Esther Ijewere

In Editor's Choice December 31, 2018 By Esther Ijewere

THE 36-YEAR-OLD ENTREPRENEUR BUILDING NIGERIA’S FIRST GOLD REFINERY AND HER VISION TO TRANSFORM AN ENTIRE INDUSTRY

“Congratulations,” said the voice at the other end of the call. It was the fifth call Nere Teriba received in less than 10 minutes. There are also messages on her phone, which she plans to read much later. They are all congratulatory messages. “Go, girl. You rock!” reads the message staring at her as she peeped at her phone for the last time, repeating the words she had read almost inaudibly. Surprised at the sudden frenzy about a gold refining license her company secured months earlier, Nere smiles as she recalls months of hard work. Kian Smith can finally start smithing.

Starting in 2019, Nere Teriba, Vice Chairman of Kain Smith Trade & Co Ltd., will become the first and youngest Nigerian to refine gold locally.

“On one hand, we can say it took a few months, on the other hand, it took seven years,” says 36-year-old Nere Teriba as she tells The Nerve Africa how long it took the company to secure the gold refining license.

It was a meeting of preparation and opportunity for Nere, who had a proposal on a gold reserve buying programme for the country ready when she was invited to join the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) focus labs. Her proposal highlighted the need for a gold policy and a framework for gold refinery license permit structure for anyone who wants to apply for one.

The proposal by Nere’s Kian Smith made a case for the establishment of a Nigerian Gold Council which will be in charge of the country’s gold policy.

“The establishment of the council will drive innovation, stimulate the economy, and generate income for government coffers,” the proposal states. “Nigeria can become a gold economy irrespective of whether it mines gold or not. India, UAE, Singapore, Italy, Switzerland, Turkey and London are renowned world gold markets without the classification of gold mining countries.”

Kian Smith raised some important questions in its proposal, some of which formed the basis of our (TheNerve Africa) discussion with Nere when we met her at an art-themed tea room in Victoria Island, Lagos in October, weeks before the groundbreaking of her refinery.

Nere paused at different intervals during our conversation, politely explaining, each time, why she had to answer her phone calls. Nere runs a multimillion-dollar minerals, commodities and mineral services company, which has grown tremendously over seven years. Sleeves always up, ready to work, Nere plays in a male-dominated industry, where women sometimes have to work twice as hard to make desired impact. To Nere, mining is a calling and she would give all it takes to help Nigeria and by extension, West Africa harness the mining economy.

How can the existing gold value chain be organized and strengthened? One of the questions posed in Kian Smith’s proposal stems from Nere’s belief that the Nigerian mining industry is not as broken as most people believe.

“The issue is not that there is no regulation, it’s just that they are not enforced,” explains Nere, who has plans on how to help the government solve some of the major challenges faced in the mining industry, especially as it concerns artisanal and small-scale miners.

Mining in Nigeria

Organized mining in Nigeria started in 1903 when the British Secretary of State for the Colonies established the Mineral Survey of the Southern Protectorate of Nigeria. In 1904, a survey of the Northern Protectorate was also established as the exploration of mineral resources for use as raw materials in Britain began. As a result, several mineral deposits including Columbite, Bitumen, Coal, Iron Ore and Gold were discovered. However, it was not until 1913 that Gold production started, peaking in the 1930s before World War II brought about a decline.

Nigeria had no choice but to participate in the war, being a colony of Britain. With Britain’s economic, industrial and military power weakened by World War I, the kingdom fell back on its colonies, using both their human and natural resources to prosecute WWII. Colonial companies abandoned mines during the war and the gold mining industry has not recovered since then.

Although in the 1980s the Nigerian Mining Corporation (NMC) resumed gold exploration, it could not sustain it. Fast forward to the 2000s, artisanal mining has become a thing in Nigeria, from Bin Yauri in northern Nigerian’s Kebbi State, to Bagega in Zamfara State where 163 people died from lead poisoning in 2010.

Artisanal Mining

Artisanal mining had peaked in Bagega when gold prices skyrocketed during the Great Recession. Even farmers left their crops and focused on mining. During the period, the price of gold went as high as $1,000 per troy ounce, so much that even small finds by small-scale miners paid well.

Till date, most of the mining done in Nigeria is done by artisanal and small-scale miners (ASM), making regulations difficult to enforce.

“The thing is, there has been a huge gap. We abandoned the sector, went for oil and the people took up the vacuum,” Nere explains, adding that their activities, while artisanal are not necessarily illegal.

“So, illegal miners are not necessarily artisanal miners. Sometimes, there are huge companies mining illegally. Mining illegally is if you are mining off permit and not following due process,” the Kian Smith boss explains.

With a renewed commitment to developing the mining industry, the Nigerian government, like others across Africa, is beginning to recognize how important artisanal and small-scale miners are to the growth of the industry. Hence, the government ministry in charge of mining in Nigeria is trying to formalise artisanal mining to ensure some form of regulation in the space.

Kian Smith is working with small and medium scale miners to source gold for its refinery. The company is also working with artisanal miners, whose activities it is going to be an important part of formalising.

“One of the major reasons several small-scale miners are not formalised is because of royalty payments, but we have found a way around this,” Nere says, explaining how Kian Smith will ensure the ASMs it works with are formalised. “One of the incentives we want to give our suppliers is paying royalties on their behalf.”

