MY VISION TO CHANGE THE WORLD
The rate of increase in unemployment and the number of uneducated youths in Nigeria has led to a substantial increase in the rate of robbery, theft, crime, prostitution, early child marriage as well as suicide to mention a few. Statistics shows that there is a progressive increase in crime in then African continent.
Although even though this has been a challenge for many youths, the lack of funds and sponsorships by the government coupled with low entrepreneurial advocacy is a major factor and concern to all.
My vision is to create employment for the youths, partcularly women, since the average African woman is faced with numerous challenges in Africa ranging from early marriage of less than 15 years old to female genital mutilation, rape prostitution and becomes an object to be used or explored by many men in exchange for money. In order to solve this challenge, there is a great need for women education to be supported and fostered, enhanced, empowered through funds and ideas to be financed for proper economic growth, this will not only solve the problems of families or government, but will also promote gender equity and security in our society.
This grew my interest to solving this problem and below is a lucid overview of how my interest in leadership began.
In 2011 I functioned as the Secretary General to the Single Sisters Fellowship, were I was able to collaborate with seven other executive members to lead the unit, creating innovating changes, raising funds, providing networking opportunities, providing business skills and most importantly I improved my courage and public speaking skills tremendously.
In 2013, I was privilege to participate at the Leadership Training Programme of the Redeemed Christian Church of God where I sat under the speech of the distinguished vice-president of Nigeria; Professor Yemi Osibanjo who led the career and public sector management group of thousands of youth in participation from diverse works of life and different universities within and outside the country.
In 2014 I was privilege to serve as an academic departmental representative and hall representative for Aba Mast zone, where I worked with a team of 20 people comprising of 90% scientist with a vision of diversification among leaders and raise exception professionals who would be academically sound professionally outstanding and I collaborated with RCF as a volunteer to assist freshmen on campus gain their feet academically to place them at a greater advantage especially in the years of their early studies. It was on this team I became resilient, more focused and mastered the act of servant leadership on this particular role.
Shortly after taking the free online servant leadership course provided by the young Africa leader’s initiative, I earned a certificate after assessment completion, this grew my interest more in being a leader that gives direction and serve her followers. In lieu of this, In 2015 precisely I registered to participate at The Leadership Training Programme of the Redeemed Christian Church of God tagged ‘Seed of Greatness’ which hosted over five thousand participants from various works of life and from within and outside the country. It was in this particular event I was enlightened by His Excellency, the vice-president of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbanjo who as a public speaker and SAN spoke at length on public leadership, leading effectively, international education and career guidiance.
I was fast building my skills and so I engaged in numerous volunteering activities championing the lead in most of them by using my proven processes and personal strategies to deliver on the job, thereby building trust and confidence following suit.
In 2016, I made it again to participate at The Leadership Training Programme of the Redeemed Christian Church of God tagged ‘Endued with Power’ under the distinguished key note speaker, Ngozi Ezequesili who was able to dissect and give a lucid over view of leadership at various levels. In that same year, I took up the role as the freshmen counselor to mentor young students, both those with outstanding academic prowess and those with academic challenges. This indeed improved my networking skills and people’s skills while I gained their confidence and trust. Also, it did earned me numerous and long-lasting relationships even after school. I was appointed a member of the general executive council leading a fellowship with an average population of 1500 and as a unit coordinator leading 22 members respectively. My leadership brought a tremendous change into the unit, by diversification of books, improvement in reading culture and personal libraries of student, e-library as well as extended time and mid-night operations and photocopying services to get at a grasp copies of needed materials on arrival. My optimal function indeed earned me a certificate of service, that same year.
In 2017, while on my Youth Service, I participated at the Emerging Leader’s Conference Course organized by the Change Leaders Academy which took place in Portharcourt, Nigeria. I championed the Jael group of the Cream Damsel’s arm of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, First Love, chaired with the responsibility of conference event planning, member attires, follow up conversations on social media, publicity and organized an entrepreneurial session together with the President of the commission tagged ‘Putting Your Hands to Work’.
In a means to give back to the society and my love for volunteering, I have volunteered with Organisation such as YALI, Society of Women Engineers, National Academy of Engineering, Nigerian Red Cross Society as well as religious organizations.
