Project One Leadership Club launches alumni community for 1,200 former students

By Boye Oyeyemi

Ondo-born legal practitioner, and founder of Project One Leadership Club, Abisayo Busari-Akinnadeju has inaugurated an alumni community for more than 1,200 young Nigerians who have passed through the organisation’s leadership and educational support programme.

The initiative, according to the organisation, is designed to keep former students connected while providing opportunities for mentorship, collaboration, community service and continued leadership development beyond secondary school.

The inaugural gathering brought together former students, mentors and other participants of the programme. The event also highlighted the long-term impact of the initiative, with one of the alumni now in Part 3 of a university programme and expected to graduate in 2027.

Speaking on the initiative, Busari-Akinnadeju said the alumni network was created to ensure that beneficiaries remained connected to the values and opportunities provided by the programme.

“We do not want our students to simply pass through Project One and disappear after secondary school. We want to build a community of young people who remain connected, continue to learn, serve their communities and eventually become leaders who contribute meaningfully to Nigeria,” she said.

She added that Project One planned to expand its activities to schools across the country in 2027, with proposed programmes in Ondo, Rivers, Borno and other states. The expansion, she said, would strengthen the network of young Nigerians exposed to leadership, civic responsibility and community service.

The organisation said its broader vision was to introduce leadership and responsible citizenship to young people early, arguing that they should be given opportunities to practise responsibility in schools and communities before assuming positions of authority as adults.

Project One Leadership Club has graduated more than 1,200 students, while about 400 others are currently participating in the programme, records reveal. Beneficiaries receive scholarships, school uniforms, books and other educational support, alongside leadership training and opportunities to undertake community projects.