The idea seems to be working fine, as Kian Smith has been able to sign up 200 suppliers in less than three weeks. “We will help them get registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission in January,” Nere says.

Kian Smith will also be sourcing gold for its refinery from other parts of Africa, including Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Tanzania. One supplier working across Ghana and Sierra Leone has already committed to supplying Kian Smith 100Kg of gold per month. In all, the company has signed Memoranda of Understanding with about 200 suppliers.

Although Nigeria is believed to have gold reserves of up to 200 million oz, there are no records to show exactly how much gold is mined in the country.

“But from my research, there are about 2 tonnes of gold physically in circulation each month,” says Nere. However, she admits that “we can’t quantify how much of that 2 tonnes is from neighboring African countries, and how much of that 2 tonnes is mined locally”.

Nigeria’s neighbors have been more productive, with Ghana producing 95 tonnes of gold in 2015. Mali produced 50 tonnes in the same year and Burkina Faso produced 34 tonnes, but Nigeria could only manage 4 tonnes, as records show. Nere believes this figure shows how much the country could be losing by not formalising artisanal mining which even accounted for a huge percentage of the 4 tonnes reported in 2015. Most of the countries with decent gold production records in Africa have begun to recognise artisanal mining and are looking for ways to formalise their activities.

In Ghana, artisanal, small-scale miners, popularly known as galamsey have become increasingly important. They are responsible for all diamond production in the West African country and their contribution to gold production is increasing. The government is now training small-scale miners in sustainable mining methods as part of a roadmap that seeks to address illegal mining in the country.

Nere also thinks there is a tech solution Nigeria can adopt. The Computer Engineering graduate said her company created a mobile solution — Zokia system, a mobile platform to register and bank artisanal miners.

“When we were doing our pilot in Chikun, Kaduna state, we registered 1200 artisanal miners, tagging the gold from mine, through the value chain, all the way,” she says. “We also used mobile money, as a way to eventually sensitize them, to get them off cash payment and keep their monies safe. More than 300 of the registered 1,200 use mobile money for payments.”

Nere explains that as good as the solution could be for formalising mining of all scales and reducing the incidence of illegal mining, artisanal and small-scale miners have no reason to spend money on tech, as they do not see it as essential to their business.

However, governments committed to reducing illegal mining to the barest minimum can pay for a tech solution such as Kian Smith’s and make it accessible to artisanal miners for free. That could be a huge step in formalising artisanal mining, especially in Nigeria.

Nere Teriba, Kian Smith, Nigeria's 1st Gold Refinery

Investing in Mining

There have been attempts in the past to bring the mining industry up to date to make it attractive to private investment. Beginning in 2007, the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act was introduced, setting the rules for the exploration and exploitation of solid minerals. The law stated that the government owns all the country’s mineral resources. However, in 2011, the year Kian Smith was registered in the country, the government released new mining regulations, which was believed would bring about greater accountability in the sector. This also, was reviewed, leading to the Roadmap for the Growth and Development of the Nigerian Mining Industry which was adopted in September 2016.

The country is gradually getting it right, showing an unprecedented commitment to the growth of the mining industry, with the issuance of a gold refining licence to Kian Smith one of the recent wins in the industry. The company has already started work on the site of its new refinery in Ogun State, south west Nigeria. Nigeria’s Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development Hon. Abubakar Bawa Bwari broke the ground at the site on December 13 as construction began.

“During the focus labs of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) of this administration, we discovered that a well organised gold value chain can trigger an economic revolution like it did in India, South Africa, Switzerland and others,” Hon. Bwari said at the groundbreaking ceremony. He explained that his Ministry was determined to develop the mining sector to increase its contribution to Nigeria’s GDP, improve its capacity to create jobs and engender sustainable mining.

Ongoing construction work at site of Kian Smith Gold Refinery in Nigeria’s Ogun State.

Nere says the refinery will be ready to start production by the end of the first half of 2019.

While Nere did not disclose details of investment in the new refinery, which she says include both local and international interests, she says Kian Smith is working with several banks, including Stanbic IBTC Bank and Zenith Bank Plc. According to her, Kian Smith is also in talks with the African Finance Corporation (AFC).

“The truth is, we need banks,” says Nere. “Not even so much for the setup; we need banks for the trading. To buy an unlimited amount of gold, at any time, to refine; we need the banks,” Nere says

She dismisses the widely held belief that banks are not committed to the mining industry.

“The issue with banks is ‘show me your bankable feasibility study (BFS)’, and most Nigerian miners cannot show that, because they haven’t got the investors who will do the work to produce the BFS. So, the thing is banks are looking for that; Nigerians don’t have that.”

She adds that a bank would like to see a supply contract, a buying contract; “those are the transactions that banks are considering”.

Nere believes that for every player in the mining industry who can get their acts together, banks are always ready to do business. After all, she’s working with some banks to bring her refinery to life next year. Nere says the refinery has the potential to provide more than 500,000 direct and indirect jobs. But beyond jobs, Kian Smith is interested in helping to build the gold value chain in Nigeria.

