Ondo women, girls benefit from empowerment scheme

It was all pomp when the wife of the Ondo State governor, Mrs. Betty Akeredolu, rolled out drums and hosted women across the state at the International Events Centre,  The Dome,  in Akure,  Ondo State capital, to mark the second anniversary of the Forum for Wives of Ondo State Official (FOWOSO) summit  which was inaugurated some two years ago.

For the past two years, Mrs. Akeredolu has dedicated her time, energy and resources to creating awareness, supporting and promoting the girl-child education and empowering womenfolk in the state, and this has opened many doors of opportunities for the female gender in the state.

Apart from this, Mrs Akeredolu has been at the forefront of the campaign against rape, discrimination and violence against women, while giving constant orientation to women on cancer treatment, especially breast cancer, which earned her the nickname, Mama Brecan, through her non-governmental organisation established to create more awareness on breast cancer.

Speaking during the second anniversary of FOWOSO, with the theme ‘Prioritising Women’s Health and Wellbeing in Nigeria’ the former deputy governor of Ekiti State  and chairman of the occasion, Professor Mrs. Modupe Adelabu, said the theme was apt, noting that there is a need to focus on with women and health.

According to her,  women’s health should always be given priority and women should be accorded the greatest respect as they nurture and take care of the homes”

The former deputy governor stressed the need for every government to work towards reducing maternal mortality rate by providing quality healthcare.

She said, “The health of every woman should be seen as part of her right and most importantly the girl-child should be empowered with education while their voice must be heard. Give them good education and free access to good health and support women through empowerment, and I can assure you that the world will be a better place.”

Adelabu commended the Ondo State First Lady for the initiative and said the programme would go a long way to drive women empowerment and self-actualisation in Ondo State.

In her keynote address, Mrs Akeredolu advocated for increased investment in girl-child education while barriers to women participation in economic activities should be dismantled. She said women should no longer be restricted to the kitchen.

“Let me make it emphatically clear today: It is to no one’s benefit to suppress the abilities of women by denying them quality education, marrying them off against their will and silencing them when they want to speak.

“The statistics are clear. Nations that have risen to become world economic giants today are nations that invested significantly in their human resource, them females and males alike, without bias.

“Our greatest error as a nation has been and continues to be denying the womenfolk equal right to socio-economic privileges by upholding cultural norms and traditions that discriminate against them,” Mrs Akeredola said.

Speaking on the theme of the summit, Mrs Akeredolu stressed the need to give priority to women’s health, especially pregnant women and nursing mothers.

In his remark, the state governor, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, described the FOWOSO initiative introduced by his wife as phenomenal, which, had been able to touch the lives of every woman across the 18 local government areas in the state.

The governor said the initiative is focused in the right direction and geared towards empowering and sustaining womanhood in the state through various trainings. She stressed the need to give special attention to women in the state.

Some of the members of the group across the 18 local government areas of the state affirmed that the FOWOSO initiative

Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune,  Mrs Ikeoluwa Suleiman, from Akoko North West Local government Area, said the effort of Mrs. Akeredolu to improve girl-child education is commendable.

Suleiman said the foundation had been providing learning materials such as books, school bags and laptops to female students in the state.

She commended Mrs Akeredolu over her drive against rape and child abuse. She said “this woman has helped to break the gender barriers and giving the female gender the confidence.

Also speaking,  Mrs. Oluwatoyin Adegbenro  said Mrs. Akeredolu had been assisting people through her pet project, and that the first lady’s “astuteness, conduct, simplicity and charm are already an everlasting print in the mind of those, she has been assisting through her pet project.

The summit created empowerment and value reorientation, with participants going home with fresh ideas that will make lasting impact.

The event featured breast cancer awareness, and crawlers race competition, march past, cooking and dancing competitions as well as raffle draw where lucky winners went home with fascinating packages.