17102019 - FG cuts travels, estacodes for ministers, other officials

Vanguard, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2019—39
EMPOWERING NIGERIAN WOMEN: FBN gives FG
condition for speedy economic devt
L-R: Oyinkan Adewale, Independent Non-Executive Director at FBN Quest Merchant; Mrs. Osaretin
Demuren, Chairman, Guaranty Trust Bank; Ibukun Awosika, Chairman, First Bank of Nigeria Limited;
Mr. Osagie Okunbor, Managing Director SPDC & Country Chair, Shell Companies in Nigeria; Mrs. Mosun
Belo-Olusoga, Chairman, Access Bank Group; Otunba Adebola Osibogun, Non-Executive Director, FBN
Holdings, at the recent Women Corporate Directors (WCD) Foundation, Nigeria Chapter meeting, globally
sponsored by KPMG and hosted by First Bank of Nigeria Limited.
BY MICHAEL EBOH &
GABRIEL EWEPU
Chairman of First Bank
Nigeria, FBN, Mrs. Ibukun
Awosika, has disclosed
that for Nigeria to record any
Reinforcing
its
determination to improve the
lot of the girl child in Nigeria,
members of the board of
trustees of the Ajesola Solarin
Majekodumi Foundation,
ASMAF rose from a closed door
meeting with which to usher
in the 10th anniversary
activities of the nongovernmental
organization,
Friday.
Presiding, Emeritus professor
Soga Sofola said the team was
meaningful economic growth, it
must maximize the value of its
female population, alongside all
its human resources.
In a statement by the bank in
Abuja, Awosika who was speaking
during a breakout session tagged,
‘empowering Nigerian women,’ at
ernment to include Nigerian
women in its economic growth
plan, stating that this was critical
to guaranting comprehensive
economic and national development.
She said, “The statistics of Nigeria’s
population says that
women are about 48.5 per cent
and men are 49.5. To save any
argument, let us say it is 50-50
statistically. And if you are a
business person, imagine that
you have 50 per cent of your assets
locked up and not utilised at
all, and you expect to compete
with your neighbors and excel.
You are already disadvantaged.
“When we are talking about
women, it is a business and national
development issue. It is
not gender issue. We will have a
balanced life when women get
to deliver their share of what is
required to build a nation.
“There are lots of talk shops
about funds that are provided
and structured for women to access
but there are structural defects
that make it impossible for
women to effectively access
those funds.”
She argued that it poses serious
economic challenges in a situation
where women do not have
clear property rights, especially
in a structure where collateral
is required.
“We educate and empower her
to become an asset to the nation
and not a liability. If we want to
achieve the 2050 goals, we need
to turn every single citizen into
an asset for their ability to create
value for the nation and help
the just concluded 25th Nigerian
Economic Summit, NES, advised
government at a levels
finding out ways to take out the
limitations that held women
back from actively participating
in economic development.
She called on the Federal Govachieve
the 2050 goals.”
To this end, Awosika disclosed
that as part of strategies to address
the challenges of the womenfolk,
First Bank Nigeria, FBN,
has empowered 71,253 women
under its First Gem initiative,
through building the capacity of
the women to mobilize resources
for wealth creation.
Awosika said through the initiative,
the women were nurtured
to skillfully manage their
finances, engage in repaying investments
as well as access structured
capitals around Nigeria to
grow their businesses.
She stated that the bank had
identified and was gradually
clearing out challenges that hindered
women in Nigeria from
becoming economically productive.
She noted that from October
2016 till date, women in the
First Gem network had gathered
multiples of billions of naira,
adding that majority of the
young women who had worked
with the bank had set up investment
clubs.
She said, “At First Bank, we
launched First Gem in 2016,
between October 2016 and now,
we have had 71,253 women
locked into the system. Women
who never thought they had
any capacity on building
wealth, but simply by investing
capacity on information, explaining
to them how money
works and how to manage resources,
and to consciously understand
the value of each penny
they spend, we were shocked as
much as I knew this was what
we had to do.”
