Soyuznikis Exec Profiles
Position:Welfare Secretary
Ebenezer Y. Hundeyin M.Sc, FCII (Fellow of the Chartered Insurance Institute)
I left Nigeria in August 1979 to study Agriculture in the former USSR.I completed my Russian language training at the Belorussian Agricultural Institute Gorki, Belorussia in 1980 and was admitted to the Dokuchaev Agricultural institute, Kharkov, Ukraine from where I obtained my Master of Science degree (MSc) in Agrochemistry in 1985.
I did my National Youth Service (NYSC) at the NYSC headquarters, Suru Lere, Lagos, Nigeria in 1985 and later joined the Lagos State Graduate Farmers’ Scheme from 1986 to 1988.
I relocated to the UK in 1988 to pursue a career in Insurance. Gained the Associateship ( ACII ) in 1991 and the Fellowship ( FCII ) in 1994. Worked for Keywest Insurance Brokers from 1990 to 1995 and started my Insurance Broking Firm in March 1995, a business which is still thriving. EYH insurance Consultants is based in Hackney, London and is authorised & regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
Slogan – Keep it simple
People change and forget to tell each other (Lillian Hellman)
Learning Never Stops
If It Does, Life Would Be Worthless
Our Objective
- Support and encourage current members as and when the need arises fairly and honestly
- Grow our membership by reaching out through formal and informal social gatherings
- Extend charitable assistance to the needy and wanting
- Promote and maintain friendship, members and other colleagues who are non members of Soyuznikis-UK
- Promote the group locally and worldwide
Soyuznikis-UK is a union for Nigerians who have studied in the former Union of Soviets Socialist Republic (USSR). Soyuznikis comes from the Russian word ‘Soyuz’ meaning union. The association was founded in the summer of 2007 during the wedding ceremony of a colleague in London, the idea came about to form an umbrella organisation to bring together and embrace in friendship as it existed amongst us during our stay in the USSR was agreed.
Soyuznikis-UK is a secular and non political organisation. Membership to the group is not dependent on creed, origin, gender or sexuality. We endeavour to be a progressive organisation that will make meaningful contributions to the communities that gave us the opportunity to learn – USSR, the one that now host us - United Kingdom and most especially our nation – Nigeria. The deeds and acts of Soyuznikis-UK are guided by its constitution.
Our general meetings are held on the last Saturday of every month excluding December, when we normally hold our End of Year Party. Ideally, we as a group encourage our friends and familities to join us on our social events as a way of fostering our interpersonal relationships.
Unity Is Strength
Since inception, the association has been lead by the following persons as President. They have made efforts to foster growth and unity among members.
They are:- Mr. Paul Eboh 2007 to 2009
- Dr. Ralph Eke 2009 to 2011
- Pastor Chioma Ejiofor 2011 to 2012
- Mr. Ebenezer Hundeyin 2012 to 2019
- Mr. Olushina Alaka 2019 to date
Cancel Culture - Very Divisive
The most dangerous of all falsehoods is a slightly distorted truth. The danger of instant judgements and monolithic narratives are all too prevalent in these deliberations. Where you will find cold-blooded grasping; massive sense of entitlement; an inability to show gratitude; an unrealistic expectation of puritanism from others; and a passionate performance of virtue that is well executed in the public space ( social media) but not in the intimate space of co-habitation and friendship.
These are very trying times. Technology as recent as couple of years ago was supposed to bring us all closer - remember the global village?. The emergence of an old doctrine - critical race theory the epitome of this dramatic change in attitude towards anyone with a different point of view has put paid to that paradigm. These contrive and concerted attack on one race as being the source of the biblical original sin is trivial and false period.
We insulate ourselves in ideological bubbles of similar-thinking people and refuse to countenance or even engage with the truth. We now seems to be building echo chambers with titanium and carbon fibre cladding just to make sure we do not see or hear anything different. If these cancel culture mentality is being adopted to the pandemic, may be herd immunity would have been achieved by now. We have become communities in a dislocated social fabric that is fracturing at an astonishing rate. If we do not amend this fast, rupture seems to be the only ramification.