The wife of the former Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, flagged off the 2024 BEMORE OYO Summer Bootcamp in Ibadan on Monday.
Anyanwu-Akeredolu dispelled the false notion that the Ondo State Government was behind and funding the initiative.
She says the initiative is into the building of future female leaders in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
She stated that the initiative had been promoting the advancement of the girl-child born out of her life’s experience while growing up.
“We cannot achieve development if we leave behind 50 per cent of our population, made up of women and girls,” Anyanwu-Akeredolu said.
In his address, the Ministry of Youth Development, Olawande Wisdom, called for more support for girls in Nigeria.
He commended the founder of the BEMORE Empowered Girls Foundation, Dr Anyanwu-Akeredolu, for contributing immensely to the development of the girl child and raising the bar of excellence.
He said the ministry is working on introducing a training scheme equivalent to the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) for graduates of the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE).
Wisdom said the ministry would partner with the Ministry of Education to introduce new training reforms, one of which is the equivalent of NYSC training for NCE holders and others.
He said social vices had been for long, but the training of youths by organisations such as the Boys’ Brigade, Girl Guides and others had kept many away from them.
“The major priority of the ministry is the citizenship and training, and we are bringing them back.
“We have NYSC for those who finished from universities, but what of those who finished from NCE and others?
“So, we want to set up training such that you don’t need to go to other states to have it—you can have it in your state and the camp.
“A lot of reforms are going on, and we are trying as much as possible to bring a renewed hope to people; to the girls and boys,” he said.
Wisdom, however, called for support for BEMORE and other organisations in the course of the Nigerian women and girls.
In his address, the Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Odu’a Investments, Mr. Abdulrahman Yinusa, urged participants to take full advantage of the knowledge imparted at the training.
He commended the organisers and mentors for investing in the future of girls through technological initiatives that would drive the future towards sustainability.
The event featured a training session by the Red Cross Society on cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
This was followed up by a book launch, entitled, “The History of BEMORE, A Historical Voyage by Esther Michael.”
