I train young school girls taekwondo to defend against randy men-Mrs Akeredolu 

By Temitope Adedeji, Akure 

Wife of Ondo State governor, Mrs. Betty Akeredolu has emphasized that she trains young school girls yearly on taekwondo so as to defend themselves against randy men who may want to molest them.

Mrs. Akeredolu said this at the closing edition of the 2022 BeMore summer Bootcamp held in Akure, the state capital at the weekend.

“The rate at which boys and men are molesting the young girls is becoming alarming that we can no longer tolerate. Therefore, we decided to inject the training of taekwondo into the program since inception, to prepare our girls in defending themselves,” she said.

She charged the girls to always remember the trainings they received, especially taekwondo for self defence against randy men, as she assured them of government’s protection against all forms of abuse through the VAPP law which they’re already aware of its existence.

“All you need do is speak up! Whenever that randy guy comes close, remember that, I gave you a toll-free line to dial to report and trust that we will be there to rescue and defend you,” Mrs. Akeredolu said.

Over 388 school girls smiled home after being trained and well equipped with tools in Solar Technology, ICT and other entrepreneurial skills.

Mrs Akeredolu urged the girls to be more proactive as they were being released to the world, to put into use, all they have learnt to transform their environments, as special breeds without greed.

She encouraged them to always stand up for women and girls by defending womanhood against gender-based violence, most especially, the randy men, who are fond of molesting them. 

“My dear techy girls, I want you to take home the fact that the ‘the future is female’. Gone are the days you would be made to play the second fiddle role because you are a girl.

“You are too talented and endowed to be ‘materials for exports’. Bemore Girls are not cheap! You must go ahead and do rare exploits,” She said.

Also speaking at the event, Minister of Science and Technology, Senator Nimbe Mamora, described the graduands as a new breed of champions. He further encouraged them not to be discouraged by the challenges awaiting them as they grow to become women.

In his remarks, Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu emphasised that education is the bedrock of fundamental human development, which BeMore is encouraging girls to pursue, as he described the initiative as one of the largest girls’ projects in Nigeria.

The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, affirmed that the BeMore Empowered Foundation had equipped girls towards maximum exploitation of their potentials, while thanking the Founder and her team for partnership with his administration in closing gender gap towards actualisation of its REDEEMED Agenda.

Chairman of the occasion, Dr. Jimoh Ibrahim, charged the graduands, as leaders of tomorrow to take education seriously in this era.

According to him, the world economy is competitive, noting that they’ve been supported with innovative materials in the camp which should motivate them to prioritize education.