By Paul Williams
Niger Delta-based OLEGH Centre for Community Development has embarked on building the capacity of female students in the region on leadership and gender issues.
The initiative is part of efforts aimed at ensuring inclusivity in regional and community leadership process, with this year’s International Day of the Girl-Child providing OLEGH another opportunity to engage female students on “confidence building, leadership skills, and resilience.”
Executive Director of OLEGH, Comrade Henry Eferegbo, while delivering the lead lecture at a One-Day Interactive Session with students of Model Girls’ Secondary School, Mbodo, Aluu, Rivers State on October 13, 2925, said the organization is devoted to promoting education, gender equality, and youth empowerment.
He said this year’s theme theme: ‘The Girl I Am, The Change I Lead: Girls on the Frontlines of Crisis’, pays attention to the girl-child positive change agents within their communities.
Eferegbo said that, “In line with this year’s theme, our organization seeks to engage female students on building confidence, leadership skills, and resilience.
“We believe that this will not only inspire the girls but also reaffirm our commitment to nurturing empowered and responsible young women,” he said.
He urged the girls to understand the fact that, “Your future is in your hands,” adding that they can take advantage of the present to become what they want in future.
Eferegbo noted the hunger and poverty that pervades the society. But urged the girls not to succumb to this to the detriment of the dreams, ambitions and potentials for being positive change agents in the society.
OLEGH’s Program Officer, Rebecca Apenu, said in societies all over the world, particularly in the Niger Delta, the girl-child has been denied education and protection of her rights due to cultural beliefs.
She said the limiting of girl-child and denying her the right to attain her true potentials has equal adverse impact on the society, equally denying society the opportunity to harness the positives that would have accrued from an educated and empowered girl-child.
She urged the students not to be held down by these beliefs, but to aspire to better themselves and their society.
Principal of the school, Mrs. Edith Orji, pointed out that “when you train a girl-child, you train a nation. Today we are proud of (Ngozi) Okonjo-Iweala. It is important that to empower the girl-child because we have seen in our society the impact girls are making.
“So, it is important that not just the government alone, but families, NGOs and others should ensure that the girl-child is educated and gets the necessary support,” she said.
One of the students, Grace Chibroma (SS3), told our reporter that, “I want to be a proud lawyer. I’m really grateful to this organisation for this event, for what they have done. They have really enlightened us as a girl-child to know our rights and what we stand to gain. I pray that other girls will hear this and be enlightened.”
Another student, Joy Titilayo, said “I’m a girl-child and I’m proud to be a girl child. I say thank you to the organisation. I have learnt a lot. I have learnt that as a girl-child I have the right to speak. I stand against rape, poverty, and I stand for my rights as a girl-child.”
Our reporter said the one-day interactive program at Model Girls’ Secondary School, Mbodo, Aluu, featured motivational talks, mentoring activities, discussions and presentation of gifts to the students.
