By Ovat Abeng
Class of 1994 Alumni Association of the Federal Government Girls College (FGGC), Nkwelle Ezunaka (formerly FGGC Onitsha), Anambra State, organised a one-day financial literacy awareness seminar for students of the College.
The awareness campaign, which was part of the activities to mark the 30th anniversary of the graduation of Class of 1994, took place at the College conference hall on Saturday, 30th November, 2024.
Speaking on the significance of the event, Mrs. Njideka Nwabukwu stated that the seminar was part of their mandate to give back to their alma mater, an institution that laid a solid foundation for their future. She stated that her alumni members were either successful entrepreneurs or professionals in various fields, including the financial services sector, and understood the importance of women’s economic empowerment. As such, the project was of immense value to them.
According to Mrs. Nwabukwu, the Seminar was organized to give the students opportunity to acquire basic financial management skills, including budgeting, income generation, savings and investment, so as to start practicing these skills from a young age. She acknowledged the efforts of her schoolmates in the Reunion Project Sub-Committee, who worked with her to organize and execute the project.
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Mrs. Nwabukwu, facilitated the session, leveraging the experience she gained from her previous role in the financial inclusion process of her employer. The presentation highlighted the importance of being gainfully employed in earning income to meet the basic personal and family needs while setting aside some funds for savings and investment to protect against possible shocks and emergencies.
She highlighted the importance of budgeting and the need for students to ensure that their expenses are kept within their resources/income. She further differentiated between needs & wants and warned the students against the dangers of being financially illiterate, like excessive borrowing/debt and financial scams (get-rich-quick) schemes.
In conclusion, she encouraged the students to acquire additional financial literacy knowledge through reading books, subscribing to financial content, and listening to related podcasts, among others.
The Coordinator of the Reunion Planning Committee, Chidi Obi-Anoliefo, commended the School management for providing the opportunity for this interaction with the students and urged the students to put into practice, all they were taught during the Seminar. She further stated that the Class of 1994 has plans to track the impact of the seminar on the students in the future.
In her remark, the Principal of the College, Dr Mrs. Ifeoma Ezeodurukwe thanked the organizers for putting together the event. She prayed to God to continue to bless and protect all the members of Class of 1994 in their various lifes’ endeavors.
The Principal was represented at the event by Mrs Asuzu Maureen, a Director in the College.
Representatives of the Central Bank of Nigeria and Zenith Bank plc graced the event and lent their voices to the cause. Their respective speeches underscored the importance of financial literacy for the girl-child, with advice on the need for the students to adopt personal financial management early in life.
The students who were selected to represent the entire school thanked the Class of 1994 and their school administration for the opportunity to participate in the event. They promised to immediately put to practice what they were taught and to extend key learning points to their peers.