Dr. Muhammadu Indimi is the founder of Mohammadu Indimi Foundation, a philanthropic organisation that is committed to fostering and supporting the development of education and indigenous technical skills as a fundamental pillar for long-term sustainable development.
His desire to invest actively in these sectors has given expression to his belief that by acting on the causes of education exclusion, opportunities will expand for youths to further their education and increase their roles and contributions in the economy.
Indimi’s philanthropic activities focus on investing in education, health and social welfare, housing and critical aids provision, rehabilitation works and empowerment. His company, Oriental Energy Resources and his foundation recently launched a N700-million residential estate of 100 units in Mbo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. It is a legacy project for the oil company’s host community. Part of the project includes a school, a clinic and a shopping centre powered by solar energy.
Since 2009, his company has awarded over 470 scholarships in Akwa Ibom State and created a sponsorship programme in the department of petroleum and chemical engineering of the University of Uyo. It has also trained and awarded start-up funds with starter packs to over 270 youths from the state from seven skill acquisition centres in Uyo, Oron, Eket and Enwang – all in Akwa Ibom State.
Through his company, Indimi has also trained up to 500 women in various skills, 200 of whom were awarded seed funding to start new business. His investment of about $2 million for the upgrade of laboratories and library in the department of chemical and petroleum engineering of the University of Uyo helped to secure the department’s full accreditation by the National Universities Commission and the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria.
Oriental Energy Resources is working with other operators to create a sustained sponsorship for the department that would make it one of the top 10 departments of chemical and petroleum engineering in the world.
The company constructed three science laboratories for physics, chemistry and biology for secondary schools in Ebughu, Akwa Ibom State. It also constructed 14 en-suite rooms with teachers’ quarters to encourage retention of teachers in Effiat host community as well as a health centre and doctor’s quarters.
Indimi’s Oriental Energy Resources invested over $5.6 million in social investment projects in 2010 that impacted over 11,000 persons. It empowered over 50 fishermen in Mbo with complete fishing gears of five fibre boats, fishing nets and sundry items. In his home state of Borno, Indimi’s foundation has provided food, machines and clothing to internally displaced persons’ camp, 100 units of 3-room houses in a housing estate built at a cost of N600 million.
The estate is equipped with five blocks of classrooms, a fully-equipped health centre, an open-shed market to revive commercial activities among the inhabitants, sport facilities for the children and an incinerator. Since the inception of the foundation, thousands of internally displaced persons and their families have benefitted from these initiatives.
His foundation is replicating the 100-unit village in Ngala local government area, another community in Borno state that suffered some of the most devastating attacks by insurgents. Indimi is betting not to spare any resource in the effort to restore hope and lay the foundation for healing. “Through our modest activities and initiatives, we hope to contribute to the alleviation of poverty in our communities and unlock northern Nigeria’s potential”, he said.
The foundation runs an annual scholarship fund it started in 2015, which has already facilitated the admission of students from Borno State into the International University of Africa, Sudan on full scholarships. The scholarships are awarded to students in need of bridging funding gaps in furthering their education.
The scholarship scheme is meant to ensure that people committed to furthering their education and making valuable contributions to society are not deterred by lack of finance. It covers all academic fees, accommodation as well as sustenance for all recipients.
The imprints of Indimi’s foundation have also been registered outside Nigeria. The foundation sponsored the international business centre in the University of Lynn, Florida, USA. It is an eco-friendly, LEED-certified building with lots of space for lectures, conferences and meetings. The centre hosts several events for the College of Business and Management, including as many as 20 events each year for the CEO Speaker Series.