As at present, as a global STEM ambassador of Society of Women Engineers (SWE) who is given away to the development of Women as well as member of the Young Africa Leaders Initiative Network, and up-coming alumni of the Regional Leadership Center (Africa) in a bit, and a selected participant of the Young African Leaders Initiative Regional Leadership Program online cohort 11 a rigorous training programmed aimed at developing the next generation of African leaders; which is presently ongoing, with a focus on leadership and accountability, ethical leadership, my chosen elective; public sector leadership, soft skills and business writing amongst other; were I have been able to learn-self leadership, leading others and business skills which is fast transforming me to becoming a recognized leader who is out to make a positive impact in the society. I am also a selected member of the Maluwa Young Africa Female Achievers Leadership programme and Emerging Change Leader’s Programme. I have consistently volunteered to lead groups and work in diverse team, this has built a strong and has helped me rise to the ladders in job too by demonstrating my expertise skillfully, proper resource management, time management and effective collaboration of ideas. I have been able to incorporated the skills learnt from various groups and integrate them in my professional career while maintain great work ethics, integrity, respect for people, positive change and most importantly through strategic planning.
My leadership qualities have greatly enhanced my professional life, as I have been recommended for high-profiled projects and have continuously received commendations on the job due to top performance and effective people management which is evidently seen in work output, quality and efficient management. I have worked for high profiled clients in the energy industry, construction industry as well as infrastructures by recommendations and continuously being in the fore-front, proactivity and ethical reflection of organizations core values.
HOW I BELIEVE I CAN ACCOMPLISH MY GOALS
I will achieve this strategically by first taking up a Masters in Structural engineering at the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom, this will not only propel my career, but will also position me strategically to assist and mentor young females in STEM and across, engage in fair recruitment process with industries of the profession. After which I would start working towards my plans to be a chattered and registered engineer will follow suite.
Gaining this scholarship, I would also attend the NSBE conference which takes place in the United States and will come home to replicate what am taught, particularly in creation of jobs for youths, this would not only solve the problem of jobs being available for the connected alone, but would also foster and promote healthy competition and hard work at undergraduate levels.
My long term career plan is to set up my company whose vision is become a leading entrepreneur of the infrastructure industry, providing global solutions, restructuring, construction, consulting, and conducting a fair technical recruitment of engineers for engineering firms, while being a STEM ambassador and volunteering at events for public speaking, undertaking and organizing career fairs and a fair recruitment process at universities to engage the participation of the mass, thereby promoting gender equity in the society, while advancing promoting sustainable education policies. As at present, I have need for the funding to proceed to the next step in setting up this beautiful idea. The Civil Engineer Watch will be a magazine that reveals the works of prominent women who are dominating in this male dominated profession and will also provide ways of engagements for the community. As a group my proposed company will host and participate at career fairs, recruit graduate engineers on the basis of merit, bring solutions by wiping the tears of the masses on unemployment issues, organize healthy competitions, solve industry challenges through research. As a growing company, we will focus on energy, education, environment, engineering and engineering recruitment, HSE, graduate opportunity that incorporates personal and professional training, book launch, articles, and host websites to promote readily available contents for graduate engineers. While our community social responsibility will be to promote STEM education amongst young girls in partnership with the SWE, APWEN, NSE, to support and promote the education of children and particularly the girl child and to sponsor those who are unable to afford education, while providing skill acquisition programmes and opportunities for women rural areas. I am also presently one of the key host of Future City Competition in Nigeria which involves grooming the next generation of engineers.
My personal strategy to carry out this effectively and bring this idea to reality is to utilize my present and suitable business plan that would place my company in the forefront of the construction industry, while providing advancement and recent development in construction, optimizing situations for effective productivity, while inaugurating branches throughout the entire continent of Africa where top infrastructural solutions would be the sole mission. I would also inaugurate an Association of Female STEM Entrepreneurs in Nigeria.
I would also utilize the knowledge gained in the development, mentorship and sponsorship of younger engineers; I am committed to developing the younger engineers for the industry, creating awareness and volunteer as a speaker at career symposiums and conferences to give young undergraduates the information needed in order to continuously place them at the top of their careers and provide insights of how they could show case their skills to their prospective employers; due to a highly competitive job market. It is also my intention to launch my first book career guide for engineers.
SUPPORT AND MENTORSHIP I NEED TO ACCOMPLISH MY GOALS
To achieve this, apart from funding for education, I require mentorship from a successful expert in the industry which will not only groom me but will keep me more focused, a business website will be needed also to promote my business, services and content as well as a blog for related updates, I would need great opportunities to attend networking events and leadership programs as well as conferences, and hence the Toptal Scholarship is the best for me because it appears to have captured and catered for my proposed needs while inspiring me to give back to my community and help make the lives of women better in Africa and the society at large, which in return will need to economic growth.
I am rest assured that if I get this scholarship, it would bring about change and create a great difference in the lives of the young women, because it would sincerely contribute to the development of Nigeria as a country and Africa as a continent, propel the development of women and the take into consideration the interest of young girls while portraying a country bounded by strong ethics, and most especially promote equity in our society regardless of your societal class or religion. It is my promise that if I gain this Toptal Scholarship, I will utilize all my talents for female development in Nigeria and I will make my knowledge and service available for the prosperity of women in my continent Africa.