News
Plight of girl child brought to the fore as Alake calls for her empowerment.
CALLING them endangered specie one may not be utterly wrong, given that violence, sexual abuse, early marriage, low access to education, gender discrimination, burden of house work and a host of others are travails mostly associated with the girl child and rural women.
Little wonder that the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG5) makes gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls as its focal point.
Typically,many Civil Society Organizations(CLOs),nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and others had, in the past,been in the vanguard of making cases for them ,lamenting and calling attention of government to the pains and plight.
Rather than joining this league ,watching helplessly and lamenting,an NGO is taking a bold step to change the narrative.
Accentuating the SDG 5, Global Initiative for Entrepreneurial and Capacity Development(GIECD), the NGO wing of International Centre for Leadership and Entrepreneurial Development (ICLED), teamed up with Girl Rising Foundation of New York to raise voices for the Girl Child by organizing a conference aimed at economically empowering and consequently liberating them from the shackles of poverty.
Prof. Familoni and some of the participants.
ICLED, a USA/Nigerian-based organization, has been in the centre of educating people on entrepreneurship and leadership in Nigeria.
The conference which centred on education and empowering the girl child and rural women,titled: “The Unheard Voices”, was held at the historic Centenary Hall, Ake,Abeokuta,the Ogun State capital .
Speaking at the conference,the chairman of the occasion,the Alake of Egbaland and paramount ruler of Egba kingdom,Oba Adedotun Gbadebo,stressed that empowerment of the girl child and rural women was paramount .
Represented by Chief Layi Labode,the Aare Baaroyin of Egbaland, Oba Gbadebo maintained that the girl child was very vital in an economy.
The traditional leader pointed out that if the girl child went to school and acquired skills, she would be useful to the community and the country. Saying,”It is not when you have factories you have economic growth”.
Emphasizing the need to invest in the girl child,the royal father said,
“training a girl child ,you’re training a nation”.
Stressing that production of some local produce such as Shea butter,coconut oil and others could rescue the girl child from poverty.
Oba Gbadebo lamented the plight of the girl child,saying she would be the last to take her birth and went to school late. Adding that:”The girl child takes care of the parents”.
The paramount leader lauded ICLED’s efforts,underscoring that it was an intervention to save the girl child and the councils involved from destruction.
He urged leaders in the local government councils to support ICLED’s NGO in its bid to save the girl child and rural women.
Stating that he would be happy if local councils could cooperate with the NGO to emancipate the girl child.
He said:”The NGO ( GIECD) is not only giving them fishes but teaching them how to catch to fishes.This is an opportunity for you. It is a veritable means of economic emancipation of our girls”.
In a goodwill message ,the Daranijo of Egbaland,Chief Lawrence Bankole,stressed the need for the youths to embrace vocational work,noting that white collar jobs are not available.
Delivering a keynote address, the Founder and Chairman of ICLED, Professor Olajumoke Familoni said around the world,girls face barriers to education which boys do not.
The university teacher however opined that educating girls could break the barriers of poverty
Speaking on the essence of the skills acquisition conference, the professor of Entrepreneurship and Strategy, emphasized that the participants would use the skills to add value to themselves, the community and the national economy at large.
Highlighting some produce such palm oil and others which the participants acquired training on,the Business Management lecturer said:”We don’t have to be poor in Nigeria”.
The academic who had been a manufacturer for two decades in the United States of America unequivocally said the project would be a revolution that would change the participants’ and the nation’s fortunes for good. “We are going to start something here,a revolution”, the entrepreneurship teacher reiterated .
In a remark, a digital entrepreneur, Mr. Olusoji Ajao,charged the participants on the need to embrace social media platforms with a view to networking their businesses. Saying both digital and traditional marketing channels should be used for networking and creating awareness for their products.
Eventually, the participants were split into four groups comprising cocoa,cassava,palm oil and maize categories depending on their distinct interests.
The participants, who were drawn from various local government councils and local government development areas including Obafemi-Owode, Ota, Opeji, Ofada/Mokoloke, Odeda, Ifesowapo, Abeokuta South, Abeokuta South West and Abeokuta South East, lauded the organizer, ICLED NGO.