Nere is hopeful things will get better but admits the mining industry in Nigeria is a tough one to play in. She highlights policy inconsistency and the reaction of mining communities to operators as two of the major challenges the industry faces.

“The reason why the sector has struggled and even investors have issues is because the Nigerian ecosystem does not encourage long-term investment and perseverance to get anything,” Nere says. “Everybody wants money now.”

One of the issues Nere’s Kian Smith is taking up with the government is how to grant gold a VAT-free status. She explained the dynamics of VAT as it concerns gold.

“Gold should be VAT-free because it’s a financial instrument. However, even if there will be VAT on gold, it should not be too high so as to encourage export. We need the government to review VAT status on gold bars and coins,” Nere says.

According to her, the Nigerian government is working with the United Nations Industrial Development Orgasnisation (UNIDO) and other bodies to decide an efficient policy on gold products and alloys.

Kian Smith is also working on seeing import duties on gold and gold doré reduced.

Sustainability

Nere says Kian Smith is committed to maintaining high standards, from purity of gold to sustainability in production. The company’s refinery in Ogun State has the capacity to produce 3 tonnes of gold and 1 tonne of silver per month, both at a purity of 99.99 percent.

UNIDO will help Kian Smith in sustainable mining, supporting ASMs that want to supply Kian Smith and are committed to sustainable mining. Kian Smith is also working with international development organization Pact, to ensure due diligence and safety of miners, as well as curb illegal mining.

Once Kian Smith produces its ethical gold, it will be looking towards central banks, jewelers in the Middle East, Turkey, Switzerland and several parts of Africa.

Already, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has committed to buying gold from Kian Smith as it stocks up the country’s gold reserves.

“CBN has not said volume, but they are ready to buy gold in either naira or USD. We are hopeful that by the end of second quarter, their terms and conditions will be clear,” Nere says.

Kian Smith is also in talks with other central banks. The company has also met with the London Bullion Metal Association (LBMA), Responsible Jewelry Council (RJC) and World Gold COuncil (WGC) towards international certification process for Nigeria’s gold.

The Call

When TheNerve Africa first spoke with Nere in October, she was facing some challenges at her refinery site in Ogun, but she told TheNerve Africa that none of the things happening then would affect plans for the Kian Smith refinery to start working in 2019. “I’ve been here before,” Nere said, exuding the same confidence that has made her successful in a tough industry. The confidence, she says, stems from knowing that mining is her calling.

“Mining called me,” Nere declares. “It didn’t make sense when it was calling me because I was like ‘what is it about mining? This is a capital-intensive sector and am I sure this is the right sector to be calling me?’

“I wanted to meet people, so I met people in the sector and got their opinion: what do you think? Why are you in it?”

She continues: “It was interesting because they all talked about how horrible the experience is and I am like, but you are still there.

“I did some research, connected with some people in the sector here and they did their best to discourage me from getting into the sector but I still went in and I haven’t looked back.

“So I will say there is a mining bug; if it bites you, if it’s meant to be, no matter how hard it is, you will stick to it but if it is not meant to be, you will run.

“The people I talked to were all saying do not do it, it is challenging, it is rewarding, it’s amazing, but do not do it. So, I had to figure out the way to enter, because it is capital intensive and I didn’t have that kind of funds. So I entered by trading. Almost the same principles you use to trade anything else like land, supplies, and all of that. So that was how I entered. I entered by trading.”

The Kian Smith boss was in South Africa for a mining conference. There she met someone who wanted to bring his company to Nigeria. “I said I can do it for you, and that was how I did it. That was how I started trading.”

Nere says business has been good for Kian Smith despite the tough operating environment. “It is a difficult sector,” she reiterates. “It has its ups and downs. It has been challenging and there have been issues all around, but overall, if I look back, we have seen a steady progression. We see opportunities, we see challenges but we still said this is the sector we want to be in.”

Speaking on how hard Kian Smith had worked to get to its current level, Nere recalls her three months in Abuja for the ERGP focus labs. The Lab process is one of the several initiatives by the Nigerian government to fast-track the attainment of its ERGP objectives. The government had invited potential and existing investors, both foreign and Nigerian, who may be interested in investing in any of the three areas of focus — Agriculture and transportation, Power and gas, Manufacturing and processing (including solid minerals) — to attend closed-door sessions where prospective investors will have access in one location, to all the officials of government whose support, or approvals, they might need to enable them commit to an investment decision.

“I think after the first few days, we lost half the people because we spent several months in Abuja and you footed your own bills; the cost of your hotel, the cost of everything; this is not a government sponsored thing,” Nere explains. “For a lot of business people … like for me, I’m still recovering from putting a lot of things about the business on standstill for about 3 months.”

Nere says business owners had to ask themselves pertinent questions such as the wisdom in leaving their businesses for about 3 months at their own expense, “and at the end of the day you’re not even guaranteed that the government will even proffer a solution for you”.

She thinks Kian Smith was fortunate to be part of the focus labs and have its proposal accepted. “We were at a standstill for a major project. We were fortunate enough that we could take on that expense. It was huge because a lot of businesses that have a lot of better ideas and bigger problems did not have the opportunity to foot the expenses for three months in Abuja.”

The gold refining licence in hand, Nere has crossed another big hurdle as Kian Smith continues its growth, but again, she recalls one of the tough periods in the business’s growth and sighed.

