Billionaire businesswoman Folorunsho Alakija has shared the story of a Nigerian man who discouraged his daughter from studying engineering.
Alakija narrated this story on Tuesday, October 11, during the International Day of the Girl Child celebration.
The billionaire mother noted that the young lady had become a successful engineer after persuading the man to let his daughter pursue her dream.
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I remember on one of my trips abroad, I had gone shopping in one of the stores and I met an interesting young Nigerian lady. She was serving at the till, and she was so excited to see me,” she narrated
In her excitement, she quickly blurted out her personal story. She wanted to be an engineer, but her father discouraged her because she was a girl.
After much persuasion, which included sharing a copy of my autobiography with her father, just to convince him that a woman can successfully play and win in the Oil and Gas sector, her father agreed and today she is a successful engineer.
Discrimination and gender imbalance usually begin in the home. The world’s 600 million adolescent girls have shown that if given the skills and equal opportunities, they can be changemakers.
Parents and society at large should not undermine the abilities of the girl child but invest in a future that believes in their leadership, and potential.
Apostle Folorunsho Alakija
Folorunsho Alakija is a Nigerian billionaire businesswoman and philanthropist in the fashion, oil, real estate, and printing industries.
Alakija is ranked the second African most powerful woman behind Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
According to Forbes, she is also the 87th most powerful woman in the world.
