The National Women Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Hon. Stella Okotete, on Tuesday in Abuja launched a digital platform called the Progressive Women Academy (PWA) to assist women acquire the skills and knowledge they need to transform their lives, businesses and prepare for future leadership positions.
In a capacity filled auditorium at the Women Centre, Okotete, alongside the Minister of State for Environment, Hon Sharon Ikeazor, Minister of State for Education, Hon. Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, House of Representatives Deputy Chief Whip, Hon Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, Hon Halima Hassan Tukur, Barrister Peace Oyanbo Owei, Dr Asabe Bashir, among others, urged young women to be deliberate and consciously work towards self-development in other to position themselves to climb the ladder of political leadership.
The PWA would also serve as a platform that would empower two million women in two years. According to her, “imagine the potential when an additional two million women are trained and empowered in Nigeria. This will unleash four million jobs and reach 12 million dependants #2in2.”
However, Okotete dwelled on the imperatives of discipline and good behaviours to get to the height of their chosen paths. She narrated her ordeals as a ward councilor in Delta State and how she through dints of hard work and grace of the Almighty navigated her way to the top starting from being the Special Adviser to Delta State Governor on Millennium Development Goals and eventually being appointed as the Executive Director of Nigerian Export Import Bank by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Her words: “You have to position yourself to achieve success. It doesn’t come by chance. You have to stand out and be different. You need to be focused. You need God Almighty to grow but you also need to be of good behaviours and be diligent at whatever you are doing now. Learn from your mentors and as for us here, we are ready to assist you to grow and together, we can shape and reshape Nigeria.
“2023 is here and I know that APC will continue to remain the party to beat. We have been working and we are still working from the grassroots and that is why the result of the last Congress was a step in the right direction. Some of you here are already executives at the ward level and in the years to come, we would make more progress.”
Goodwill messages from the Minister of State for Education, Minister of State for Environment and a concluding lecture by a Leadership coach, Dr Linus Okorie were well received by the forum even as resource persons took turn to enlighten them on how they rose to the pinnacles of their careers.