“I have suffered,” she says. “But if you wait long enough … if you are patient long enough, things always work out fine.”

Sadly, “our generation has lost perseverance,” says Nere, who would love an opportunity to one day “genuinely talk to young people”.

“Our generation is a microwave generation,” Nere adds, stressing that social media has made success look easy so much that “young people are looking for shortcuts”.

Nere says she learnt doggedness from her father, the former Olu of Warri, who due to his Christian faith attempted to denounce a 500-year-old title Ogiame, which he said, was associated with a sea goddess. Kian Smith started before Ogiame Atuwatse II died in 2015, but Nere says she has never had a free pass using her father’s name or influence. She admits that her background played a huge role on the woman she has become but at the risk of sounding overly spiritual; Nere says her business achievements are so massive they couldn’t have been due to her background. She says they are supernatural.

“This is for the future of Nigeria; this is going to change Nigeria. It’s going to change Africa’s history. Africa will never remain the same again.”

Source: The Nerve Africa

In Interviews&profile December 28, 2018 By Esther Ijewere

22-YEAR OLD BLACK ENTREPRENEUR LAUNCHES RESTAURANT WHERE CUSTOMERS ONLY PAY WHAT THEY CAN AFFORD

Francesca Chaney, already a successful Black business owner at the young age of 22, has great taste for food and a big heart for underserved people. Her Brooklyn-based vegan restaurant called Sol Sips, is not only famous for its healthy food but is also recognized for letting patronizers pay what they can afford – even if it cuts into her profits!

Chaney developed an interest in healthy eating when she was just a child. She was inspired by her mother, who is a vegan, and became a vegan herself when she was 18-years old. Since then, she began dreaming about opening up her own restaurant that offers nutritious, plant-based foods.

Initially, she started Sol Sips as a pop-up shop in the neighborhood of Bushwick, Brooklyn. However, in April earlier this year, Chaney made the location permanent. Her and her staff serve plant-based beverages and plant-based “bites” made with only four ingredients or fewer that are soy-free and with low acidity. One of the best-sellers is a plant-based dish that is an alternative to the New York staple — eggs are made of chickpeas, bacon is tempeh, and the cheese is dairy-free.

More than introducing a unique and healthy food alternative, Chaney wanted more people, especially those who are in underserved communities, to be able to come and eat at Sol Sips. So she decided to create a brunch menu with a sliding-scale pricing — which means people can enjoy their dishes for a price that’s anywhere between $7 to $15. That way, she hoped everyone can take part in the dishes.

“We started that initiative,” Chaney told the Rachel Ray Show, “because we wanted to make sure that everyone that lives here can get more foods that help us to get our nutrients in.”

Since it’s already a given that she couldn’t make much money with such altruism, there are people and organizations who wanted to help Chaney with her cause. Dairy-free brand So Delicious — which Chaney herself uses in her dishes — donated $5,000 to help her continue her advocacy.

Also, earlier this year, Chaney started a GoFundMe campaign to help her with the expenses to further expand Sol Sips. So far, it has raised over $5,500 and contributions from $5 to some hundred dollars keep coming in.

For more information about Sol Sips, follow her on Instagram at @solsipsnyc

Source: Blackbusiness.org

In self development December 28, 2018 By Esther Ijewere

MEET THE BLACK WOMAN ENTREPRENEUR WHO CREATED THE FIRST EVER RIDE-SHARING APP FOR PEOPLE WITH HEALTH PROBLEMS AND DISABILITIES

Ja’Nese Jean, a known international opera singer, is more than just a beautiful, fascinating voice. Jean, also a tech entrepreneur, recently launched the newest ride-sharing app specifically made for people with health problems and disabilities.

Ja’Nese was hailed the “Next Big Opera Star” in Aretha Franklin’s singing competition. She was offered a recording contract with Aretha Records and was even compared to the best in the industry. But her career is actually more focused on simplicity and love for people. Her humanitarian efforts already helped thousands of people in need of housing, food, and other necessities — and it’s still counting.

Jean’s passion to connect the world positively is very much evident in her philanthropic acts and technology developments. Her tech products include mobile applications, proxy servers, mass email software, and patented heat and motion activated car sensors. The most recent development she and her company launched is the SAFETRIP app.

The two major platforms of the app aim to help both drivers and users. It will give more job opportunities to drivers, especially those certified in defensive driving training, sensitivity training, and CPR. The app is also a breakthrough for millions of people with disabilities and healthcare-related appointments. It tracks patients in real-time allowing them to ride on demand, schedule in advance, in-app calling features, driver/user rating systems and more.

“SAFETRIP is dedicated to moving healthcare transportation forward, faster, and more affordably,” says Ja’Nese. The lifesaving app is available for download on and Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

For more information about the SAFETRIP app, visit www.safetrip.co or follow Ja’Nese Jean on Twitter at www.twitter.com/JaNeseJean

Source: Blackbusiness.org

In self development December 27, 2018 By Esther Ijewere

QUEEN ESOHE IGBINOBA: 4 STEPS TO TELLING GREAT STORIES THAT RESONATE WITH YOUR AUDIENCE

I once asked a group of entrepreneurs ‘’why do you tell stories?’’