Some of the participants who spoke to journalists expressed high expectations from the conference and training. One of them ,Mr.Olaloye Damilola,who is a cassava farmer said the training would add value to his business and subsequently improve his farm yields. Another participant,Comrade Omotosho Abiodun,a teacher,who is a cassava farmer remarked that the training would improve his life.
Similarly, Mrs.Nowoola Olabisi who is in to cocoa production said she expected that the seminar would improve her businesses and increase her earnings and the standard of living.
On her part,Mrs. Shittu Olukemi ,the Ogun State Trainer of the Nigeria Girls’ Guide Association,who led some members of the Guide to the event said the training would give a lot of opportunities to the girl child to be useful to herself and the society. Adding that the girl child would not fall victim of teenage pregnancy.
In the same vein,a Political Science graduate who is a participant,Miss Sekinat Musa,stressed that the training would enable her to be financially independent.
The most strategic segment of the programme is the unveiling of plan with different products and discussion on implementation of strategies which was anchored by an ace broadcaster,Mrs. Olaitan Bakare of Sweet FM, Abeokuta.
The headquarters of Heritage Bank at Victoria Island, Lagos, was besieged on Thursday by members of the labour union, protesting the recent dismissal of 1,000 support workers.
The National President of the National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees, Comrade Anthony Abakpa, led the demonstration, condemning the bank’s management for what he deemed a lack of adherence to due process in the termination of employment contracts.
Speaking during the protest, Comrade Abakpa asserted that the leadership of Heritage Bank failed to follow established protocols before executing the mass layoffs.
He emphasised the union’s commitment to pursuing justice for the affected workers, vowing to escalate their demands until the bank’s management rectifies the situation.
“We will intensify our demands for justice,” declared Comrade Abakpa, urging the bank’s management to take corrective action to address the grievances of the dismissed workers.
The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Olayemi Cardoso, clarified that Nigeria is not utilising its foreign reserves to bolster the naira, despite recent fluctuations in reserve levels.
Speaking from Washington DC, where he is attending the International Monetary Fund-World Bank Spring Meetings, Cardoso highlighted the influx of $600 million into Nigeria’s reserves account within the past two days.
While the naira has experienced a notable appreciation against the dollar in recent weeks, climbing over 40% from approximately N1,900/$ to about N1,000/$1, Nigeria’s foreign reserves have been dwindling. As of April 15, reserves dropped to approximately $32.29 billion, marking the lowest level in over six years.
Cardoso emphasised that the shifts in reserves are typical for any country, where various financial obligations, such as debt repayments, necessitate withdrawals.
He stated, “What you’ve seen with respect to the shift in our reserves is normal in any country’s reserves where, for example, debts are due and certain payments need to be made. They are made because that is also part of keeping your credibility.”
Continuing, Cardoso underscored the dynamic nature of the market, advocating for a system driven by willing buyers, willing sellers, and price discovery.
He emphasised, “The shift in our reserves has really little or nothing to do with defending the naira, and that is certainly not our objective.”
Dangote Petroleum Refinery has made headlines by announcing a further reduction in the price of diesel, dropping it from ₦1200 to ₦1000 naira per litre.
The refinery’s decision comes on the heels of its recent supply at a significantly reduced price of ₦1200 per litre, which was introduced three weeks ago, signifying a remarkable 30 per cent decrease from the previous market price of approximately ₦1600 per litre.
This substantial reduction in diesel prices at Dangote Petroleum Refinery is expected to reiterate positively throughout various sectors of the economy, potentially serving as a catalyst in alleviating the persistently high inflation rate in the country.
In a statement last week, Aliko Dangote, Africa’s wealthiest individual and the owner of the refinery, expressed his optimism regarding the potential impact of the price reduction on inflation in Nigeria.
“I believe that we are on the right track. I believe Nigerians have been patient, and I also believe that a lot of goodies will now come through. There’s quite a lot of improvement because if you look at it, one of the major issues that we’ve had was the naira devaluation that has gone very aggressively up to about ₦1900,” he remarked.
As anticipation builds around the implications of this move by Dangote Petroleum Refinery, stakeholders and consumers alike remain hopeful for the positive effects it could bring to the Nigerian economy in the coming months.
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