NTIC Foundation: Touching lives in Nigeria


Date posted: February 18, 2016

BY JOSHUA OCHEJA /NIGERIA

Foreign capital typically finds its place among the most promising market indicators, as transnational investors constantly seek maximum returns on their investments. But for the First Surat Group Company, it is obviously not all about the bottom line.

The First Surat Group is the parent organisation of the Nigerian Turkish International Colleges (NTIC). These institutions have been operating in Nigeria for almost two decades. For those who have heard of the famous Turkish schools, this piece of history is hardly news item. What would however surprise most people is that Turkish International Schools is heavily involved in social projects that cater exclusively to the less privileged with absolutely zero profit consideration. I for one was genuinely surprised to hear for the first time that this seemingly elitist institution has a soft side that reads more like full-time welfare project.

With ongoing social intervention projects in health, education, water and sanitation, orphanages, even religious events, one might begin to imagine that the social services, and not its consortium, were its core concern. For its social programmes, NTIC has set up the Nigerian Turkish International Colleges Foundation (NTICF) which caters for a myriad of needs and social deprivations in the society.

The project revolve around initiatives designed to heal the sick, feed the hungry, provide succour for the fatherless and the motherless, protect entire communities against preventable diseases provide nutritional support for destitute households among others. Obviously aware or the yawning gap in health care services in the country particularly for the less privileged, the NTICF has embarked on free medical services, providing world class medical screening, treatment and even surgeries to those who can least afford it.

This initiative included about 100 indigent beneficiaries whose eyesight has been restored through it cataract removal programme in collaboration with the prestigious Turkish Nizamye Hospital. Ten times more beneficiaries are being targeted. But the focus is not just on diagnostic or curative medicine. Prevention also forms its health programme.

The Foundation’s clean water project across the country aims to protect millions of children who are especially vulnerable to the more than 30 waterborne diseases which afflicts populations in the developing world. The World Health Organisation estimates that about 4 million people die from waterborne diseases every year. On its motivation for the clean water project, Fetullah Celik, the director off the NTIC foundation says “We realised that about 50% of Nigerians do not have access to portable water. As a CSR strategy we plan to construct 100 boreholes every year across the country”.

The Foundation’s orphanage project is not just about the customary visitation with one-off donation of relief items. The foundation, apart from renovating orphanages to make them conducive enough to serve as ‘substitute home’s for the kids; it also has a long term programme of scholarship, health and recreational support for the orphans.

Remarkably, its education support programme for the general population include not only scholarships to thousands of indigent Nigerian youths, but it is doing so by putting its world class educational facilities at the disposal of those who would ordinarily not stand a chance at affording the Nigerian Turkish International Colleges. The philosophy behind this project is what really captures its significance. According to Mr. Celik, the “ultimate goal is to raise or nurture a golden generation of Nigerians”.

Not content with giving opportunity to the less-privileged through its own facilities, the foundation has extended its intervention to cover other beneficiaries who cannot practically be accommodated in its own educational facilities. In this regard, NTICF provides supports to tens of thousands of Nigerians in public schools through the supply of classroom facilities as well as study materials for individual students.

In its commitment to the social change philosophy, there appear to be no boundaries. NTICF’s nutritional support programme has distributed food including meat and dairy products, which are normally beyond the reach of the poor, to hundreds of thousands of the needy every year. The Foundation says its desire is that this endeavour “will continue forever”.

It would be stating the very obvious to say that these initiatives are part of NTICF’s Corporate Social Responsibility programme. “Part of the idea behind establishing the foundation is giving back to the society”, says Mr. Celik. But it would seem, from the complexion of its core business interests, that human services are its primary rather than a CSR concern. The First Surat Group for instance has its corporate interests concentrated in the human serverie’ sector – the NTIC, the Nile University, the Nizamiye Hospital, etc.

The NTIC Foundation seemed to have imbibed the classic welfarist philosophy -‘from everyone according to his ability and to everyone according to his needs ‘.

But whether or not the NTIC in particular or the Surat Group in general formally adopts welfarism as it guiding philosophy, it is clear from its social agenda that for the group, Nigeria, its host country, is not just a market; it is a community.

Source: The Cable , February 18, 2016


Related News

Turkish schools and businessmen mobilized for Izmir’s EXPO candidacy

The Turkish schools around the globe have been making great effort for Izmir’s EXPO 2020 win. The schools and businessmen have taken action so that Bureau of International Expositions committee opts for Turkey in the voting to take place in Paris on November 27th. “What is lost with Olympics can be made up for in EXPO,” Fethullah Gulen had earlier said.

Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen offers condolences for Tahir Elçi, slain police officers

Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen has offered his condolences in the death of lawyer Tahir Elçi, who was the president of the Diyarbakır Bar Association, and the two police officers who were killed in a shootout in the southeastern province of Sur, which erupted as Elçi was making a statement to the press on Saturday.

The Peace Islands Institute of New Jersey Awards Recognize Excellence

The Peace Islands Institute of New Jersey held their annual awards dinner to recognize the accomplishments of 6 remarkable individuals in different walks of life.

Ankara’s soft-power dilemma

Turkey’s major assets in terms of successful diplomacy and soft-power policy included Turkish schools opened by the Hizmet movement all around the world; the International Turkish Language Olympiads organized by the same group; business associations within and outside the borders of Turkey; intercultural and interfaith dialogue societies; foreign language publications of Turkish society; Turkish hospitals in several countries; and Turkish international humanitarian aid organizations.

Former CHP Chairman Baykal supports joint mosque-cemevi project

Deniz Baykal, the former leader of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), has expressed his support and appreciation for the first joint mosque-cemevi project.“I see this progress as a starting point for the cemevi [Alevi house of worship] to become officially recognized by the state,” Baykal said to the press in İzmir. He explained that the […]

Turkish schools helped start trade with Turkiye

ARİFE KABİL, KENAN MEHMETZADE – İSTANBUL John Dramani Mahama, the President of Ghana, spoke in Istanbul at the Turkiye-Ghana Business and Investment Forum, which was organized by TUSKON- The Confederation of Turkish Industrialists and Entrepreneurs. He said that Turkish schools provided with qualified employees in his country. Mr. Mahama invited Turkish entrepreneurs to do more investment and open more […]

Latest News

Fethullah Gulen – man of education, peace and dialogue – passes away

Fethullah Gülen’s Condolence Message for South African Human Rights Defender Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Hizmet Movement Declares Core Values with Unified Voice

Ankara systematically tortures supporters of Gülen movement, Kurds, Turkey Tribunal rapporteurs say

Erdogan possessed by Pharaoh, Herod, Hitler spirits?

Devious Use of International Organizations to Persecute Dissidents Abroad: The Erdogan Case

A “Controlled Coup”: Erdogan’s Contribution to the Autocrats’ Playbook

Why is Turkey’s Erdogan persecuting the Gulen movement?

Purge-victim man sent back to prison over Gulen links despite stage 4 cancer diagnosis

In Case You Missed It

MİT to monitor all religious groups as potential parts of parallel state

Fethullah Gülen’s teachings discussed at conference in Algeria

Arrested Turkish TV chief writes an open letter from his jail cell

Fethullah Gulen: Erdogan is not Fit to be President

Analysis: Power of Turkey’s Fethullah Gulen

Police waiting at hospital to detain İzmir woman after childbirth

Turkish charity calls for increased aid to Gaza

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News