Believe it or not this day has truly come. This is WISCAR’s tenth year anniversary and I can hardly believe it! Over the years, I have had the privilege of telling the story of the origins and birth of WISCAR several times especially at each end of year event. I have related how it all came about and how the original idea was Inspired by the Aspen Leadership Initiative (ALIWA). Each time, each telling has uncovered new and fresh insights and surprising and encouraging revelations. So in preparing this year’s address, I reviewed the addresses of the past years, and I realised that although the story is fundamentally the same story, the WISCAR story is a very rich brew full of tasty ingredients and with multiple nuances, with different layers of meaning and with many peaks and troughs but always triumphant at the end. That, I believe, is not by mistake but because of the importance of the cause, the amazing impact of the program, and beyond all that the passion and the fervor of all those who have helped to drive the vision and mission of WISCAR.
WISCAR, a company limited by guarantee, was incorporated in February 7, 2008. That means that in February 2018, WISCAR will be 10 years old as an entity. As an idea, it is a little bit older.
So where did it all start? The idea of WISCAR grew out of a realization that at pivotal moments in my career, I was without any formidable role models to turn to for advice, encouragement and comfort. I had no female lodestar by whose light I could navigate my professional journey. It is too early, even at this age for me to conclude that I have found my drive but if I have been able to find my way, it was entirely providential – that was my personal professional journey. A journey that was spiced with many uncertainties and doubts. A journey that was ultimately smoothened only because of the unstinting support of my family. But I often reflected that it did not need to be so. It was seldom the same reality for men. For men, the only question was often their ability to perform optimally in their assigned duties. They very rarely had to entertain any doubt that they belonged in whatever profession they chose for themselves. That is because, they had seen their fathers, their uncles, their brothers and their friends do all those things. They had even seen other men, who had before them attained towering heights and achieved amazing success. It was that gap between the realities of men and women that I realised had to be filled. It was a daunting task and it was a task that required deep thought and analysis. It was the task that gave birth to WISCAR.
The deep reflections and consistent consultations about the best way to empower women early in their chosen professional careers gave birth to the WIN with WISCAR mentoring program. The WIN with WISCAR mentoring program is a structured and practical mentoring program that is built around certain very unique features. These features include:
- A careful matching of each Mentee with a Mentor selected to help the Mentee begin to meet the realization of her goals and ambitions.
- Attendance at a series of rich and varied career seminars and personal professional effectiveness seminars.
- Participating in four book reviews.
- Role Modelling with several opportunities to network with significant and successful women during the Meet-A-WISCAR sessions.
The proof of the pudding, it is said, is in the eating. How have WISCAR Mentees fared? Many of them have attested to their enhanced confidence and stronger ability to be much more effective in their work places. Many have attained highly significant success in their aspirations borne of their greater ability to focus, understand and control their environment. Most are much better rounded and more effective professionals in their different fields of endeavour. Let me in particular, mention and celebrate a few of the highly successful WISCAR Alumni.
It is hard for me to describe how I felt when Adepeju Jaiyeoba who joined WISCAR as an eager young lawyer, anxious about her place in the world, but with a desire to make an impact. A few years later, she was shaking hands with President Obama!
Amara Agbim a 2010 mentee with the support of her mentor became the CEO/Founder of The Nanny Academy. She won the 2013 Youwin Award amongst others. Amara also recently launched a financial inclusion venture, CARE4, a Microfinance Bank created to empower women and girls in the Domestic Service Sector of Nigeria.
Tinu Adelegan, a 2015 mentee recently received the coveted Chevening Scholarship award to pursue a one-year master’s at Leeds University in the United Kingdom.
Moji Fashola, a 2014 mentee was one of the three lawyers selected to represent Nigeria at the International Lawyers Africa Program in UK. She was in 2016 admitted to Harvard University Law School for masters in law. Mojishola’s participation in the WISCAR program emboldened her to apply.
