The Edo State Coordinator and Chairperson Girls Power Initiative Executive Board, Grace Osakue, facilitators, fellow graduands and invited guests.  You are all welcome to 2016 GPI Outreach Graduation Ceremony on this day June 18, 2016.

I, Jury Ekuiyiwolo and my fellow graduands bless God for the knowledge gained so far through the organisation. We are also grateful to our facilitators who were never tired of coming to empower us come rain or sunshine, and Big Mama Grace Osakue for co-founding this rich-filled organisation that co-ordinate and empower young girls. May God give you grace to coordinate more young girls in Jesus name. Amen.

Through this initiative, we were taught hygiene, awareness on how to deal with feminine issues, to believe in ourselves and gender roles that we can do things that men can also do. Girls’ Power Initiative taught us not to be allowed to be used as sex slave, not to drop out of school, and not to be involved in child marriage.

The girl-child is a nation builder, a light giver, direction to those who had been misled, pride to our parents, asset to our nation and the glory of today and tomorrow’s woman. Thus, we see our Mama Grace Osakue, former Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Late Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, Queen Amina of Zaria, Queen Idia of Bini kingdom, Chimamanda Adichie, Honourable Speaker of the Edo House of Assembly – Chief (Mrs) Elizabeth Uyinmwen Ativie, former Deputy Governor Dame Pauline Tallen of Plateau State and the present Finance Minister Mrs Kemi Adesina as role models.

The importance of our outreach programme cannot be compared for if Ese Oruruh was imparted through this kind of initiative, she wouldn’t have been a victim of rape, early marriage, teenage mother and school drop-out. God forever bless the founders for introducing this initiative.

The GPI outreach has positively imparted the lives of so many girls and I am a living example as this programme has equipped me with information not to be a victim of abuse nor ignorant of ingredients that makes one successful in life. I urge every one of us graduands to be the hearer and doer of what we have learnt from this programme, and very soon we will see female Governors, Presidents, Parliamentarians, Ministers, Commissioners etc. amongst us.

Thank you and God bless!!!