By Fidelis David
The Wife of the Ondo State Governor, Mrs. Betty Anyanwu- Akeredolu, said that she is building an army of female technology leaders that would serve Nigeria and solve the country’s problems with her BEFORE initiative.
Anyanwu-Akeredolu, stated this weekend at the closing ceremony marking the end of the two weeks training of the BEMORE Summer Bootcamp, held at the Federal University of Technology, (FUTA) Akure, the state’s capital.
The First Lady, who distributed 368 laptops to ‘techy girls’ at the event, said it was indeed the beginning of a new life for the 368 girls whose lives have been reshaped and re- orientated to continue to change the narratives in their respective communities.
She said: “The BEMORE initiative started in 2017 with a 2-weeks intensive training for girls on ICT, renewable solar energy, skill acquisition and life skills among others.”
The wife of the governor noted that over 2,000 girls have benefited till date, said she was aware of gender imbalances in all strata noted that the greatest error has been unequal access of girls to quality education and upholding cultural norms that discriminate against women.
“Now we are wondering why insecurity is becoming more popular in Nigeria by the day; it’s simple! A country that allows proliferation of sexist family laws, unequal property rights, early marriage for girls, polygamy, son preference, violence against women and legal indulgence of it; such country is almost certain to experience violent instability. If indeed we are concerned about the prosperity and security of this country called Nigeria, we must begin to invest in our girls.
“I am building an army of female technology leaders to serve Nigeria and solve Nigerians problems.
“They will not become professionals for export, good only for sending back dollars to parents and relatives “tufiakwa”. We have instilled a sense of patriotism. They will become “a breed without greed” in words and deeds. They will use their talents, knowledge and skills to serve Nigeria not the Western world”, she reaffirmed just as she charged them charged to work so hard, believing in themselves to make her proud.
The Governor of Ondo State, Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN) appreciated the initiative and urged the girls to become change agents wherever they find themselves.
Akeredolu said that he would ensure that BEMORE gets a permanent camp in the state as a citizen driven initiative.
Dr. Ogbnnaya Onu, Minister of Science and Technology, represented by Yemi Gbadegesin in his remarks, assured of his readiness to partner BEMORE initiative through sustainability plan.
