Phew… we absolutely love these women and many more women who are not just raising a generation of book-lovers and better-educated children, but they are contributing heavily to ensure that in the midst of all this rot in the educational sector, more Nigerian kids are given a second chance at having a quality education.
Education is the bedrock of any society
Through the years, the education sector in Nigeria has had its fair share of debauchery and rot. Many kids can barely read, our schools are teaching skills that are mostly useless beyond the walls of the school and our universities are churning out graduates that cannot meet up to the standard of many companies.
Thankfully, many women are stepping in to salvage this and inculcate better reading habits among kids. These women are passionate about helping Nigerian kids become better – through books.
Folawe Omikunle
Photo: Instagram
Folawe Omikunle graduated from Babcock University in 2008 with a Bachelor’s Degree in International Law and Diplomacy. Upon completion of her Master’s degree at the Diplomatic Academy of London, the University of Westminster in 2010, she returned to Nigeria and took up an appointment as a School Administrator at Kradle Academy, a Montessori Pre-school in Lagos, Nigeria. Folawe began to think of education inequity as a systemic problem while working as an Administrator, through an experience where an orphaned child was enrolled at her school.
In her journey to contribute to the education sector in Nigeria beyond the school setting, Folawe joined the Association of Private Educators in Nigeria (APEN) in 2013 as Coordinator, to seek a platform that would enable her to improve the quality of education for marginalized children. After two months at APEN, she was promoted to Executive Secretary – a position in which she planned and led several teacher training workshops and professional development programs for educators, and cultivated relationships with key government and education stakeholders.
In 2015, Folawe joined Teach For Nigeria as the Program Manager in its early stages. She quickly transitioned to become the CEO in 2016, leading the start-up, planning, and development of the organization.
Folawe has dedicated her professional life to tackling the challenges in the education sector in Nigeria.
Funmi Ilori
Photo: YYC
When Funmi hit the streets of Lagos with a mobile library, many people were in awe and many more children were encouraged to read. Funmi drives her vehicles – that are filled with books – from homes to homes, schools, and communities to teach little children and encourage them to read. Funmi believes that it is only readers who lead and she wants to cultivate the habit of reading in little children.
Funmi Ilori is an educational psychologist/consultant and social entrepreneur. She is the founder of iRead Network Africa, the first innovative and fully integrated ‘books on wheels’ for children in Nigeria, bridging literacy gaps and enhancing education for the African child.
Funmi is passionate about growing a reading generation of exemplary leaders and her long term dream is to build the largest children library in Africa on wheels.
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