Week Recap

It's been an especially different week for me; it is so because we got to celebrate all the phenomenal women out there. Did you read my special note to women? Here is a copy.

This week began with my courtesy visit to the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, where I held a meeting with Prof. Yakubu Ochefu Our goal is to work with the CVC to help provide broadband access to all the over 270 universities and higher institutions in the 36 states of the federation. Do you know that in 1962, the National Universities Commission was set up as a cabinet organ by the FG to oversee and advise on matters relating to university education in Nigeria? Quite a number of policies used in several universities, like the common NYSC Scheme, JAMB, academic standards for universities, tech-driven plagiarism detection software (Eagle scan), and more, emanated from them.

At NIGERIAN COMMUNICATIONS SATELLITE LIMITED (NIGCOMSAT) , we are spending the month celebrating women, especially those who have contributed immensely to our work. As part of the #InvestInwomen theme on International Women's Day 2024, we have started a weekly leadership series for women in the organization. We invite inspiring women speakers from the satellite communications industry to share their experiences and insights. Our first session this week was with Amina Sambo Magaji .

As part of the IWD celebrations, on Tuesday we hosted young girls from eleven different schools in Abuja for a career talk by women at Nigcomsat. We also took them on a tour of our facility as a way to inspire them and encourage girls in STEM with related interests to pursue a career there. Schools were: JSS AREA, GSS GARKI AREA 10, GSS AREA 1, JSS WISE ZONE 1, JSS WUSE ZONE 3, JSS JABI 2, JSS DURUMI, NIGERIAN KOREA MODEL SCHOOL, MODEL GIRLS JSS ACO, JSS ASOKORO, and Anglican Comprehensive Secondary School Kpegyi. Thank you to all the principals and students who attended.

This week, the twenty finalists in our NIGCOMSAT Accelerator program commenced the deep dive stage. They began with an introductory call with our innovation team and an expert session/workshop with Oluseye Soyode-Johnson on design thinking, and the zeal that the participants showed was unmatched. I want to see that grit till the end of the program and how excellent your products would have become by the end.

The leadership of the Unity Schools Old Students Association paid a courtesy visit to my office. I am an alumni of the Unity School system in Nigeria and proud of the work of President General Michael Magaji and the executive committee . I'll tell you about the 'ALL girls' school narrative; it's remarkable to note that long before the United States started its SDG programs, our FG understood the importance of mainstreaming gender as a key element for public education and national development. The understanding birthed the “all girls” school to the narrative. Isn't that commendable?

NIGERIAN COMMUNICATIONS SATELLITE LIMITED (NIGCOMSAT) was represented at the "Investing in Women: Accelerating Progress," event 1-day Conference and Trade Fair in commemoration of the International Women’s Day event organized by the Office of the Special Assistant to the President on Women Affairs.

The event was meticulously designed to be transformative, celebrating the extraordinary achievements of women globally while fostering discussions on the pressing issues that demand our attention. They curated a distinguished lineup of speakers, including trailblazers in various fields, each contributing their unique perspectives to ignite conversations on women's empowerment, gender equality, entrepreneurship and wealth-building. The event aims not only to acknowledge the milestones made but also to underscore the urgency of continued efforts to achieve true gender parity and it highlights the importance of investing in women as catalysts for sustainable development and economic growth.

On Wednesday, we were represented at the Outsource To Nigeria Initiative Conference in Gombe, hosted by the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Our staff, Abdullahi Bahamman, from our Gombe office, was there to represent us.The Outsource to Nigeria Initiative (OTNI) is a privately led, government-enabled national job creation effort anchored by the Presidency under the Office of the Vice President and initiated by Outsource Global, Nigeria's leading BPO provider. OTNI seeks to generate millions of jobs in Nigeria through global Business Process Outsourcing and IT-enabled services (BPO/ITES).

Once every month, we run town hall sessions to engage and communicate with staff. This month, in line with celebrating women, we got the women to anchor and organize every session, and it was a great way to bring visibility and empower women at various levels of the organization. Check out the Video of some of the notable female talent at NIGCOMSAT we celebrated; Funmi OBI , Opeyemi Rukayyat , Zulfatu Faruk ,Jarumai , Grace N

We also celebrated an EX-staff of Nigcomsat Anita Enruchi Nnameago for her contribution.

I spent the evening speaking Inclusion to members of the Space Generation Advisory Council , hosted by Ruth Okoh . I shared about our collective responsibility to dismantle barriers and create an environment where every woman feels empowered, valued, and heard in the workplace. By inspiring inclusiveness of women, we not only foster a more equitable society but also unlock a reservoir of untapped potential and talent. When women are given equal opportunities to thrive and succeed, the benefits reverberate far beyond individual achievements; they extend to families, communities, and the world at large Afterwards, a couple of meetings followed, and the day ended with my meeting with the Space Advisory Council.

Friday was D-day at NIGCOMSAT. We celebrated the day by running a "Bring Your Daughter to Work campaign". We Established that day where can live up to our core values and show inclusion by inspiring our daughters. staff members brought their daughters to work at various levels of the company. They benefinted from the educational session on space technology, a tour and fun activities for the kids .This brought pride and awareness about the Nigcomsat core values and organization as a whole to the families.

And I called it a wrap ending the day with Tamara Bond-Williams and the members of the Space and Satellite Professionals International SSPI - WISE virtual call to commemorate the International Women's Day. My speech was on the need to "Inspire Inclusiveness," in commemoration of the 2024 International Women's Day, The need for organizations to take an action based approach in Investing in Women. That includes creating programs to create awareness of female talent, Mentoring and coaching for female talent. Invest in women means; Train women, Promote women, Fund women Businesses, Showcase and celebrate female talent, Develop polices to support and retain more women in the space and satellite industry. An interesting fact of the numbers is that for over 600 people that have gone to space since the first trip only about 11% of that are women.

In conclusion, this week has woven a tapestry of diverse experiences, from engaging discussions with education authorities to inspiring the next generation of female leaders and culminating in a vibrant celebration of women's achievements. The stories shared and the connections made emphasize the significance of nurturing gender inclusivity and educational excellence. As we conclude this week, I eagerly anticipate the sustained impact and growth of our initiatives, driven by the passion and dedication of all those who contribute to our shared vision.