Promoting Volunterism For National Delvelopment

Recently, Haiti was thrown into another earthquake which claimed over 200 thousand people.

The industrialised and developing nations were quick to volunteer assistance to the survivors and victims of  that natural calamity. The people in these developed and underdeveloped countries including Nigeria, highlighted the essence and efficacy of volunteerism through donation to the survivors and victims despite mutlicultural differ­ences.

Volunteerism itself is selfless rendering of one’s time, skills, experience or resources for the betterment or advancement of others. Again, the common good and development  of a community.

Dr. Albert Green, in the Department of Social Science, University of  Port Harcourt further explained that volunteerism is borderless. According to him, voluntary service can be rendered individually, in a group or through an organisation. In Nigeria he noted, “We have an existing body called Nigerian National Volunteer Service (NNVS)”.

He said the scheme was established by the federal government to tap into the huge reservoir of specialised skills”.

The reservoir, he said, is tapped from the knowledge and experiences of specialised skills of thousand of Nigerians who lived and worked abroad. Also retired public and private sector officers who lived and worked in Nigeria for national development.

Dr. Abibo Sokaria medical consultant explained that the idea behind the establishment of the Nigerian National Volunteer Service (NNVS) scheme was conceived out of  the need by Nigerian professionals in diaspora and retirees from the public and private sector at home to contribute their quota to government’s efforts to develop the nation.

He maintained that the objectives of the Nigerian National Volunteer Service (NNVS) were mainly to tap into huge reservoir of skills, knowledge and experiences of thousands of Nigerians who live and work abroad for national development. Aside, to utilize the skills, knowledge and experiences of Nigerians who during their careers in the private sector after retirement from public sector, are willing  and able to offer their services to volunteer work.

Dr. Sokari further explained that the scheme was designed to rekindle and institutionalise the concept, habit, practice of selfhelp and volunteerism in Nigeria. The scheme, he said, also promotes volunteering to fight ignorance, poverty and under development in our communities and nation. To Segun Owolabi, an assistant business manager with Rhythm, Port  Harcourt volunteers hardly exist and if they do exist, he said, the public expect the Nigerian National Volunteer Service (NNVS) to be experienced professionals, and experts, active, retired in and outside Nigeria. Other organisations like the Lion International Club, he said, should be involved to sensitise youths to take up volunteer service. Volunteers, he said, should be recruited based on specific requests from recipient organisations at the federal, state and local government levels, communities and the civil society.

In the views of Dames Joy Warmate, the incoming district governor of  District 404A, NNVS volunteers should exhibit other ability mainly to work in a team, share and interact with others to build on the ideas of peers or counterparts, adapt to different social, cultural and political circumstances including living.

Amachree conditions in remote areas of Nigeria and finally be willing to transfer or hands-on his/her skills, techniques, strategies  to those in need of them at the district, village and community level, where he/she is expected to live and work.

The role of NNVS, Dame Warmate said, include among other roles, support to community based initiatives, facilitation of networking, bridging and exchange.

Others include, assistance in conflict areas, humanitarian relief situation, enhancement of peace building technical support; gende; issues and transfer of skills. According to her, the support to community involves mobilising, promoting local volunteer efforts to motivate and assist in self help developments, strengthening the organisational capacities of community based organisation’s (CBOS)  and non-governmental organisation’s (NGOs) through needs­analysis, management and leadership training, articulating their needs and translating them into workable plans and actions.

The facilitation of net­working, is also a programme that play support role linking with either NGO, on local  governments; consulting, facilitating the exchange of useful information.

This could also provide a forum for influencing policy dialogue, with relevant information being fed upstream to policy-making levels.

Adaye Briggs, President of Metropolitan Lion’s Club, in Port Harcourt tried to outline the role of volunteers in conflict areas to facilitate communication, for example, he said, as field coordinators, partners with local communities, national agencies such as National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), National Refugee Management Commission (NRC), while the enhancement of peace building by virtue of their local knowledge and understanding of the socio-political and cultural situation made volunteers to support both preventive and curative development activities.

Besides, technical support which provides local technical expertise to development projects in sectors such as microcredit enterprises, rural infrastructure, health, nutrition, agriculture, population and environmental  management.

Lion Briggs, further explained that the gender issues is very critical in volunteerism. According to him, gender issues facilitates the mobilisation of local women, stakeholders towards more active participation in project and programme activities; noting that transfer of skills transcends through educational activities, through partnership. He called on youths especially those undergraduates, graduates to take UP volunteer services and be interested in volunteerism, support and promote volunteer work for the development of the country.

Lion Briggs, further called on youths to partner with Lion’s Club or the NNVS for volunteerism. Segun Owolabi of Rhythm also collaborated with Lion Briggs Clarion call on youths to be involved in volunteer services and thinkless of themselves.

He called on multi-national oil companies to sponsor volunteers, their projects and programmes, donate materials, equipment resources even to survivors and victims of the Sactarian crisis in Jos, Plateau State.

According  to Owolabi, partnership for development through volunteerism needs sponsorship from governments, institutions, companies, NGOs, communities and civil society organisations.