I got the following responses.

I tell stories for:

Clarity, sharing of insights and my life lessons

To inspire/encourage

Connect with someone

Brand awareness – more people need to know about my brand

More eyeballs = more prospects = more sales

I’ll be seen in the right light, by the right people at the right time

Why these reasons are great, they may not give you the result you need as an influential storyteller or entrepreneur.

They are good reasons to tell a good story, however, there are 4 important steps you need to take to telling great stories that resonate.

Find the people who have the same worldviews as you do

What do I mean by that?

Worldviews refer to people’s perspectives or beliefs on different life issues.

You need to find the people who share the same perspective or belief about your subject matter.

Find people with a bias to listen to you

Beyond finding people with similar beliefs, find people with a bias to listen to you.

People interested in listening to your message and falling in love with your brand and your stories.

Why do you need to do that?

You need to do that so you can share stories that resonate deeply with them and inspire them to take massive action.

For my brand, I focus on attracting new entrepreneurs who love stories, understand the power of stories and are willing to learn to tell better stories so they can attract more of the right audience to their stories and grow their business.

Be clear about who your audience is and why they would listen to you

You should also ask yourself who exactly is my audience and why would they listen to me?

Understanding who your audience is helps you determine how you will communicate your stories to them, what mediums you will use and how frequently you will engage with them.

Be clear about where you will find them

Another thing you need to know is how to find them.

How do you find these people?

Get clear about the kind of people who need your message and stories

Find out where they congregate online and offline

Find out the issues or topics they are very passionate about

Find out what common problems and experiences they have

Find out what common result they seek

Most importantly get clear about the kind of customers you do and don’t want to attract.

Beyond knowing these 4 steps, ensure you implement them so you can start seeing results in your business.

Remember, good things happen to those who take massive action.

About Esohe

Esohe Igbinoba is the Founder, The Global Brand Network. GBN is a brand management organization with a focus on teaching entrepreneurs the art of influential storytelling for attracting visibility and building an engaged audience so they can build profitable businesses. She helps them to achieve this through her unique system: The Influential Storytelling Formula. She has helped over 150 people in 10 countries. She helps them through her online school, GBN Business School where she offers one on one coaching programs, online courses and training programs.

You can connect with her on Social media @queenesohe

Or send an email to esohe@queenesohe.com

Or on her website queenesohe.com

In Interviews&profile December 24, 2018 By Esther Ijewere

‘BANKS THAT GIVE WOMEN UNATTAINABLE TARGETS SHOULD BE SANCTIONED’ – FLORENCE ALABI

Mrs. Florence Omolola Banji-Alabi who was born in Owo, Ondo State, was recently decorated as Fellow Chartered Institute of Bankers in Nigeria (CIBN). She attended Lagos Anglican Girls’ Primary School, Surulere, Lagos and Imade College, Owo in Ondo State. She attended the then Ondo State Polytechnic, Owo now (RUGIPO) for her National Diploma in Accountancy and obtained Higher National Diploma (HND) in Accountancy from the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, Ogun State. She was an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers in Nigeria.

She did her youth service programme with the now defunct Societe Generale Bank of Nigeria in 1991, and also worked there for one year before joining Union Homes Plc, the mortgage arm of Union Bank Plc where she was until February 2008 when she moved to the then Oceanic Bank Plc for few years, before joining the family business as a director (Mortgage Services) in Banji Alabi and Co., a property development and financing firm. In this interview with GuardianWoman, she talked about the challenges in the banking sector and suggesting that core professionals should be allowed to run the sector.

What are your views on the banking sector?
Banking in Nigeria ordinarily is a good and thriving profession. However, looking at it critically, I am compelled to ask if we are truly practicing banking in Nigeria the way it is practised in other parts of the world, particularly in Europe, the U.S. and other genuinely developing countries. The real ethics and culture of banking is not here. The universal standard of how banking is run is clearly absent here.

If you go to some other countries, especially the United Kingdom, you would have walked past or driven past before you know that banks exist in a particular place. But here in Nigeria, it is the mansion or structure that is the bank and not the services. Here, you see a lot of fortune being invested in a building that is going to house a bank.Besides, the type of marketing practised abroad is different from what you have here in Nigeria. What is done there is e-marketing, not the kind where in Nigeria, ladies in mini-skirt and other provocative dresses are sent out to go and market. This strange marketing culture is made worse when these ladies are given unattainable targets. They also face harassment here and there. I think this is not how banking should be done.

Giving target is not the real problem. Target is good in the real sense of it, because target motivates to achieve results. The way targets are given and the kinds of targets that are given, the conditions attached to these targets and the way these girls go about pursuing these targets, leave much to be desired. I know of banks, but I don’t want to mention their names, where girls were told that if they don’t meet their targets, a sizeable percentage of their salaries would not be paid. So this makes most of these girls to throw away all forms of morality and decency to do anything to achieve their targets. This is what gave rise to the sudden indecent and provocative dressing that has now become the way of life of most of these marketing ladies.

