The Akwa Ibom Female Students Association Worldwide (AIFSA) has nominated a first-year student of Ritman University into its electoral board charged with the responsibility for screening and conducting elections for its next leadership.
Precious Bunmi Johnson, who is a 100 level student of History and International Studies at Ritman University was nominated into this seven-member electoral board during the National Female Students Summit held on Tuesday 16th February, 2016 at Nigerwives Hall, Ewet Housing Estate in Uyo.
The summit which had as its theme, “Behind the Beautiful Face”, began with an opening prayer by Kindness Nwosu, another student of Ritman University, and featured lectures, live artistic sketch, debates, poetry and dance. Prizes were presented to deserving participants by Special Guests one of whom was Ritman University’s Director of Student Life, Dr Mrs Rita Umoh.
The Latter pointed out that Ritman University management took the trouble to transport their students to that event from their campus in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State and provide for their comfort because social and interschool interactions is vital to raising well-adjusted scholars.
During his lecture, the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Finance, Mr Akan Okon, said that education is the panacea that will make women live up to their full potentials. He noted that beauty amounts to nothing without education, and that women can cancel the notion of their place being “in the kitchen” when they make themselves useful.
Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly – Rt Hon. Felicia Bassey – in her keynote speech cited the scripture which states that “favour is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman that fears the Lord shall be praised” to buttress her point that devotion to God, character and intellectual capacity are greater values than mere outward beauty.
In their debate, students from Nuco Comprehensive College stressed that women are sensible, creative, industrious and good at negotiation and so should be given equal opportunities as the men. There was also a debate by students of Cornelia Cornelly College which brought out the harmful effects of abortion and cautioned girls to avoid premarital sex.
Responding to the abortion debate, a medical student from the University of Uyo said that legalization of abortion is not a good option because Western societies have not fared any better as a result of making abortion legal; rather, it has given rise to more problems than it has solved.
Prominent among dignitaries at the event were the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Finance, Mr Akan Okon; The Deputy Speaker, Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Felicia Bassey; Special Adviser to the Governor on Projects, Mrs Uduak Usen; Miss Nigeria International, Mercy Atang; and many other beauty queens.
The event was attended by hundreds of female students from universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and secondary schools.
