Dr. Kole Shettima, the African Director of Macarthur Foundation, has commended the Management of the Progressive Impact Organisation for Community Development, PRIMORG, for putting grants from the Foundation into good use over the years.

Shettima made the remarks on Wednesday during an official visit to PRIMORG’s newly completed office building in Pyakasa, Lugbe, FCT, Abuja.

He expressed excitement that PRIMORG has been able to build its own office space, noting that the development means the 29 percent overhead cost from the Foundation’s grant has been well utilized, adding that owning an office building is “one of the most important things every organization needs.

According to him, PRIMOG would no longer worry about annual rent, which he said usually becomes a big problem for many organizations.

Shettima said- “Having your own space is a very good idea, and I am happy that you (PRIMORG) have been able to use the resources that you have to have your own space as well.

“I wanted to say thank you very much for the opportunity to leave what I was doing to come to this place.

“From my perspective, 29 percent of the overhead cost is to sustain the organization, to institutionalize the organization, and to make sure that the organization continues to thrive, giving all the challenges of fundraising and others. We are hoping that this is going to galvanize every one of you to continue to do the work you are doing.

“We are very happy and very excited about the work you are doing and the fact that you are in your own space.’

Responding, to the visit, PRIMORG’s Executive Director, Okhiria Agbonsuremi, thanked MacArthur Foundation for their unalloyed support to the organization for about five years and counting.

Agbonsuremi said that PRIMORG’s new office building was made possible by support from the Chicago-based Foundation while expressing the readiness of PRIMORG to continue to partner with the Foundation in the execution of more projects.

He praised Dr. Shettima and his colleagues at the MacArthur Foundation Africa Office for their support and assistance in ensuring PRIMORG met its objectives and deliverables.

“I am so happy that you (Shettima) found time to come because your schedule is very tight. It is the MacArthur Foundation funds that we have used. We are very excited and happy that within a short time, we were to get our own office complex

“We have internal joy that we have been able to apply the funds sustainably to promote our sustainability,

“It will help us work harder and move forward, and we will not be able to discount the support of the MacArthur Foundation and the Nigerian team in particular because we have had a lot of support from you.

“We are very excited that you are giving us all this support,” Agbonsuremi stated.

Agbonsuremi also praised the Chairman, PRIMORG’s Board of Directors, Prof. Chidi Odinkalu and other board members.

He commended Mr. Ayo Ogundele, one of the board members, for assisting the organization in facilitating the acquisition of the new office building located at Plot C017 and C018 Phase 2 Kanma Homes, off Pyakassa Road, Lugbe Abuja – Nigeria.

The organization was established in 2017 to among other mandates, promote good governance, accountability, participation and strengthening of the media through community and media engagements, training and collaboration.