CKF inspires females on hard-work, tech education

By Dayo Adesulu

In its passion to ensure that science and technology are promoted among youths, especially the female folks, Christopher Kolade Foundation via the Stemma Hands-on Empowerment (SHE) fair has again inspired hundreds of secondary school girls in science, technology and hard work.

At a fair held in Lagos, successful female resource persons such as Mrs Olamide Ayeni-Babajide, a certified information system auditor and founder Pearl Recycling, Mrs Margaret Ajiboye, an intervention and strategic business developer, Mrs Oreoluwa Lesi, founder and executive director of Women Technology Empowerment Centre to mentioned a few spoke on the need for females to believe in themselves.

In his opening address, the founder of KCF, Dr. Christopher Kolade tasked the youth to reject that they are the leaders of tomorrow, arguing that youths are leaders of today, waiting for tomorrow’s opportunities.

He said: “If you are leaders today, it means you are entitled to take some decisions today, and the benefits of the decisions you take today will come tomorrow. So in order to take competent decisions today, you must have a vision of what tomorrow will look like.”

Explaining reasons for the Foundation, Kolade said the foundation   focuses on critical areas in students’ lives that could build their interest in science, technology, mathematics.

According to him, science and technology are the key to open a nation’s economy and make the inventors leaders.

On her part, the Deputy Governor of Lagos, Mrs. Oluranti Adebule lauded the foundation for sustaining the initiative that encourages more girls to showcase their technological skills.

According to her, the skills derived through the programme would assist them build the can do confidence in the field of science and technology.

While urging parents and guardians to change their mind-set that science, technology engineering and mathematics are not for girls, she appealed to all stakeholders to encourage more girls to take interest in STEM and demystify the falsehood of science and technology being exclusive of boys.

Speaking in the same vein, the Managing Director of Siemens Nigeria, Mrs. Onyeche Tifase, in her keynote address emphasized the importance of self-development and believing in oneself, adding that students should always asking questions where they are not clear.

On the limitation of women folks, she pointed out that societal perceptions of women also hold women back and prevent them from doing well in the STEM. Tivane urged women to get rid of those erroneous perception   that could limit them in STEM.

“Sometimes men seem to achieve more because they accept challenges, even the ones that seem difficult at the time, but women hardly take up such challenges, she added.