Government Girls Secondary School, Dutse, Federal capital territory (FCT), has honoured Mrs. Dayo Benjamins-Laniyi, for championing girl-child empowerment.
She was honoured with an award in recognition of her immense contribution towards the uplifting of the girl-child.
The award was presented to Benjamin-Laniyi by the outgoing principal of the school, Hajiya Ruqaiya Hussein on Tuesday in Abuja.
The award was also to mark the first anniversary of her pet project, The Dream Girls Project, in the school.
Benjamins-Laniyi said the project was initiated on Nov. 2, 2019, adding that it had since inception, catered for the academic, emotional, psychological and material needs of over 500 school girls.
She said that the selected girls were put through series of tests and screenings before they were certified worthy to participate in the skill acquisition and empowerment scheme.
According to her, the girls were selected from SS 2 and SS 3, and were taught photography, fashion design, public speaking and etiquette, and other money-making skills.
Benjamins-Laniyi while receiving the award expressed gratitude to the principal, teachers and students of the school for finding her worthy of such honour.
She expressed hope to do more to empower the girl child not just in the FCT and Nigeria, but across Africa and the world.
“This award is an appreciation award for creating a platform where I was able to effectively impact the on the lives of the girls, so it’s basically a special award,” she said.
Speaking, the principal of the school, Ruqaiya Hussein, however, extolled the virtues of the awardee, and highlighted the many ways through which the project had impacted on the girls.
She called on other stakeholders and well-meaning individuals to support the project and ensure that it spreads to all nooks and crannies of the country.
“This award is an appreciation presented to you, the founder of the Dream Girls Project, for serving as a platform for the development of the girl-child and in making her an equal contributor to the society.
“We really appreciate you, and in fact, you deserve more than this,” she said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Dream Girls Project is aimed at paving way for the African girl-child to reach for the skies and pursue any dream she aspires to in life.
The project is also working out modalities to enable the dream girls visit the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
Mrs Bolanle Oyeyemi, the wife of the Corp Marshall of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Boboye Oyeyemi, who also attended the event promised to organise advanced road safety lessons for the girls.