What is the solution to this indecency?
I am of the view that the regulatory bodies must begin to intervene so that morality, etiquettes, social and national values are not sacrificed on the altar of crazy modern banking as some want to believe. But like I have said earlier, this is not how modern banking is done elsewhere, this is largely peculiar to Nigeria. These bodies must let bankers know that they have other binding responsibilities to their environment and the society at large. While I would not be calling for a particular dressing code, as it is the case today in some tertiary institutions in the country, at the same time, the well known decent and elegant dressing culture in the sector should be upheld. These bodies should also design a mechanism to detect, discourage and even sanction banks which give unattainable targets, of course, after failure to heed warnings.

Do you think the mortgage sector is fulfilling its role?
The problem with the mortgage sector is that while people want to obtain mortgage loans, the interest rate is too high. If you want a mortgage loan in Nigeria, I can categorically tell you that there is no bank that will offer you less than 26 per cent interest; that is high. A lot of people cannot afford to take a mortgage loan in Nigeria. If you go abroad, you will notice that the interest rate is very low. That is why they can afford it, and it is in different categories.

Abroad, there are mortgages of 20 to 30 years, but in Nigeria, it is not so. If you take mortgage loan in Nigeria, pray that you will be alive to pay up the loan. In other parts of the world, governments intervene in strategic and essential sectors like this. In such places, governments promote shelter, but in Nigeria, it is not so. In Nigeria, we are using short-term investment to finance long-term investment. Government should intervene and save the mortgage sector. That is the only way to guarantee shelter for most people in Nigeria.

What are your thoughts on the on-going reform in the banking sector?
Regulators and operators alike need to be sincere about the reforms they are putting in place. In the spirit of the reforms, we must ensure that the right person is put in the right place. For instance, the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) came with a policy making it mandatory that some key positions in banks must be held only by professional bankers, but very sadly, this is not being enforced. So, if we want the reforms to impact very well on the system, then all these policies must be enforced. Professionals should be allowed to run the banking industry. Appointing people into key positions should not be on the basis of god-fatherism, or ability to mobilise certain funds for a bank. Before you know it, this group of people are pushed into the management, they now become management staff. If professional bankers were allowed to do the job, then banking would be what it is supposed to be.

How did you meet your husband?
My husband, Barrister Banji-Alabi and I grew up together at Owo. He is a very close friend of my elder brother, Mr. Dare Aruwajoye, and therefore a very regular face at our house in Owo. But at that time he never noticed me, maybe because I was very young then. After my ND programme, I was to do the compulsory industrial attachment, so my senior sister, Mrs. Bisi Anifowose, suggested that I should go and see Barrister Alabi who was then working at Guinness Nigeria Limited. When I got there, he was amazed that the little girl he used to know that time, that himself and my brother were sending around to buy drinks for their friends, is now a very big girl. He proposed to me and I was shocked as I always looked up to him with respect as a senior brother.

But one thing is that he was one of the best-dressed guys at that time in Owo and, therefore, was able to attract to himself a lot of admirers. He was simply the best-dressed person around and at every occasion that I met him, he stood out as the most sophisticated and most celebrated. He lives a life of celebration. He is an incurable optimist. He swept me off my feet and I fell for him despite initial protests from my senior brothers.

What’s your advice to young girls?
Please don’t give up on your dreams. I know too well the feelings of frustration one passes through in waiting times for a manifestation of a desired state or what is often referred to as a break in life. Many people continue to pass through this at various stages in life. What will you do? Will you abandon the desire and settle for a lesser portion, or would you decide to go for the real deal? I keep meeting people who “sell” their destiny and happiness for sometimes a temporary fulfillment. My advice is, don’t let go of your destiny once you’ve discovered it. Run away from married men; look for young guys with great potentials. Please do not sell your destiny and happiness for temporary fulfillment or monetary needs.

What is your take on women in development?
I think so far in Nigeria, it has been a deliberate policy that women must be carried along in everything, including politics. Although the level of women’s participation in politics is still low, in my own profession, banking, they have been very visible there, and nobody can take them for a ride any longer. We are, however, looking forward to ladies becoming governors and becoming president in Nigeria.

Interview by: Ijeoma Thomas-Odia

For : Guardian

In lifestyle December 24, 2018 By Esther Ijewere

TIWA SAVAGE, WAJE, ABISOYE AJAYI-AKINFOLARIN AND LOLA OMOLOLA LISTED AS ONE’S 2018 WOMEN OF THE YEAR

These wonderful women have been recognised for their work and craft and using it to add value to the world in , Music Star Tiwa Sage, Abisoye Ajayi-Akinfolarin and Lola Omolola have been listed as ONE’s 2018 Women of the Year.

The ONE Campaign is an international, nonpartisan, non-profit, advocacy and campaigning organization that fights extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa, by raising public awareness and pressuring political leaders to support policies and programs that are saving lives and improving futures.

According to ONE, the women went above and beyond gender equality this year to make life better for women.

Nollywood actress, Bisola Aiyeola and singer, Waje were honourably mentioned for the fantastic work they did this year campaigning for women.

TIWA SAVAGE

Tiwa has worked with breast cancer screening projects, helped build schools in her hometown, and advocates for community-based social projects. She’s also a supporter of the Vote Your Future campaign.

ABISOYE AJAYI-AKINFOLARIN

With her Pearls Africa Foundation, which offers free classes and programs for girls and young women, Abisoye won the 2018 CNN’s Heroes Award. Through her organization, she empowers girls living in poverty and many of the girls she’s mentored have already produced their own apps to combat issues, like poverty and female genital mutilation, in their communities.

