Women who want to break boundaries must be ethical —Rear Admiral Itunu Hotonu

Women In Successful Career (WISCAR), a non profit organisation that is focused on empowering and developing professional women to contribute to the development and growth in Nigeria in particular and Africa at large recently organised its Annual Mentoring  and Leadership Event with the Theme: Women Rising : Transforming Leadership at The Ace Olivia Hall, City Mall,Onikan, Lagos.

The  event had in attendance prominent Nigerian women and men from all walks of life who have excelled in their field of endeavour such as the founder of WISCAR, Mrs Aminat Oyabola,  who was  until last week, the Human Resources Executive of MTN, WISCAR Advisory Board Member and husband of the founder, Adebayo Adegbola  Maryam Uwais, first African Naval Officer to get to the rank of a rear admiral, Rear Admiral Itunu Kotonu ( rtd), Lagos State Deputy Governor,  Dr Idiat Oluranti Adebule, Managing Partner Biola Alabi Media, Mrs Biola Alabi, Managing Director, Lotus Capital Limited, Hajara Adeola, Chief  Executive Officer(CEO) Terraculture, Mrs Bolanle Austen-Peters, Chief Executive Officer of  IO Furniture,Muni Shonibare; CEO MainOne Cable,  Funke Opeke, Managing Director, Sesema PR,Tampiri Irimagha-Akemu and  a host  of others.

Some of these women achievers shared with young professionals as well as students of university of Lagos who were present at the occasion their journey to the top of the careers.  According to the founder of WISCAR, the programme is to motivate and empower young people to get the desired result. “Women are under-represented in the political arena. We are looking forward to the time when we will have female governors and even a female president in Nigeria”

The Win with WISCAR mentoring programme is a structured mentoring programme that provides strategic career advice, inspiration, guidance and support to young career women to help unleash their potential, navigates career pathways, achieve their objectives, foster ambitions and nurture dreams. The programme is free as the cost is from donors.

It is a twelve months programme that provides interface between mentors and mentees. It includes career seminar, one on one mentoring and so on.

The deputy governor of Lagos State, Dr Idiat Adebule lauded the WISCAR Advisory board for the initiative which she said is impacting lives. It is a veritable platform for empowering young people.  My advice to the participants of the WIN Mentoring Training is that they should get the best out of the programme.

The Keynote Speaker, Rear Adimral Itunu Hotonu (rtd) said “it was my father; a father of four beautiful daughters encouraged me to study the course of my choice, Architecture. I chose that course because my best subjects were mathematics and Fine Art.

“Someone once said “I can’t be in a class with a woman.” That statement encouraged me to give it my best shot. If you want to stay in the sun, you must be ready to put on sun glasses. If someone tells you, you are putting in more time, don’t listen. Just keep going. Get to the point where nobody can intimidate you. It will be scary sometimes but keep going.

“All through my career, I was in a room full of men. I was told I should be in the kitchen but I told them I was employed to build houses and not to cook or serve food. Nobody ever asked me to cook after that. They say you cannot disobey in the military, you can but you have to be smart about it.

“Äs a woman, you have to work hard, there is no free dinner. I got to where I am through dint of hard work. I was bullied, vilified and posted to rural area but I didn’t allow that to discourage me. I kept making sure I did what needed to be done before everybody, said the first female officer to command a squadron at the passing out parade of Naval College, ONNE and the first female officer recommended as directing staff of Armed Forces Command and Staff College.

“When you are a woman and you want to break the ceiling glass, you must be ethical in all your dealings, “she submits.

Speaking on how she was able to successfully combine her home front and her career, she declared, “I am the first rear admiral today because my husband let me be. As for my children, I told them that if I am a success, they are a success today. Today one of them too is an architect,” she said.

On her own part, Bolanle Austen Peters, a lawyer turned art promoter said she started Terraculture because she wanted her children to speak Yoruba and also because I saw that there was a gap in the society for promoting Arts and I decided to fill it.

The year 22016 Mentees graduates many of whom were promoted at their places of work during the one year training were charged to go out and mentor other young career women. The 2017 WISCAR Mentees were also presented at the event.

The highlight of the event was the 2016 Distinguished WISCAR Award which was presented to Rear Admiral Itunu Hotonu rtd.