Message from Our Founder
I am Gbenga Ogunjimi, founder of the Nigerian Center Inc.
When I came to America several years ago, it was through a US State Department sponsored program. That program afforded me resources and tools to help make my transition into the country smooth and pain-free. Despite the resources provided to me, I eventually discovered firsthand how difficult it can be to excel in a new country.
I specifically founded the Nigerian Center in response to two peculiar needs in the Nigerian American community that I discovered during my time here:
The need for financial inclusion for Nigerian immigrants and,
The need to connect the Nigerian American diaspora to its Nigerian heritage and culture.
Across the country and around the world, immigrant community centers have been a proven strategy for financial inclusion for newly migrated individuals. These centers provide new arrivals with the language and actions necessary to:
Navigate the systemic complexities of their new country,
Acquire the necessary tools for success, and
Ultimately accelerate their path towards citizenship.
The noble privileges of becoming a US citizen, voting for the first time, or even running for public office are all extremely rewarding, yet no easy feat. Cultural centers make achieving these accomplishments more palatable as they are the infrastructure that undergirds an immigrant’s journey towards self-sufficiency while becoming a contributing member of society. Without this infrastructure, living in a new land can be unnecessarily difficult as years invested in understanding the country could instead be directed towards making their American dream a reality. The Nigerian Center plans to reduce these barriers to access for members of the Nigerian American community.
To start we have identified three major asset-building areas to begin our work in the nation’s capital with a plan to scale to other parts of the country as well. These areas are:
Immigration,
Homeownership, and
Access to entrepreneurial capital.
Language access is another key program we are focusing on and plan to incorporate soon. This is one way the African diaspora will learn about their Nigerian heritage while connecting them to the current Nigerian American culture in the United States.
I know this is just the beginning of what we will do for our culture here in America and I pray you will join me on this journey.
Looking forward to collaborating with you soon.
Gbenga Ogunjimi
Nigerian Center, Founder
