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Building C4AIK has not been easy. From the beginning, many people assumed that it was a money-making venture. Some opposed it, while others hoped to benefit financially from it. When they realised that the work was costing me my personal funds, many began to withdraw from what they had expected to gain while some mocked me. The financial cost of FIDAF The first FIDAF tournament cost me a great deal. After we had finalised arrangements with the venue owners, and on the opening

The idea for Marketsphere9ja began in 2017, while I was travelling by road to Biu during my time working with Mercy Corps Nigeria. During that period, I heard the then Governor of Borno State had said that people did not really know what some NGOs were doing; they simply saw large vehicles. That statement stayed with me because it reflected a wider gap in understanding between development organisations and the communities they serve. At INGOsphere9ja training sessions, whenev

The true value of training is seen in what people do with the knowledge they gain. Over the years, INGOsphere9ja has supported people who had no previous NGO experience, people changing careers, and professionals preparing for important interviews. Nurudeen: confidence during a service year One of the earliest testimonies came from Nurudeen, a corps member from Northern Nigeria who attended one of my training sessions in 2017. At the time he was completing his service year, h

An international NGO once approached us with an urgent recruitment request. They needed to hire quickly, but the timeline was extremely limited and the qualification requirements were high. As a training centre, INGOsphere9ja should naturally have had a pool of trained professionals to recommend. However, we soon discovered that we did not have anyone available who matched the organisation’s specific requirements. A gap that became an opportunity That experience revealed an i

As I organised FIDAF, many people assumed that I had strong connections within the development sector. It is true that I met many people and formed valuable friendships, but I kept those relationships professional and respected them without using them for personal gain. I did not make demands outside the purpose of FIDAF—the platform that brought us together. However, the continued requests for jobs made me ask an important question: how prepared were people themselves for wo