kehinde Nwandu) ,APPOINTED ActionAid Nigeria Ambassador

The Publisher and Editor In Chief of CKN Nigeria News,Chris Kehinde Nwandu has been appointed an Ambassador for ActionAid Nigeria.

The event which took place in Lagos was attended by top Executives of the Non Governmental organization in attendance.

According to ActionAid,Mr Nwandu was chosen because of his pedigree over the years in using his platforms which cut across online, radio,Television etc to advocate for the right to life and uplift the under privileged in the society.

Mr Nwandu has over the years also used his wide network to raise funds for several people who were in dire need of support to survive.

It urged the renowned communication expert to use his wide network to pass on the message of hope which ActionAid represents.

In his response Mr Nwandu pledge to support the organization in whatever way he could to meet its set down objectives especially in the area of IDPs scattered across the North Eastern parts of the country.

He thanked the organization for deeming him fit for such honour .

Also was a veteran broadcaster, Yemi Shonde.

Some other celebrities currently acting as Ambassadors of the Aid agency are Popular actors and actresses Dakore,Yemi Shodimu and Hilda Dokubo.

More celebrities and volunteers will be inducted in the months to come

Chris Kehinde Nwandu apart from being a writer,broadcaster and motivational speaker is also the Coordinator of the FRSC Celebrity Special Marshals and Acting National President of Guild of Professional Bloggers of Nigeria.

He is also the CEO of Ikenga Entertainment Inc 

Who We Are: ActionAid Nigeria

ActionAid Nigeria is a member of ActionAid global federation. We maintain a strong relationship of interdependence and mutual accountability within the International federation, ensuring a strong balance between self-rule and shared-rule. Although we started operation in Nigeria in 1999 as a Country Programme of ActionAid International, we have transformed into an autonomous national organisation registered with the Nigerian Corporate Affairs Commission. We also have a partnership agreement with the National Planning Commission of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We have a strong national governance structure – a Board and a General Assembly - consisting of reputable Nigerians providing strategic oversight.

ActionAid Nigeria (AAN) works with poor and excluded communities, to promote the rights of people living in poverty and take necessary action to end poverty. Because we work and engage multiple agents, at different times and situations, we act as enablers, advocates, facilitators and catalysts. We work to create space for voices and interest of people living in poverty and their agencies to be embedded in government policies and actions. We maintain strong solidarity with the poor and take sides with them, even against all adversity. These elements require us to be credible, non-domineering, continuously learning and evolving a knowledge-based, activist, self-reliant and internationalist organisation. Our core values of gender equality and courage of conviction drive our determination to innovate, take risks, promote women's leadership and advance sustainable alternatives.

OUR VISION

A world without poverty and injustice in which every person enjoys his or her right to life with dignity.

OUR MISSION

To work in solidarity with the poor and excluded people to eradicate poverty and

injustice.

OUR VALUES

We are driven by passionate commitment to organisational values. These values define our work and relationship with our communities, partners and other stakeholders.

§  Mutual respect, requiring us to recognise the innate worth of all people and the value of diversity.

§  Equity and justice, requiring us to work to ensure equal opportunity to everyone, irrespective of race, age, gender, sexual orientation, HIV status, colour, class, ethnicity, disability, location and religion.

§  Honesty and transparency, being accountable at all levels for the effectiveness of our actions and open in our judgements and communications with others.

§  Solidarity with the poor, powerless and excluded will be the only bias in our commitment to the fight against poverty.

§  Courage of conviction, requiring us to be creative and radical, bold and innovative – without fear of failure – in pursuit of making the greatest possible impact on the causes of poverty.

§  Independence from any religious or political party affiliation.

§  Humility in presentation and behaviour, recognising that we are part of a wider alliance against poverty and injustice

Our Theory of Change

We believe that poverty is a function of human rights violations and unequal power relations. Promoting just and accountable governance principles with democratic and transparent processes are thus necessary conditions that must be ensured for poverty eradication and development in Nigeria to take place.

We believe that an end to poverty and injustice can be achieved through purposeful individual and collective action, led by the active agency of people living in poverty and supported by solidarity, credible rights-based alternatives and campaigns that address the structural causes and consequences of poverty.

