… Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti’s story inspires next generation
Women and girls have been urged to emulate the late Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti to maximise their inner strength to advance causes that positively impact society and drive national development.
This charge was the focal point at the first edition of the GIG Mobility Women Empowerment series held in Lagos tagged “The Strength of a Woman In Shaping Society.”
The series hosted women and girls from various schools to join lead actors Adunni Ade and Owowunmi Dada to draw lessons from the movie Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti.
Speaking after the film show, Adunni Ade said Funmilayo demonstrated that indeed there are no limitations to what women can achieve.
“A woman is full of substance. Within her is the power to create, nurture, and transform. She’s filled with good instinct and creativity. The resolute courage propels her to fight for what’s right even when the odds are stacked against her and that was what she showed,” Adunni said.
She urged women to be daring in identifying ways to shape society for the greater good as Funmilayo did.
Also, Omowunmi Dada who portrayed Mrs Soyinka in the movie advised women and girls to follow their dreams with courage, love, and a daring spirit to make an impact irrespective of glaring odds.
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“As a woman, you need to work on your craft. Be the best version of yourself, be disciplined, seek to add value at all times and the world will come looking for you,” Omowunmi said.
“Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti,” spoke on the evolving role of women in society, particularly in the Nigerian film industry.”
“When I started, women were often sidelined in the industry. Now, women are leaders in their own right. Bolanle Austin-Peters has revived theatre culture, Mo Abudu is raising the bar in movie production, and Funke Akindele excels as both an actress and a producer.”
She also highlighted Ransome-Kuti’s impact beyond being the first Nigerian woman to drive a car: “Describing her as merely the first woman to drive a car is a great disservice.”
“She was a passionate and valiant woman who fought tirelessly for women’s rights, sacrificing much for the betterment of society. Her legacy built generations and strengthened the Kuti family’s bond, inspiring leaders to take women’s issues seriously.”
Enahoro Okhae, CEO, GIG Mobility, said the women empowerment series was part of the company’s objectives to give back to society, particularly women and girls.
Okhae said the series is the first type of corporate social responsibility in the mobility and transport service, demonstrating GIGM’s active role in empowering women in the workplace by giving them equal opportunity in a male-dominated industry.
He noted that women are the foundation of any good society as they have an inbuilt ability to care, nurture, and grow people and ideals that shape society.
“Our message to every girl child out there is that be beautiful but carry fire and hunger to make a lasting change in the society with you,” Okhae said.
“At GIGM, we recognise women’s creativity, strength, and instinct. For example, we have female mechanics on our maintenance team, female terminal managers across some of our busiest terminals, and female members on our software and tech team. Women can be the change we want to be reflected in our society.”
