AdaMark’s craving for girl-child education

The passionate advocate shares her aspiration to educate and increase societal awareness of the value of the girl-child.

My day starts with a ‘Father thank you…’

My day starts with a ‘Father thank you’ prayer because some people take pills to sleep, but no one takes pills to wake up. I wake up early regardless of how late I go to bed.  Afterwards, I do a little study while I have a cup of tea.

After the study, I take a quick shower and head to the office by 9am. When I get to the office, I attend to people and other official schedules for the day.

I really do not have a closing time, but once my basic targets for the day are met, I head home.

When I get home, I watch the television for a while before going to bed.

I feel education is very fundamental…

The desire to set up something for the girls and help them be what they want to become through education was born out of my quest to ensure that every girl is given the same opportunity as the male. I feel education is very fundamental because it is the only thing that can not be taken away from an individual. It also gives the leverage, self esteem and confidence required to succeed in life.

I chose to set up this foundation when I realised that only few girls could aspire for greater heights simply because they feel they are girls. Societal values for the girl-child had already depreciated so much, and there was little or no effort to encourage them to continue after they had dropped out of school.

AdaMark Foundation for Girls (AMFFG)…

AdaMark Foundation for Girls (AMFFG) is an NGO founded primarily to increase societal awareness of the value of the girl-child, strengthen the girl-child’s self image, self esteem and status. We empower girls and young women to become strong advocates who are able to speak out for their rights and lead social, political, economic and civic change.

I went into politics when I was 26 years old…

Starting anything new comes with its own challenges no matter how small. Getting people to believe and buy into the dream at the onset was the greatest challenge.

I went into politics when I was 26 years old. I am the first female member of the House of the Representatives in my constituency till date. Although most people did not believe in me then, but I broke the jinx and today in my community, there are young people aspiring for various beautiful things.

I believe a girl is as good as the boy next to her…

I believe in the equality of boys and girls. No government or policy can succeed unless they are able to carry both men and women along. The idea is not antagonism, but carrying everyone along. I believe a girl is as good as the boy next to her.

Being gender sensitive is as simple as wearing recommended spectacles; it makes the individual see better. Also, when the gender lens is worn, issues become clearer and are properly addressed.

Believe in whatever you do…

Believe in whatever you do irrespective of whether people buy the idea or not. Do not get deterred. Be confident about it. When ideas are not properly shared, people might not be convinced.

Consistency and strong belief in my dreams have kept me going. When one does anything without challenges, he or she should be scared. It may not be a fantastic idea.

We cannot afford to lose hope in Nigeria no matter the seeming situation…

There are things we learn from the family system. An average Nigerian or African is a family oriented person. There are things that one would not want to do, not because they are bad but because he thinks it will dent the family’s image. The family unit is a very stronghold. We need to go back to when we had values; our values have quickly eroded and we rather find succour in globalisation which is highly misunderstood.

We cannot afford to lose hope in Nigeria no matter the seeming situation. Nigeria may not be where it ought to be now; it may not be answering to us the way we want, but that does not mean it will remain like this. One important question we must always ask is, ‘What am I bringing on board?’ ‘Do I do what I have to do?’

Two wrongs have never made a right. It is not good enough to start rebelling against the system. Do not give up hope.

Nigerians are ambitious, energetic and full of beautiful dreams. Let’s all keep up doing our bits.

ADAMARK IN SHORT

AdaMark Ogbole is the CEO AdaMark Foundation for Girls. She bagged a Diploma  in mass communication from the Federal Polytechnic , Bida, Niger State; Bsc, Theatre Arts, University of Jos; Msc Theatre Arts, Benue State University.

AdaMark’s wealth of experience spans from regional electoral officer, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Afghanistan, 2008; electoral operations officer, United Nations Development Programme(UNDP),   (UNV)-Sierra Leone, 2007;  member, Federal House of Representatives,

Federal Republic of Nigeria; public relations executive, Lenoil Nigeria Ltd.

She holds certification from NIJ as advanced public relations and intensive advertising officer.

“I believe in the equality of boys and girls. No government or policy can succeed unless they are able to carry both men and women along.”

Original article: http://leadership.ng/features/368795/adamarks-craving-girl-child-education