In other words, people living in poverty often need to be supported to discover their own power, get organised and connect into movements, publicly demanding their rights from local institutions, national governments and powerful corporate bodies. People living in poverty and exclusion are the primary agents of change. Poverty and injustice can be eradicated only when the poor and excluded are able to take charge of their lives and act to claim their rights. Promoting development from below and challenging the development from above through working with the poor and excluded groups. Focusing interventions on those platforms created by the people themselves are vital approaches that will ensure an end to poverty.

In order to effect change it is therefore vital that we engage with people, government and institutions to respect, promote, protect and fulfil the rights of poor and excluded people. This shall range from cooperation to protest through non-violent process. The process shall also include providing research and evidence, promoting alternatives and running public campaigns.

Our Unique Ways of Working

ActionAid Nigeria works at the local, national and international spheres, working with poor communities to achieve transformative changes. Our work covers the entire federation of Nigeria. Through our local rights programme, we work in both rural and urban areas committing to long term strategic relationship with communities in some of the untouched and hard to reach locations. We also work to influence regional and international policy bodies.

We work in partnership with civil society organisations, community based groups, labour movements, coalitions, networks and social movements to advance the cause of the poor and excluded. Our primary concern is working with the poor to address issues of unequal power relations that create poverty. Through our unique right based approach, we place emphasis on three axes of empowerment, solidarity and campaigns. In collaboration with our partners, we build the capacity of the people and agencies to understand and have knowledge of their rights and claim same. We work in solidarity with them and support them in building synergies with relevant agencies, coalitions and movements. Because the underlying causes of poverty and injustice are gendered.

We are specifically committed to working with womenfrom these excluded groups and to making sure that we promote women’s rights across all our work. This is Because of their socially ascribed roles, women living in poverty have less access to land, education, networks, technology, transport, financial resources, political power or control over their bodies and safety – all of which keep them poor.

Our partnership and alliances are important to us. We build long-term partnerships with community-based organisations and social movements, respecting their autonomy, strengthening their capacities and supporting them to share learning across issues, sectors, movements and geographies to build a formidable movement for change. We also work in alliances with many different actors, including NGOs, networks, think-tanks, unions, campaigns and progressive companies. We seek to hold those with power accountable through critical engagement - for example we work with governments or the private sector - engaging constructively where possible but being willing to challenge where necessary. We are also committed to our resolve to engage with policy issues, connecting local concerns to national and international and providing alternatives.

Our programming areas are Education; Food andAgriculture; Human Security in Conflict andEmergencies; Health; Just and DemocraticGovernance and Women Rights.Promoting theright to just and democratic governance and Women’sRights are cross-cutting themes which apply across thewhole programme, but also have stand-alone initiatives.

Linking all these is our geographically basedintegrated Local Rights Programme which is beingimplemented in twelve States of the federation. Ourworks are currently spread across the 36 States inNigeria and over 250 communities.From reflections and lessons of our programmes inNigeria, we achieve good governance and accountablepolicies centred on the improvement of public servicesin Nigeria.

Using the Human Rights Based approach fromempowerment and solidarity perspectives, Action Aidwithin the context of security challenges, economiccrises and natural disasters, has been able to reapthe dividends of mobilising groups and communitiesin need to engage with the governance structures anddemand for their rights.

We work with poor and excluded people incommunities, to promote the rights of the poor andencourage positive actions to end poverty.To ensure that these actions and services are felt in therural communities, ActionAid engages multiple agentsat different times, and situations, we therefore, act asenablers, advocates, facilitators, and catalysts. By sodoing, we create space and interest for the voices ofpeople living in poverty and their respective agencies tobe embedded in Government policies and actions.

ActionAid Nigeria not only maintains a strong solidaritywith the poor, but equally takes sides with them evenagainst adversity. These elements require us to becredible, non-domineering and continuously learningand evolving knowledge based, self-reliant organisation.The core values of gender equality and courage ofconviction drives our determination and innovationto take risks and promote women’s leadership andadvancing sustainable alternatives.