LOLA OMOLOLA

Nigerian-American activist Lola Omolola is the founder of FIN, a private Facebook group that connects nearly 1.7 million women from across the world. She began the group in 2014, searching for a way to create mutual support with other Nigerians after the kidnapping of over 300 girls by the Boko Haram. The group quickly grew into a hub for women’s issues, offering its members a safe outlet to discuss the struggles they face and connect with other women who share those experiences.

Honorable Mentions

Bisola Aiyeola is a Nigerian actress, ONE Ambassador, and winner of the AMVCA Trailblazer Award at the 2018 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards.

Waje Iruobe is a musician, film producer, and ONE Ambassador advocating for transparency and accountability.

Source:woman.ng

In Interviews&profile December 24, 2018 By Esther Ijewere

“I HAD TO GET MY PERSONAL JOY BACK, AND THEN THINGS STARTED TO CHANGE” SUSAN KELECHI WATSON, “THIS IS US” ACTRESS.

Susan Kelechi Watson 37, is a Jamaican American actress best known for her character “Beth Pearson” in the NBC drama series “This is Us”. The series follows the lives and families of two parents, and their three children, in several different time frame. What is particularly fascinating about the series is Susan’s sterling interpretation of her character which is arguably the ‘star’ of the series. Speaking on life before getting the role in the series, Susan says:

“A month before I booked This Is Us, I was like, ‘Maybe I should move to Montreal and work in a coffee shop. I had friends who were praying for me. I was leaning on a support system to believe for me when I was finding it difficult to still believe the dream for myself. All of the sudden I just believed again, like, I didn’t come this far for it not to happen. I’m going to enjoy this again. It’s the best thing I have to give. So I had to get my personal joy back, and then things started to change.”

Speaking on the reception, audacity of hope and belief her character has given to the black community, she says:

With my representation of a black woman in the world today, there’s such a powerful response from my community about what it means to have black representation on television. That response is so overwhelming and so strong that I just have to express my own gratitude for it, because I understand the necessity for it. I grew up with that need. I still have that need. I’m thankful that I get to fulfil that need for so many.

Then there’s the aspect of me as a woman and the camaraderie. They just feel like I’m their best friend; this character’s their best friend, and so many women say, “I’m just like you.” Or the goal is to sort of be similar to Beth; it gives them a way to kind of strategize, and helps them to move through their life.

Also, we talked about adoption on the show, and now to be able to talk about fostering, it’s really just such a great opportunity to open that door to that conversation as well. So many people have been through fostering, they understand the complications that come along with that, and so appreciate this story line, and I’m so thankful I get to be a person who represents that.

So I feel really good about what she’s offering people, whether it be a representation of being an African-American woman in this world, her representation as a woman, of being a woman that other women can identify with, and also of being an advocate for fostering, and for kids who think that maybe they won’t have a chance later in life.

Susan is a Bachelor’s degree graduate of Fine Arts degree from Howard University and holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Acting Program.

Culled from Deadline Hollywood

In Inspiration December 23, 2018 By Esther Ijewere

IBIDUNNI IGHODALO FOUNDATION FETES MOTHERS-IN-WAITING

Childlessness in Africa is a major issue that no woman wants to experience, as the period of waiting comes with so much anxiety.And a foremost event planner, Ibidunni Ighodalo, through her Ibidunni Ighodalo Foundation (IIF), has decided to help couples with the problem of conception to have children of their own with assistance from the foundation.

The IIF recently held its second outing where couples were selected by ballot to determine who would undergo the programme for the year. The theme for this year’s edition was Maa Gbe Temi Jo (‘I will carry my own and dance).

Couples began to arrive the venue as early as 8.00 a.m. and before noon, the Agip Hall of MUSON Centre was filled to capacity. The first event was for couples, selected from different states across the country, to meet with a team of medical experts to ascertain their medical viability through a series of assessments and pre-tests. The foundation then pays to a certified fertility clinic that is in strategic partnership with the foundation in the country for fertility services such as In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF), Frozen Embryo Transfer and Intrauterine Insemination to be performed on them.

Ighodalo said: “Couples face a lot of challenges in their period of waiting to conceive. It is the reason the foundation is committed to going with them on this journey believing that together, their hopes will be turned to happiness. Last year was a good year and it will be better this year. Somebody got pregnant last year just by practising what was lectured here. Knowledge is power!”

Several fertility specialist doctors presented topics on infertility and how to overcome it, either by just doing what was said or by actually partaking in the assisted ways to do so.

A gyneacologist, Ogundiran Bridge from the Bridge Clinic, spoke on fibroids and pregnancies. He told participants that contrary to the saying that what you don’t know will not kill you, the opposite is the case: “Fibroids are common tumours in women worldwide, which is also the cause of infertility in many women. Though some may have symptoms and some may not, but based on study, six out of every 10 women may have it. While some people may get pregnant with fibroid, some women may not be able to conceive depending on where the tumours are located. So, eventually, not everyone may need IVF, as all you need to do is to remove the tumours and get pregnant.

