Edo SSG, Osariodion Ogie Urges ANEEJ to continue Service to humanity, honours Prof.Lester Salamon

BENIN-CITY, NIGERIA. October 18, 2021.. Civil Society Organisations in Nigeria have been charged to continue to support Government to achieve all round development for the people even as the Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice has been told to continue its service to humanity.

Secretary to the Edo State Government, Barrister Osariodion Ogie gave the charge Thursday while unveiling the Prof. Lester Salamon Co-Working Space in ANEEJ Head Office in Benin City at a Day of Tribute, a hybrid event in honour of the Late Director, Johns Hopkins University Center for Civil Society Studies and Director of the Philanthropication thru Privatization Project (Ptp) at the East-West Management Institute.

Represented by a former Permanent Secretary in his office, Mr. Chris Abode, the Secretary to Edo State Government noted that Rev David Ugolor had contributed significantly to the development sector in Nigeria and the world at large and that for him to have worked with Professor Lester Salamon on the Philathropication through Privatization project was indicative that the Late Professor led a good life for humanity.

“The SSG has known Rev David Ugolor for so many years as someone working on issues of Environmental and Economic Justice for over 30 years. I have personally known him as well when I was permanent Secretary in the Office of the SSG and his work with Professor Lester no doubt was worth the while and left a good legacy hence, he was being immortalized by ANEEJ” the representative of the SSG said.

He then announced a personal donation of five hundred thousand Naira (N500,000) in support of the ANEEJ work to further impact humanity.

Executive Director of ANEEJ, the Rev David Ugolor while welcoming guests and family members of the Late Professor Lester said he was personally devasted with the death of Prof. Lester Salamon. “To be honest, I wasn’t myself for days as I ruminated over the transience of life. My heart goes out to Lester’s wife, Lynda, and son Matt as we mark today as Day of Tribute in honour of my forlorn friend and Civil Society activist.

“I know too well that Prof Lester was very enthusiastic about the possibilities in Nigeria and enjoyed the collaboration with ANEEJ, particularly after he received the feedback from his associate, Dr. Aaron Bornstein who was here to go round stakeholders on the possibilities of establishing trust funds through the PtP project to combat poverty.” Ugolor said

The ANEEJ Chief Executive Officer, however, expressed gladness that the East-West Management Institute is hoping to continue the PtP work in Lester’s honor and pointed that ANEEJ is already keying into this move by naming its Co-Working Space, the entire Ground Floor of our ANEEJ Benin City Office after Professor Lester Salamon.

The President of African Bar Asociation, Mr Hannibal Uwaifo who was represented by a Senior Counsel in his Chambers, Sam Abasilim Esq said even though he did not meet Prof Lester Salamon personally, he knew he was a great man who would have impacted the world positively by virtue of his association with Rev David Ugolor, a renowned human rights and environmental justice activist.

His son, Matt Salamon thanked ANEEJ for honuring his Late father and noted that his father’s work was in sync with ANEEJ’s mission and vision of Africa without poverty and that it was an excellent idea to have an endowment for Non-profit sector, to combat poverty and for debt swaps which remains some of the good ideas propagated by his late father. He assured that his father’s Philanthropication through Privatization work will be continued as the best way to keep his rich memory going for millions of poor people around the world.

Lester’s widow, Lynda, his brother, Aaron and associate Aaron Bornstein, Executive Director of CLEEN Foundation, Ruth and many other mourners took turns to give their tributes in honour of Professor Lester Salamon who died 20th August 2021.

The Late Dr. Lester Salamon was a Professor Emeritus at the Johns Hopkins University, Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Civil Society Studies, and Director of the Philanthropication thru Privatization Project at the East-West Management Institute. He previously served as Director of the Center for Governance and Management Research at the Urban Institute in Washington, D.C. and as Deputy Associate Director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget in the Executive Office of the President. Dr. Salamon pioneered the empirical study of the nonprofit sector in the United States and has extended this work to other parts of the world.

Author or editor of more than 20 books, his most recent include: Explaining Civil Society Development: A Social Origins Approach (2017); The Resilient Sector Revisited: The New Challenge to Nonprofit America (2015); The New Frontiers of Philanthropy: A Guide to the New Tools and Actors Reshaping Global Philanthropy and Social Investing (2014), Philanthropication thru Privatization: Building Permanent Endowments for the Common Good (2014); America’s Nonprofit Sector: A Primer, 3rd Ed. (2012); and The State of Nonprofit America, Vol. 2 (2012). Dr. Salamon received his B.A. degree in Economics and Policy Studies from Princeton University and his Ph.D. in Government from Harvard University.

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