EKITI CIVIL SERVANTS GRADUATE FROM POSTGRADUATE COURSE FACILITATED BY FIRST LADY.

EKITI CIVIL SERVANTS GRADUATE FROM POSTGRADUATE COURSE FACILITATED BY FIRST LADY.

.…Governor's wife says SDGs can't be achieved without gender equality.

The first set of civil servants in the employ of the Ekiti State Government have graduated from a postgraduate programme facilitated and sponsored by the First Lady, Erelu Bisi Fayemi.

The beneficiaries who graduated from Executive Masters programme in Gender and Development Studies at the Ekiti State University (EKSU) expressed profound gratitude to the Governor's wife for contributing to their personal development and career progression through the course.

Speaking while playing host to the graduands, Erelu Fayemi emphasized that Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) cannot be achieved in Ekiti State without gender equality which she said was critical to development in the society.

The First Lady stated that the knowledge acquired by the graduands would go a long way to open doors of opportunities in their choosen careers and make them to be better equipped in contributing their quota to the implementation of policies that would lead to the realization of SDGs.

Erelu Fayemi pointed out that the outgoing administration recognized the importance of gender mainstreaming hence the creation of the department in the faculty of interdisciplinary studies.

She directed the Ministry of Women Affairs to begin to prepare another set of senior officers who would benefit from such government scholarship scheme towards equipping them in such area that could be very important to the society.

"It is one of our initiatives that we are proud of. Let me now assure you once again that the exit of this outgoing government does not mean the end of the programme, it will be continued by the incoming administration since it is the same political party ," she added

Earlier, the course participants led by Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Arts, Culture and Tourism, Mr Bamidele Arowosola said the new course of study had exposed the beneficiaries to interdisciplinary and specific study of Gender Development, Poverty Studies and Wealth Creation, Policy Analysis, Social Work, various theories and teachings on problems relating to gender issues among many other things.

He said the graduands were already fortified with the skills and knowledge to address imbalance in gender equality, improvement of lives of women, men and children as well as ways to develop guidelines in assisting government to reduce poverty in the society. 

Mr Arowosola promised the participants' readiness to contribute their quota in resolving developmental challenges facing the state at large.

The beneficiaries who were selected from various Ministries, Departments and Agencies appreciated the Governor's wife for initiating such programme  further showed their appreciation with presentation of gift to the First Lady .

"We wish to state that your kind gesture and efforts towards the capacity development of workers in the public service are historic. We have therefore determined to be ambassadors of gender equality in the public service, mainstreaming gender equality in our different offices as agents of change," one of them said.