Canuk's 2024 gala dinner to hold at Mayfair Banqueting Suite in Chadwell Heath on December 14

DIASPORA umbrella body the Central Association of Nigerians in the UK (Canuk) will hold its 2024 end-of-year annual gala dinner at the Mayfair Banqueting Suite in Chadwell Heath on December 14.

Every year, Canuk holds a glitzy gala dinner in December, which attracts the cream of the Nigerian community in the UK. Among the special guests who are expected to attend this year's event are the high commissioner to the UK and the chair of the Nigeria Diaspora Commission, Hon Abike Dabiri-Erewa.

To be sponsored by the likes of Providus Bank, Tropical Sun, Cruxstone, OIS, Air Peace, Admiralty Homes, Obaseki Solicitors, African Business Consulting, Ades Supermarket and Kato Enterprises, the event will start at 7pm and go on until 1am in the morning. Organised as a high-end bash, the event, which will hold at the 500-capacity venue in Chadwell Heath in Essex, will kick off with a red carpet reception at 6.30pm and will involve a three course dinner, music, live entertainment, cultural displays, a raffle draw and plenty of dancing.

Among the cultural displays being planned for the night include Eyo masquerades, Atilogwu displays and the Tiv Swange dance. Canuk is also planning to use the occasion to introduce other innovations like the handing out a set of awards to the best performing associations to be known as the Christopher Kolade Awards.

Among the services that may also be provided on the day include National Identity Numbers (NIN) and Bank Verification Numbers (BVN) registration, the opening of Nigerian bank accounts, the provision of diaspora mortgages and the issuance of a Canuk-embossed debit card. Providus Bank's diaspora affairs manager Toyin Adepoju will be flying in from Lagos to personally supervise the programme.

Canuk chairman, Ayo Akinfe, said: "We decided to go for Mayfair Banqueting Suite because it is one of the few venues that can take 500 people seated in dinner format and it also has a massive foyer, where all our sponsors can display their wares. As part of this commitment to service, we are also using our gala night as an opportunity to offer a variety of packages to UK diasporans like NIN, BVN, bank accounts and debit cards.

"To encourage our member associations in the work they do, we are also looking to organise an awards ceremony named after the former high commissioner who founded Canuk.  We are hoping to get a full house with all our member organisations booking tables of 10 on the night."

Ms Adepoju added: "We have established a good working relationship with Canuk that has seen us sponsor several of their recent events. As part of our diaspora strategy, we want to see every Nigerian in the UK open a bank account with us, so will be using this gala dinner to push that agenda.

"Canuk has about 150 member organisations and are expecting at least 500 guests on the night, so our plan is to get every single person in the hall to open a Providus Bank account. We will be on hand to issue Canuk-embossed debit cards and will be happy to discuss mortgages with anyone who is interested."

On the night, Canuk will also use the occasion to hand out welcome certificates to  new member associations who have just been admitted into its fold. As part of its growth plans, Canuk is hoping to get 200 member-organisations registered by the time of its next annual general meeting in June 2025.

Toyin Balogun, Canuk's social secretary added: "December 14 will be a night of fun, entertainment and merriment but it will also be a time to build on what we are doing in Canuk.  What makes this event unique is that all our member associations from all different parts of the country will be booking tables and bringing their members to London for the day."

Victor Aleva, the Canuk financial secretary, urged everyone who wants to purchase tickets to do so by paying directly into the Canuk bank account. He added that they should do this pay making payments into the association's Lloyds Bank account with the sort code of 301553 and account number 00224400.