…as NGO garlands her for humanitarian services
From Olanike Orebe-Olawole
Bursar of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), Mrs. Bolatito Roseline Akande, has advocated for a concerted effort to save the Nigerian Girl Child from massive illiteracy.
Mrs. Akande, who narrated the ordeal many young female students pass through in the hands of promiscuous men who take advantage of them because of their vulnerable nature, urged government and other critical stakeholders to support less privileged girls in their quest to acquire sound education which would make them useful citizens capable of contributing to the nation’s growth and development.
The FUOYE Bursar made the appeal on Tuesday when a Female Foundation for Girl Child Education, Divine Otu Girl Child Educational Foundation, an NGO based in Abuja, was in Oye-Ekiti to garland her for her humanitarian services in support of the less privileged, displaced children and the girl child education and empowerment.
Convener of the NGO, Mrs. Divine Otu, listed the criteria which were used to rate Mrs. Akande as qualified for the honour as: “Your contribution towards nation building towards ensuring educational services to children, men and women of this great country, your youth empowerment and charity to the less privileged and displaced children, your actions which portray your strong belief that the girl child has a right to be educated and be enabled to contribute her qouta to national development, and your gender sensitivity to the daily running of your office are among the terms and references.
“The foundation has also reckoned you as a woman of courage whose ebullient personality is fused with your remarkable administrative acumen yeilding positive achievements in the University, among others,” she said.
Speaking further, Mrs. Otu explained the mission and visions of the NGO. She said that the Divine Otu Girl Child educational foundation is a leading Female Advocacy group for Girl Child education on the continent with the strict aim of effecting a meaningful reduction in female illiteracy in Africa, adding that: “We also assist with the school fees of female students with financial challenges so as to minimize campus prostitution. And you will all believe me that when you talk about gender equality, it is only a written reality when it comes to education. That some parents do prefer to train their male children in school ahead of the females with the unfounded excuse that the female would one day get married and become another man’s responsibility.
“This notion needs to be condemned in totality because millions of female children have fallen victims of it. And that is why our Girl Child Educational Foundation has taken it upon herself to locate as many of these girls as our finances can carry them and give them an education because they deserve it. We have students in school whose responsibilities we take care of.
We also organize different skills acquisition programmes to empower the girl child.
“We have come to recognize Mrs. Bolatito Roseline Akande for her humanitarian services. It is only a woman that understands the pains of a fellow female. We realize that we cannot single handedly carry out the task because they are enormous. So, because of this we are inducting Mrs. Akande into our Leadership Hall of Fame as our Grand Matron today.
“We believe that there are many things we can learn from her wealth of experience as we do not know so much. Mrs. Akande is a woman of honour, an intellectual juggernut We present you this honour because your lifetime and school of thought are in accordance with our objectives which is educating the Girl Child alongside her male counterpart.
•Otu presenting the award plague to FUOYE Bursar
“I am talking about the remarkable, palatable, unbeatable and reliable Mrs. Bolatito Roseline Akande. She is a rare gem, a thorough need and a woman of impeccable credentials and a true daughter of Nigeria.
The entire members of the Divine Otu Girl Child educational foundation, both the privileged and less privileged, bring you their solidarity greetings,” she said.
As part of the ceremony to honour the Bursar, Mrs. Otu dressed her with a medal which portrays her as a champion and a victorious woman.and an achiever. According to Otu, the medal further describes Mrs. Akande as an Aluta Five-Star General for the students.
Responding, Mrs. Akande said she cherished the honour, adding that she is passionate about the mission and vision of the NGO which is to educate ad empower the girl child.
Her words: “l have received quite many awards both within and outside the country and l am passionate about this particular award. This is because of what your foundation is about, educating and empowering the girl child. I have many young and old females around me and l don’t feel good when they have hurdles of life and someone once asked why does it seem l am more passionate about the female than the male? But the truth is that the females are more vulnerable, they suffer more abuses and others. Sometimes they are forced into prostitution not because they really want to do it and sometimes men take advantage of the girls. Girls who have poor backgrounds fall victim of such situation such that instead of assisting them, they decide to take advantage of them and that may eventually destroy the life of such a girl because if she gets pregnant in the process and the man asks he to terminate it, that may destroy her life.
” So, l am passionate about helping the girl child and l even have a foundation to cater for them. It was founded some years ago and named after my late parents but because l am a government official l cannot run it now. But it is something l really want to do. I promise you l will be committed and ensure that l do my best for you.
” Here on campus I have so many school children who daily come around for counselling and other things. But l am more passionate about the girls because of the society we live in here and particularly what men do with the girls. I also usually advise men to treat our girls well because whatever you do in life has a way of coming back to you. When you are trying to destroy other people’s children, remember you have your own children and somehow, you will pay for your actions, ” she said.
The event was witnessed by many staff members of FUOYE, some of whom gave comments on Akande in recognition of her kind gesture and warm nature.
A Principal Assistant Registrar of the institution, Mr. Raph Olanrewaju, who commended the NGO, listed Akande’s other awards to include Leadership Strategy and Transparency Development Initiative, Arewa Youths Forum Leadership award, Civil Liberty Organisation, and an Ambassadorial award as an ICAN fellow.
He said: “We appreciate you for recognizing her good works and honouring her accordingly. As a matter of fact we are not averse to what is happening now. We have been receiving this kind of gesture from many organisations almost on a weekly basis from within and outside Nigeria.
“Recently Mrs. Akande was conferred with the Gimbiya Matassa by the Arewa Youths Forum of Nigeria from the north. As you have rightly said, a golden fish has no hiding place. And the Bible recorded that : ‘Seeth a man or woman that is diligent in his work, he would sit among Kings and queens’. This is exactly what is happening to her today as she has been receiving accolades and garlands from far and near. I am sure that more garlands are still coming for her. We urge the foundation to also consider educating the boy child also, especially those in the North so they would not become nuisance to the society in the nearest future.”
While giving his own comments, FUOYE Registrar, Mr. Olatunbosun Odusanya described Mrs. Akande as a woman who has successfully merged her career success with another huge success as a caring mother and wife to her immediate family. He said: ” She is a person who values her career so much and also combines this with very good motherhood. She hasn’t neglected her role as a mother. You know every real mother is a nation builder. She possesses that sympathy and a genuine nature of motherhood.
” She can be very firm when the need arises and she is truly a godly woman. Although, she doesn’t qoute the Bible often but in every of her attitudes towards life, she applies the biblical and godly principles and this approach makes her to remain a true mother.
She is not like so many women in Nigeria today who cannot combine keeping their home and managing their offices effectively. Especially women who are holding very strategic positions. But Mrs. Akande holds her own and she does not have such inferiority complex. She is respectful and a true African woman, not carried away by Western harmful mannerisms that see men as unneccesary competitors,” he said.