In addition to mentoring women, WISCAR has always sought to be an advocate for issues that affect women. That is why it would be remiss of me to fail to mention the burning issue of sexual harassment that has, not before time, now been put on the front burner of the news. The harassment of defenseless women has been going on for centuries. In the early pre-industrial ages, it was mostly staved off by the protection women enjoyed from their families. This is not to say that it was always absent even within the family setting. However, with increasing influx of women into the work place, the practice has mushroomed into alarming proportions. Few women, I believe have passed through the work place without suffering the attention of the few bullies who engage in these despicable acts. What therefore, women must do, is to advocate for proactive policies to stop and punish these acts, whenever they rear their ugly head. We must call for the instituting of a global policy that will aid and protect women against sexual harassment and that will punish those men who engage in it. This is a subject I will merely mention here, but one I will exhort each and every one of us to give careful thought to.
Today, we are celebrating the 10th anniversary of the founding of WISCAR. We will celebrate by talking about the great issues for aspiring women. We have brought together, many inspiring people (men and women) to do this. Let me just give a brief insight into some of these. I will start by hinting you that a truly inspiring woman will give today’s keynote speech: her topic will be “Developing Women to Build a Better Nation”. This topic is extremely apt in that it is the mission of WISCAR to develop women to build a better nation.
Apart from the keynote speaker, we will have two discussion sessions on:
- Breaking the Barriers to Getting the Top Job and Staying There.
The second discussion session is:
- Does Equal Opportunity Drive Economic Success and Profitability?
I trust you will enjoy the discourse.
In celebrating a landmark anniversary, we look back to examine other past successes and to applaud ourselves and each other for them. We also look back to learn lessons from our failures and limitations. It is imperative that we at WISCAR do both of these things in order to be able to forge into the future with greater assurance, renewed ambitions and better focus.
Our dream for WISCAR for the next five years is to improve our mentorship framework, to expand its reach to a more diverse set of women professionals and to harvest the genius of the preceding years into building more and other initiatives. Along these lines, I must mention the initiative of the WISCAR Mentee Alumni to expand mentorship to women and girls in universities and even secondary schools. Their initiative must be applauded.
The 8th set of Mentees are graduating today. We congratulate them for their industry, perseverance and their success. Their graduation today must be seen by them as the gaining of the keys to an exclusive club. The club of people who are self-driven, self-directing, self-correcting and successful. Today, they gain the symbolic keys to their future attainment of the pinnacle of their careers. Whatever they plan it to be. From today, they become true mistresses of their own destiny.
Today, we also induct the 9th set of mentees. They have been selected after a multi stage assessment process. Let me, on behalf of all of you, wish them luck for the grueling year ahead, whilst congratulating them for their good fortunes in being selected for such amazing personal development.
In closing, let me thank again and again, all those who have made WISCAR possible and who have kept WISCAR going.
Our Mentors, for your selfless labor of love.
Our Advisory Board members for all those late meetings and your priceless counsel.
Our program facilitators for your generosity with your intellectual capital.
Our Patrons, for your wisdom, counsel and encouragement.
Our mentees, for choosing to be moulded.
Our Volunteers for your service and support
Our WISCAR staff, for your amazing industry.
Our 10th Anniversary Planning Committee, Chaired by Mrs Boma Ayomide Alabi
Finally and definitely, not the least, our Sponsors and Donors for your continued support. Without you, none of this would have been possible.
Let me remind us that the WISCAR program is entirely free of charge. It is our sponsors and donors who have allowed us to contribute so significantly to nation building. As we celebrate 10 successful years we look forward to the next 10 years and beyond. The future of WISCAR is extremely bright. The future of women is extremely bright. Great strides have been made but there is still a long way to go. Let us continue to empower women as much as we can and unleash their talent so that they can climb up and up the ladder and contribute to socio- economic success, development and growth. Let us all join hands to build a better nation.
Thank you for listening and God bless.
Amina Oyagbola, Chartered Fellow CIPD Uk, FIOD
WISCAR Founder
