Wife of Ondo State Governor, Mrs Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, has advocated for more inclusion of women in governance, to further enhance the growth and development of the country.
Anyanwu-Akeredolu stated this while receiving a ‘Girl-child Role Model Development Award on Tuesday in Akure.
Newsmen report that the award was given to the governor’s wife and 19 others by the state chapter of National Parent-Teacher Association of Nigeria (PTA).
Newsmen also report that the awards were given to the recipients for their outstanding contributions to the development of education in Nigeria.
The governor’s wife, who said that she had trained about 2,000 girls through BEMORE Initiative Empowerment, said that it was high time that women were given their deserved chances in politics.
“I can tell you that in five years’ time, we are going to feel the impact of BEMORE girls when it comes to human capacity building,” she said.
According to her, a girl-child represents the lens through which the true picture of the country can be seen.
“The way we treat our women and the girl-child will reflect the true picture of the country in terms of development and advancement.
“We should all rise up as African women tostrategically build a new generation of women through our girls by raising them differently.
“If we want to change the narrative and we need women, especially starting with our young girls, as they are the future of the country.
“We want to tell Nigerians and the whole world that a girl may look fragile but she is strong and capable to turn things around.
“My sister, my daughter, my friend, please find your voice, just like the Adamawa women found their voice. I can assure you all that a woman will soon become a governor of a state in Nigeria,” she said.
Earlier, Chief Abimbola Omoloja, Chairman of PTA in the state and Vice President, PTA Nigeria, explained that the awardees were honoured based on their contributions to the development of education in the state.
Omoloja said that the award was based on five categories, including girl-child development, educational planning and administration, education philanthropy, amazon of hope and activities of the royal fathers.
The PTA chairman, who appreciated the state governor for providing an enabling environment for education to thrive in the state, solicited for an office accommodation for the association.
“It should be noted that education is the bedrock of development, including social, political and physical, as it leads to prosperity and diminishes social vices,” he said.