Etisalat, Zuriel Oduwole Empower Students with Career Counselling

Etisalat and global education advocate/film maker, Zuriel Oduwole, have inspired hundreds of secondary school students across Lagos State with career counselling sessions sponsored by the telecom firm.

The Etisalat Career Counselling Programme is a Corporate Social Responsibility initiative of the company, and it is part of the Etisalat Employee Volunteering Scheme. This programme is designed to guide students of secondary schools in junior and senior levels towards making sound, positive and fulfilling career decisions which will provide long-term benefits for them, their families, organisations, and ultimately the nation.

The career counselling sessions, which held at the Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, Lagos State Government Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja, afforded the students the opportunity to receive inspiration from 14-year-old Zuriel Oduwole and staff of Etisalat Nigeria on career opportunities and how to make the right career choice thereby fulfilling their goals in life.

Oduwole while encouraging the students drawn from 11 secondary schools across Lagos State to dream big and pursue their dreams, went further to show them the documentary of her girl-child education advocacy, for which she has met 24 heads of state and other world leaders.

After Zuriel’s session, three employees of Etisalat Nigeria including Head, Commercial and Corporate Services, Legal, Kenneth Uzim; Manager, IT Demand and Business Relationship Management, Nkechi Obigho; and Manager, Products & Products Information, Olaniyi Adefabi, took turns to educate and motivate the students. Uzim took the students through what lawyers do; Obigho gave an expose on what it entails to build a career in Information Technology, while Adefabi taught on digital media and entrepreneurship.

Speaking about the significance of the career counseling initiative, Director, Regulatory and Corporate Social Responsibility, Ikenna Ikeme said it highlights the company’s commitment to partnering with relevant authorities and organisations to drive the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goal on quality education.

Ikenna said, “At Etisalat, we take Corporate Social Responsibility seriously, and education is one aspect we are very passionate about. We also have big interventions in health and environment but we believe that education is the pillar of national development and we are happy to partner with the Lagos State Government to equip the students with the right knowledge they need to choose future careers.”

“We thank Lagos State Government for being a supporter of Etisalat Nigeria. Over the last eight years, we have consistently done things differently, which is what we are known for. Knowledge is power. It helps one make the right decisions. Today, we are empowering these students to make informed decisions about their future career paths, and also give them some ideas about the different and emerging career paths that exist”, he added.

Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Education, Mr. Adesina Odeyemi, thanked Etisalat Nigeria for its interventions in the state’s education sector and said the state government was always glad to collaborate with Etisalat.

“I want to thank Etisalat for what they are doing with us in Lagos State. They are collaborating with us and supporting education with lot of interventions. As we appreciate Etisalat, we believe that they will do more towards the development of education in Lagos State. I hope the students will take advantage of this opportunity of receiving great career counselling, which will help them succeed in life”, he said.

The event also featured debates, spelling and quiz competitions which saw Sodiq Ayansina, a student of Babs Fafunwa Millennium Senior Grammar School, win a Cliqlite Tab. 

The Etisalat Career Counselling Programme is a continuous programme, and it was designed to equip Nigerian youth with the tools and information needed to become the best they can be, and to enable them transform themselves into worthy ambassadors of their homes, state and the nation.