ECOWAS Ambassador seeks girl-child education, women inclusiveness

The Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) Ambassador, Engr. Funmilayo Waheed-Adekojo, has urged governments at all levels to step up on women inclusiveness in governance for optimal growth and development.

Waheed-Adekojo said this during the 2020 Ondo State Female Models Award ceremony held at the International and Event Centre, The Dome, saying women are the hope of the nation. She was bestowed the Ondo State Woman of the Year award, alongside other 10 women, who received various titles; shortly after ECOWAS Youth Council (EYC) awarded her the Nelson Mandela Leadership Award of Excellence and Integrity.

According to her, the place occupied by the girl-child and women in the society cannot be over-emphasised. She noted that the female gender has the natural endowment to manage situations better and improve it for optimum performance.

“There is always a girl in a woman and a woman in a girl; if you don’t train her, what will she reproduce? If we educate our girl-child and create more space for our women in public life and government, our society will be blessed. Whatever a woman cannot do, there is no man that can attempt it. Women give birth to men, and the enablement and ability of the men to do anything in life comes from the womb of the women. If you don’t educate the girl-child, we are at risk.”

She added that the life of any nation stems forth from the girl-child who in turn will be a mother someday. “When you educate a man, you educate one person; but when a girl-child is educated, a whole nation becomes empowered. This is the multiplication value.”

Waheed-Adekojo, who is a recipient of Distinguished African Icon of Societal Development Award from ECOWAS and Ondo State Outstanding Leadership Award Platform, said sensitive positions should be entrusted on women. “Women are naturally kind, humane, lovely, sympathetic, empathetic, considerate, generous, compassionate and strong. People in position of power and authority need these qualities, and they are naturally found in women.”

The awardee, who is also the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, FunmiAyinke Nigeria Limited, implored all women in all walks of life to step out of obscurity and be ready to take the bulls by the horns for the progress of the nation.