Flour Mills of Nigeria (FMN) a leading player within the FMCG industry and the owner of the iconic brand Golden Penny in commemoration of International Women’s Day 2023, held an outreach at United Christian Secondary School in Apapa, Lagos through Flour Mills of Nigeria Women’s Network (FMNWN), to engage and inspire young female students at the institution.

In line with IWD 2023’s theme "Embrace Equity," representatives from FMNWN spoke on the importance of everyone coming together to create a more equitable and just world for all women. Chairperson of FMN Women’s Network, Ms. Olasubomi Sofowora, in her address, encouraged the students to celebrate themselves and the need for everyone to work together to create an equitable society. She stressed the importance of appreciating diversity and the need to create an equitable & inclusive society that ensures that all girls have the same rights and opportunities as boys. She said.

“Education is the foundation of a more equitable society, and it is essential girls have access to quality education. An equitable society ensures that women’s voices are heard and that their perspectives are taken into account. You are all special beings and can do special things if you put your mind to it.”

The school’s principal, Mr. Agesin Taiwo also gave a speech to thank FMN’s Women Network for choosing the school to celebrate IWD 2023.  He urged the students to make the most of the knowledge being imparted to them to better themselves and be productive citizens of society, contributing their quota to the development of the nation. 

Other speakers at the FMN’s Women Network’s outreach included Mrs. Stella Ashinaga, who spoke on “The Importance of ICT for Female Empowerment.”  In her address, she pointed out the various ways Information Communication Technology can help empower females economically and enable them to participate in the economy and have financial security. Mrs. Ashinaga also taught the students the importance of understanding cybersecurity and how it works, safety tips on the internet, and websites where they can learn tech/ICT skills online among other things. 

Mrs. Ginikanwa Nwaorah-Onwuekwe, the Performance, Career & Culture Manager also gave an address tagged “You Can Be Whom You Want To Be,” which encouraged the students to pursue their dreams without letting their gender limit or stop them. 

Other highlights of the event included a question and answer segment with speakers from the FMNWN, the presentation of a projector to the United Christian Secondary School’s principal, (Mr. Agesin Taiwo), for the school’s computer lab, presentation of gifts to the students in attendance, networking and a selfie break. The event was open to the female students of the United Christian Secondary School and attendance was free for all participants.   

The event ended with Ms. Grace Beredugo (Team Lead, Strategic Implementation at FMN), enjoining the students to take into account all they have learned during the program and apply them in their decision-making processes.