……Olusola Oke, Bode Olajumoke hail First Lady’s initiative
The Founder of the BeMore Empowered Initiative and First Lady of Ondo State, Chief Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, has declared that the girls who are being trained at the annual BeMore summer bootcamp, would evolve into confident and competent women that womanhood needed to rewrite its story.
She said this during the opening ceremony of 2022 BeMore Summer Bootcamp at Mabest Academy, Oke-Ijebu Akure, where over 350 girls are camped for two weeks training in ICT, Solar technology and other life-enhancing skills.
According to her, the initiative which started five years ago, with the aim of bridging gender parity in Science, Technology, Mathematics and Entrepreneurship, had met expectations, citing some ambassadors of the program who are excelling and making profits with the skills they acquired at the camp.
Her words: ” In the last five years, I have treasured this moment and its bounty harvests. Of the five, we have given to the world four sterling sets of female champions in the trending fields of endeavor through a well structured and impactful curriculum of the BeMore Summer bootcamp.
“We have equally groomed them as a ‘Special breed without greed’. Today re-presents that unique opportunity to prepare and present to the world another batch of problem solvers that the world direly needs to be saner and safer”.
Using herself as a living testimony of her parents’ conviction that female education is not a waste, the Ondo First Lady, noted that the initiative had raised over 2000 girls to climb the social ladder.
She averred that, the initiative had not only covered incredible mileage, it had also become more inclusive, as girls with hearing impaired were enlisted in this year’s edition.
According to her, Bemore has continued to increase by leaps and bounds, with the readiness of some agencies like NDLEA, NSCDC, to partner the initiative.
“To say that Bemore is fast covering more grounds and winning more enthusiasts by the day is to state the obvious. Interestingly, every Ondo household now wants to be more! Even erstwhile critics have become crusaders who now campaign for its wider reach and sustainability”. She said.
She, however, announced that the groundbreaking ceremony for Bemore permanent site would hold on August 28 at Emure-Ile in Owo local government.
“As I profusely thank eminent Nigerians, organisations and government parastatals that have continued to show prodigious support for what we are doing, who share our consummate conviction that the girl child deserves the very best, I welcome my brand new girls to the Bemore family; to limitless opportunities”. She said.
In his goodwill message, the Deputy Governor, Hon. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, described the initiative as very impactful, while commending the Founder, affirming that the initiative had impacted girls in no small measure.
“I want to thank you, ma, for exposing these young ones at early age to a global trend that is currently driving the advance economy of the world today. This trend is describing an expression that is knowledge based economy. This is what business organisations and even public sector depend on to be able to have increase in productivity and service delivery. What you have done with this initiative is to expose our young girls to this great trend that will make them to become more than what they are”.
He emphasised the need to fill the gap in human capital development where Nigeria is lagging behind, and therefore, charged the beneficiaries to continually build on the foundation laid through Bemore to fill the gap.
Aiyedatiwa was optimistic that with the establishment of the Bemore permanent site as announced by the Founder, it’s an indication that the initiative would outlived the Akeredolu-led tenure.
In his remarks, the special guest of honour at the ceremony, HRH, Oba Dr. Adedokun Abolarin, the Orangun of Oke-, charged the elites to rise to the challenge of supporting the vision of BeMore in Ondo state.
He said: “I keep saying it that, in our own little corner let’s fix things. Let’s stop complaining, and that’s exactly what Arabirin is doing. Let’s go back to our various communities and fix things. Let’s think of building a prosperous future for our children”.
He congratulated Mrs Akeredolu for birthing a project that’s producing future problem solvers in Nigeria, and urged her not to bother about its sustainability; saying that, “you are leaving as First Lady of the state but by God’s grace these are the children that will sustain it. They’ll key into the vision. These are talents that’ll rule the world”.
Earlier in her welcome address, a Bemore Ambassador from 2017 set, Miss Tolu Ehinmosan, had informed guests that the program was a life-changing experience for her and other participants. She informed guests how she acquired knowledge of ICT and solar technology during the two weeks training, an encounter that motivated her to study computer engineering in UNILAG.
“I had the privilege to represent Bemore Empowered Foundation at a global level where we emerged as finalist for world energy award in Iran in 2018”. She said.
The event featured lecture on drug abuse by officers of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, and demonstration of safety skill in times of insecurity situation by the female squad of NSCDC and presentation of Artwork to the Special guest by a Bemore Artist.
BeMore Initiative should be institutionalised in Ondo State —Olusola Oke, Bode Olajumoke
Stakeholders have advocated the sustainability of the BeMore Summer Bootcamp 4girlsnaija, an initiative of the Wife of Ondo State Governor, Chief Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, beyond her tenure as they described the initiative as too impactful a project to die with this administration.
They expressed their concerns about its continuity in Ondo State during the opening ceremony of the 2022 edition, held at Mabest Academy Akure, where over 350 are camped for the two weeks training in ICT, Solar technology and other life-enhancing skills
The chairman of the occasion, Chief Olusola Oke (SAN), noted that the BeMore initiative had come to fill the gap in educational sector, by laying a solid foundation to build capacity of girls and make them compete with their contemporaries in any part of the world.
According to him, much efforts were concentrated on producing graduates, with a gap in technical capacity building aspect of education.
Appreciating the First Lady for the initiative, Chief Oke affirmed that it had elevated Ondo State to the national agenda, saying “it has given the State a pride of place in the comity of states in Nigeria.
“You are building extra ordinary ladies, at the end of the day we would have girls who would be so endowed and empowered.
“The ICT is ruling the world today, solar is the next option for energy generation, these critical aspects of our lives are what Her Excellency has factored out in this program.
” Every nation in the world is moving towards clean energy, solar is the answer. I am very sure that the capacity that is being built today will find its bearing to that direction of the world”.
He advocated institutionalization of the initiative in Ondo State, by making it a permanent feature of education system.
“Whatever we can do to make sure that after the expiration of the tenure of Her Excellency in Ondo state, BeMore will continue to be part of our education, we should do it”.
In his goodwill message, one of the sponsors of girls for the program, Sen. Bode Olajumoke, averred that only a few number of people did what the First Lady is doing, saying, ” I’m convinced that it’s a positive thing”.
Sen. Olajumoke who announced that he was still an active member of the People’s Democratic Party, discarded insinuations in some quarters challenging his contribution to the First Lady’s project, stating that “I encourage positive initiatives, I have no doubt about what Arabirin has started, it’s a good one. I saw the demonstration and testimonies of these girls in Imeri, and I had tearing eyes when I heard the skills they acquired and the experiences they garnered at the bootcamp.
“Like I said, people are asking why am I doing this? But I’m a solid man, I didn’t join politics because of anybody, I joined out of my conviction to improve my environment” he said.
