Olufemi Adeyemi
A 14-year-old student, Kate Ene, on Wednesday held the position of Chief Executive Officer of a telecommunications company, MTN Nigeria for one day.MTN Nigeria yesterday announced Kate Ene David as its CEO
for a day following her emergence as the winner of the 2022 MTN mPulse Spelling
Bee out of over 11,000 participants who registered for the competition.
Kate, an inspiring 14-year-old student from Intimacy with
Christ Secondary School, Mararaba, Nasarawa State, assumed leadership of
Africa’s largest telecommunication network at 9:00am on Wednesday.
In his symbolic handover, Karl Toriola applauded Kate’s brilliance
while reiterating the purpose of the initiative, “It has always been our brand
commitment to support the government and educational institutions in producing
students that are primed for global competitiveness. With that in mind, I am
confident that our CEO for a day is on the path to a great future. We are happy
to be a part of what promises to be an extraordinary journey.”
In her capacity as the CEO, Kate has met with MTN’s
executives, and members of the media where she announced key initiatives,
including the unveiling of additional mPulse education data bundles.
“The opportunity to be MTN Nigeria’s CEO is a dream come
true. It means a lot to me that I have made myself, my parents, and my school
proud as a young CEO. I am certain that what I have learned here will prepare
me for a brighter future”, Kate stated, when asked what the CEO position meant
to her.
In addition to her CEO status, she has been awarded a N2.5
million scholarship grant, a laptop, smartphone, and an MTN goody bag. MTN also
presented a N350, 000 grant and state-of-the-art ICT devices to her English
teacher and school respectively.
Rounding off the event, the Chief Human Resource Officer,
MTN Nigeria, Esther Akinnukawe, expressed the belief that the initiative will
inspire young ones.
“We can all admit that today was significant, especially
because of the lasting impact this event will have in the life of Kate and how
much of an inspiration it will serve to the young ones out there. At MTN, we
believe that everyone deserves the benefits of a modern, connected life and
will continue to provide opportunities that support students to learn and
grow,” she said.
The MTN mPulse Spelling Bee is a self-development proposition designed by MTN Nigeria to promote digital literacy and academic excellence and thus empower the nation’s educational sector.