Tinubu launches skills training in Rivers, urges women to rewrite Nigeria’s narrative

The wife of the president, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has charged Nigerian women to use the opportunity provided by technology to rewrite the negative narrative portrayed against the country in the cyberspace that is in sharp contrast with its true national value.

The National Chairman of the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) also urged women to use every available opportunity to project Nigeria on a positive trajectory and start the process of building a solid value-based foundation to launch Nigeria into the technology world in the next decade.

Senator Tinubu, represented by the Wife of the Rivers State Governor and State Coordinator of the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), Lady Valerie Siminalayi Fubara, gave the charge while declaring open a two-day Women in Tech Skills Training for Women Entrepreneurs for the South-South Region, organized by the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) in partnership with Huawei, at the African Centre for Excellence, University of Port Harcourt, during the week.

The First Lady said with Nigeria facing enormous challenges amidst a negative narrative, it behoves every citizen of the country, particularly women.

She said, “This training program, jointly coordinated by technology giant Huawei and the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), a pet project of the wife of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a gateway program targetted at raising the number and influence of women in technology in Nigeria.

“Our nation is facing a tough time with the narrative being presented through the cyberspace. This narrative, which does not represent our true value, is a sad testimonial to our national image, and it must be corrected. It is my belief that rewriting the narrative starts with you,” she said.

She also said, “Every citizen owes it to this country to use every opportunity available to put Nigeria on a positive pedestal. I am aware that women have always occupied strategic positions in development planning in Nigeria, and as the world continues to evolve, especially in technology-driven disciplines, it is only very necessary to immediately commence the building of a solid value-based foundation for Nigeria’s sojourn in the tech world in the next decade.”.

While noting the strategic roles women play in society and the challenges faced as a result of gender bias, lack of representation, and access to leadership, she said that the program was put in place to develop and grow more women who are determined, skilled, and committed to breaking new ground in tech development.

Senator Tinubu, while noting the leading role of Germany, France, and others in the tech business as a result of deliberate plans to achieve set goals, stressed optimism that Nigerian women can also become world leaders through deliberate training and nurturing to achieve the desired aim.

She emphasised, “In partnering with Huawei for this training, the Renewed Hope Initiative is not oblivious of the strategic roles women play in the healthcare and health services sector, the educational sector, and indeed, in government and private sector organizations.

“However, it is our conviction that, given the enormous endowment of every Nigerian woman, there should be a deliberate focus on finding ways of increasing their productivity, especially in technology-driven areas.

“It is obvious that the biggest underlying challenges have always been gender bias, lack of representation, and lack of access to leadership opportunities, and that is precisely why the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) has floated this program to grow more determined and skilled women that are committed to staying focused in breaking new grounds in tech development.”

She observed, “Germany, France, and others around the world are leading in the tech business today because there was a deliberate plan to do so. It is, therefore, our conviction that Nigerian women can rise to be world beaters if we make a deliberate plan to train, nurture, and position them for such sectoral leads.”

The Wife of the President noted the great potentials inherent in women and urged them to build more frontiers for networking, skills-building initiatives, and fostering new areas of mentorship for the younger generation of women committed to tech development.

She added, “The Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) believes that every woman here has great potential. I, therefore, urge you to build more frontiers for networking with global women in the tech movement, skills-building initiatives, and also foster new areas of mentorship for the younger generation of women interested in tech development.”

According to her, “When you do this, rest assured that you will have built the future of e-governance business and championed the course of a new position thinking, tech service generation of Nigerians on all fronts.”

She called on Nigerian women, irrespective of ethnic affiliation, to continue to support the efforts of the wife of the president in uplifting society through the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI).

“It gives me great pleasure to be part of today’s event. When I was called upon to represent our beloved mother, Her Excellency, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, CON, Wife of the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, in this event, I saw it as an opportunity to meet with women who have the capacity and knowledge to shape the country of our dream.

“I am, therefore, delighted to represent our First Lady, a woman whose vision in the transformation of female values in Nigeria is unequivocal, and I call on Nigerian women, irrespective of ethnic affiliation, to support her genuine efforts in uplifting the family through quality programs embarked upon under the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI).”

In his goodwill message, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt, Prof. Owunari Georgewill, expressed gratitude to the wife of the president, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, for initiating the program geared towards upscaling women in technological skills.

Represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Research, Prof. Iyeopu Siminalayi, Prof. Georgewill noted the partnership that had existed between the university and Huawei in upscaling it’s students in IT skills like networking and cyber security and commended Huawei for partnering with the First Lady of Nigeria to undertake the program, while expressing the belief that the program will benefit the women in the state who are being underrepresented in the tech world.

In his welcome address, the Managing Director of Huawei, who spoke through the Country Representative, Dr Nihinlola Fafori, said the program is the 5th batch of the RHI’s Women in Tech Training, which covers the South-South Region.

She stated that the program, which has been on since the first quarter of this year, had covered over four geopolitical zones with about 25 states in Nigeria, emphasizing that the training will enable participants to drive their businesses through technology and explore more opportunities within the tools that will enable their businesses to be reached across other consumers not just within the region but in Nigeria and globally.

Presenting the training overview, Huawei Consultant Chinedu Ogbiede noted that the training will afford participants the opportunity to understand the role of women in ICT, become more employable, run their businesses better, harness the potentials of ICT, and support their families and communities.

He asserted that with the training, the era of ‘I don’t know where to start’ is over because, with the aid of technology, Artificial Intelligence (AI), they will be able to launch a business.

Speaking on behalf of the participants, Mrs Efe Ovrine lauded the Wife of the President for her deep-seated idea of putting the programme together to train women and empower them technologically, promising to utilize the experience gained to impact on society.