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By Josephine Agbonkhese

Amid harsh economic realities in the country, with women and girls being the chief sufferers, the Chairperson, International Women Society, IWS, Mrs Nkoli Ogbolu, has urged womenfolk to focus on enhancing their creativity.

•Mrs Ogbolu (1st right) with Miss IWS, Patience Ogbaje (seated) and others at the event

According to Ogbolu, ensuring growth in their creative abilities will enable them standout and be recognised as distinguished personalities in whatever vocational skills they possess and practice; and earn a living at same time.

Ogbolu who spoke in Lagos at the Miss IWS Pageant 2017 organised by the organisation to produce a new queen for its vocational skills acquisition centre, said: “Tackling unemployment requires creativity and differentiation. If people can learn to focus on things they have passion for and seek wise ways to turn them into business ventures, they stand a better chance of tackling unemployment and becoming employers of labour themselves. Even if it is moi-moi you are good at making, you can learn to do it differently.”

Fielding questions from Vanguard Woman’s Own on the essence of the pageant, Ogbolu said whoever emerges Miss IWS is expected to be a model of excellence and good morals to others undergoing training at the centre.

“As the queen of a woman-centric  organisation, she is expected to be a mentor to others at the centre even though we also train men, throughout the coming year,” she said at the ceremony which also witnessed the graduation of over 1,500 persons from the five vocational courses (computer literacy, adult literacy, fashion designing, catering and events planning, hair dressing) taught at the centre established 18 years ago in Lagos.

Speaking of her plans for her one year tenure as Miss IWS, the new queen, Patience Ogbaje, said she had up her sleeves life-changing plans for students at the center.

Meanwhile, describing her experience as Miss IWS, the outgoing queen, Lisa Inaku Omoya, said it was a year of impact, learning and unlearning, both for herself and students at the centre.

“I was opportune to facilitate conferences here at the centre, in which we had notable motivational speakers and life coaches address us. For me, I personally learned to be mindful of the things I say and do because I have realised they go a long way in influencing the behaviour of others around me,” Omoya said.

In attendance at the event was the Vice President, IWS, Mrs Abimbola Ademola Bawaallah, among other dignitaries.