Support girl child education, trustees tell Nigerians as ASMAF clocks 10
Prof. Yetunde Adesanya
driven all the time- organizing
meetings, looking at programs
and implementing policies
with a view to actualizing the
aim of the Foundation, which
is to award scholarships to
needy female students
pursuing professional courses.
The 10th anniversary
ceremonies are slated for
November. Fielding questions
from WO, he revealed that the
major criteria is that candidates
must be academically sound.
Another trustee, Hon Justice
Yetunde Adesanya added that
though it has not been easy to
keep up with the assignment, it
was nonetheless a worthy cause
for which she has had to make
herself available.
The day to day affairs of the
Foundation are overseen by its
secretary, Barr Olukayode
Aribaba , who handles the
administration and paperwork.
According to him, it is
“challenging but exciting”
working with very senior high
achievers who would naturally
set very high standards who also
set the agenda.
As the world last week marked
the International Day of the Girl
Child, it appeared to be
lamentations across board
without a commensurate display
of the will to attempt to upturn
her dire fate. This has not been
the case with ASMAF
Foundation which has put no
fewer than young women
through tertiary education in
Nigeria.
A selection committee, headed
by a Gender Specialist Uche
Udeani, a professor of
Education, screens the
candidates, who represent the six
geo political zones of the
country. During the process and
ceremonies, scholars have an
interface with the trustees but
according to the Justice
Adesanya, they are not
intimidated.“During their
courses, we make sure they
attend leadership programs. for
mentoring and so on”, Justice
Adesanya explained.
For most of the scheme’s
Emeritus Prof. Soga Sofola
beneficiaries, a fate that would
have seen them stuck in the
vicious cycle of poverty and
ignorance might have been their
lot as most are from indigent
backgrounds, though brilliant. A
typical example is Zainab, a
citizen of Gombe statewho had
already been given in marriage
as third wife to an elderly man
before clinching an ASMAF
scholarship. Zainab, who
emerged a First Class graduate
of Accountancy from Gombe
state university now works as a
lecturer in her alma mata.
“This is why it is gratifying,
exciting and fulfilling”, said a
happy Justice Adesanya, “We
cannot take the credit for
Zainab’s success. She is also
physically handicapped, but now
a lecturer. Imagine her lot
without education.”
When Zainab won the
scholarship it was the first time
she would be going to Lagos.
ASMAF Secretary, who took her
on a tour also expressed his
fulfilment, “moreso from a
humanitarian perspective,
making contributions in your
own small corner”.
Professor Sofola further
revealed that in the course of
screening scholars, the trustees
have heard many heart breaking
stories. Another beneficiary
who currently studies
Veterinary Medicine at the
University of Ibadan was the
daughter of a vulcanizer who
used to run a pepper grinder
every morning before attending
her lectures. This was a major
distraction.
Like for most non-profit
establishments, funding is an
issue and public response to
calls has been very
discouraging, apart from the
seed funding from the Founder
at inception, according to
ASMAF trustees.
In our society, according to
Justice Adesanya, “a lot of
people do not like to do good
that the world would not see”.
Professor Sofola decried a
situation where Nigerians were
ready to part with billions of
naira in order to vote for their
favourite candidates in the
recently concluded Big Brother
Nigeria reality television show,
saying that most of the big
brands are more interested in
sponsoring Music and
Entertainment.. He challenged
Nigerians to put their money
where their mouths are. “In one
of the universities in the North,
the Vice Chancellor was asking
the female students what they
wanted to be. Some of them
wanted to be First Ladies”, he
added. ‘They actually think it is a
profession. Why not the Governor
or the President?”.
Founder,
Professor
Majekodumi expressed deep
gratitude to God for His
protection over the last 10 years,
while lauding the trustees whom,
according to her, had shown
great sacrifice and commitment.
The Foundation also plans to
inaugurate an alumni association
in order to spread the word, which
the scholars do by speaking to the
public during ceremonies.
The Foundation’s 10th year
anniversary coincides with the
80th birthday anniversary of its
Prof Ajesola Solarin
founder, Professor Ajesola
Majekodumi; as well as the
launch of a 100 million appeal
fund with which to build a
befitting secretariat as well as to
sponsor more girls. “We hope to
raise a lot of money”, Sofola
concluded.
Continues on page 41