By Stephen Adeleye.
The Kogi Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mr. Wemi Jones, on Saturday restated the commitment of His Excellency, Gov. Yahaya Bello, to encourage, support and strengthen girl child, science and technological education in the state.
Jones told journalists in Lokoja at the sideline of the Investiture and Inauguration of the newly elected second Chairman and Executives of the Association of Professional Women Engineer of Nigeria (APWEN), Kogi chapter.
Represented by the Mr Dipo Ayenibe, the Director, Exams, Admission and Certification of the ministry, the commissioner commended APWEN for their commitment to girl child advocacy in Kogi and Nigeria at large.
He noted that the governor had ensured more than the affirmative number of percentage for women in governance in Kogi, most especially in the education sector.
According to him, the government is focused on education especially empowering girl child and catching them young, which was the team of the occasion.
“The Kogi State Government under the leadership of His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, has place education as the first in its thematic areas, and 20 per cent of annual budget goes to education.
“So, invariably what is happening here today on girl child education especially the efforts of APWEN, Kogi chapter is highly commendable as it complement government’s efforts.
“This has been so magnanimous enough looking at their numerous achievements in helping girl child to go to school in the state in terms of sponsorships, scholarships and other things,” he said.
Jones stressed that the gesture was very relevant to the efforts of Government in encouraging and promoting girl child education and women’s rights in the State.
He added that the government has also established Guardian and Counseling Unit in Kogi schools to encourage girl child and discourage the abuse of girls.
He noted that Kogi in collaboration with Nigerian Mathematical Association of Nigeria and SDG4 , organised Junior Secondary School Mathematics event for Junior Secondary School girls in JSS2, which commenced three weeks ago for the first round of the third edition.
“This is to also encourage girls to go to school. So, what APWEN is doing is very relevant to the efforts of Kogi Government in catching them young in the state.
“We will keep encouraging the girls especially those who won the award today to keep doing their best to try and remain at the forefront and work harder.
“So, we look forward to that kind of competition that girl child can compete and work favourably,” he said.
The royal father of the day, the Ohimegye Igu of KotonKarfe, Dr Abdulrasak Isa-Koto, said he graced the occasion to honour girl child and women in their yearning for profession.
According to him, I find it difficult to decline the invitation because I believe there is no bounds for women as they can get to the top of any career. So, I am here in solidarity with the girl child.
The monarch urged women to aspire to be anything in all facets of life including politics as they are God’s creation without boundaries, saying, ”what a mam can do a woman can even do better”.
In her inaugural speech, the new APWEN Chairman, Kogi chapter, Engr. Joan Oguche, promised to take the advocacy of girl child to the three Senatorial districts of the state in order to ensure that enough gifts at different level of classes.
“The girls’ interschool quiz competition has come to stay in Kogi State. Yearly, the program will be packed full with various activities to encourage the girls child and their parents,” she said.
The immediate past chairman of APWEN in the state, Engr. Margaret Ojo, enumerated several achievements of the association from 2019 till date, describing it as unprecedented.
Ojo said that the association had also facilitated scholarships for 10 pupils spread across 10 public primary schools in Ankpa LGA, from primary to university level who would study science and engineering courses.
She added that the students who are now in JSS1 and 2 were already enjoying the scholarship facilitated by APWEN sponsored by the NNPC.
Earlier, the Guest Lecturer at the occasion, Dr Mrs Elizabeth Animoku, who presented a paper on: ”Women In Technology: A Catalyst For National Development”, said the importance of technology to national development can never be overemphasised enough.
According to her, technology has helped to liberate the womenfolk from bondage and societal shackles imposed by the men. Today, women are forces to contend with in every field.
She explained that financial constraint for small businesses especially for those own by women, remained one of the major issues accounting for the imbalance against women in the society.
Animoku added that other factors for the imbalance include negative cultural stereotypes associated with female programmers, and long hours on a computer without tangible product.
She further said parents of young women often discourage them from choosing career in technology as it is perceived to be less feminine.
She noted that the Gender and Equal Opportunity Bill which previously struggled to get through the national assembly had been reformulated, saying it would also help to address many of the barriers to women’s full participation in Nigeria technology sector if enacted.
She stressed that women remained the lifeline of any society and they produce life, insisting that no nation could move forward without the womenfollk.
“As a woman you must refuse to allow anybody to write your story for you,” she said.
On his part, Chief Yakubu Godwin, the Principal, Government Day Secondary School, Adankolo, whose school emerged the winner of the Girls Quiz competition, commended APWEN for organising the competition.
Godwin, who doubles as the National Secretary of All Nigerian Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS), said he was replicating what he was doing at the national level in the state.
“To me, the emergence of our school as the best in the girls quiz competition is not strange, because I know God has been at work all the while.
“I must replicate what I do at the national level in my state. So, what we have today is part of the baby we have nursed over time, and we would continue to win Laurels for the state anywhere,” he said.
He advised the students especially parents to show more commitments because the public school being perceived as downtrodden could equally make it.
“This is the challenge we have now, you must not belong to a Cambridge or highbrow school before you can excel, even from the rubies, we can do and make wonders.”
He implored government to do the little they could in education sector particularly in primary and secondary education, saying, ”too much emphasis are being been giving to tertiary education while neglecting the basic education which is disservice”.
The highlight of the occasion was the presentation of Awards of Excellence to six dignitaries in the state for their selfless service to humanity, while gifts were also presented to best three schools that emerged as winners in the girls quiz competition.