“Nobody knows the cause of fibroid but based on study, obesity has been associated with it. When you are obese, the chances of conceiving are lean.”Bridge also cited diet consisting of plenty preservatives, hypertension, family history for not conceiving for long as causes of infertility. The symptoms, according to him, are abdominal pains, swelling and infertility.However, he said the best solution is to do a medical check up and remove any lump in the stomach if necessary to avoid complications.

Dr. Oluwatoyin Bode Abbas spoke on “How To Handle Infertility’ and the challenges that come with it. Abbas said infertility is a diagnosis like any type of sickness, but people here see it as a special kind of sickness that no one should be associated with.

According to her: “Stigma comes in different forms such as public stigma, where nobody invites you to their children’s birthday parties, neither will anyone wish you happy Mothers’ Day because you have no children. Self-imposed stigma where some women carry a long face and an unpleasant attitude just because they don’t have children.”

According to her, the government is not left out, as they structurally stigmatise couples by not having health insurance big enough to cover the cost of infertility treatment. She advised couples to find treatment and not to isolate themselves but speak out and focus on the positives, saying, “We need to start thinking differently because our parents in those days adopted children but today when it comes to putting pen to paper to adopt, it becomes a problem.”

Dr. Mini Iyizoba spoke on fertility health, saying: “The basic things people forget while waiting is they can freeze their eggs, times are changing and people are marrying at later years than before.

Former Commissioner for the Environment, Mr. Muiz Banire, who also had a traumatising waiting period said: “My experience was just for three years, but it was like forever. People put a timetable by saying things like, we are coming to eat rice o, and they put immense pressure on couples without knowing.

“They will give you all sorts of advice, telling you places to go to for solution as well as if it is automatic and couples keep going up and down without a solution. But I think the way forward is belief in God; don’t stress yourselves and above all, trust God.”He, therefore, urged the men too to also accept the fact that they could be the ones with the problems instead of putting the automatic blame on the women, as it is always the case.

While Head of Department of Psychiatric Lagos State University (LASU), Dr. Rotimi Coker, spoke on the psychological effect the period of waiting has on a couple, Dr. Oluyemisi Adeyemi-Bero spoke on surrogacy.Pastor (Mrs.) Ruth Essien brought another dimension to the programme as she spoke about things that Africans will normally term as taboo. But above all, she advised couples to be peaceful in their marriage, as it contributes a lot to conception while waiting.

Source: Guardian

In Interviews&profile December 22, 2018 By Esther Ijewere

WHEN I LAUNCHED #GROWYOURGRAM I KNEW IT WAS GOING TO BE BIG- EMILY WALE-KOYA

Emily an infectious motivational, cum transformational speaker, and business consultant who’s on a rampage to arm individuals and organizations with the tools needed for them to build lives and businesses they are completely obsessed about. She ventured into entrepreneurship from her university days and has garnered over 16 years experience in business.

Her first digital product (an audio recording) made her Six figures within 2 weeks. She wrote her first book in a week and with a 4 month old baby in hand.Today, she’s the proud founder of The School Of Personal Branding, her online school where she sells e-courses around business, digital marketing and personal branding.

Emily has been interviewed by notable outfits across the country and presently one of the biggest sensation on Instagram, helping young women and men alike build your page and make money while at it. She’s happily married to Adewale Koya; her biggest support. Together they have Olamide, Oladimeji and Olajumoke Wale-Koya.

The #Growyourgram initiator shared her inspiring story with me in this exclusive interview

Growing up

I was all shades of shy as a little girl. I had very low self esteem as a child even up into adulthood. So, NO NO NO, my childhood and what I’m doing right are just two opposites.

Meet Me

I’m Emily Wale-Koya, an infectious speaker, revivalist, life and business coach, and author. I’m a proud wife to one proud husband (lol) and a joyful mother to three children, ages 8, 5 and 2, who steal my breath away on a daily basis..I run an online training, coaching and consulting business that gives me the rare opportunity to do work that I really love and one that is financially rewarding.

I’m the founder of Nigeria’s first personal branding school; the school of personal branding, where we sell online courses around personal branding, business and personal development.

I’m a die-hard when it comes to going after success that I believe in. This pursuit keeps me constantly hungry and open for ideas that can and will take me and other women global so that we can seen, heard, paid and celebrated for the brilliance we bring into the world.

My work

I train, educate, coach and help women in Nigeria and across the globe embrace, package and promote their special gifts, expertise, and experiences, so they birth ideas that can cause a change in the world and at the same time, bring them financial independence. We do this by powerfully leveraging the internet and social media, especially Instagram™.

16 year’s Experience entrepreneurial journey

“Entrepreneurs are job creators and they are the ones who will change the world”.

The above sentence became clear to me one day while I was at youth service in Cross River State. Someone was invited to facilitate a session on entrepreneurship and after he spoke, another facilitator came up to do another session. This second facilitator came from a bank and was a banker. And after he spoke, his team and him started taking down names of people who wanted to write the banks test in order for them to get a job in the bank.The crowd was huge, the queue for this was long and I got so pissed and walked away… While at the camp, I started thinking about ways to get a job.. and being a self motivated person, I started psyching myself that “I AM A JOB TO MYSELF, I CAN CREATE A JOB FOR MYSELF”.

To cut a long story short, while serving in Calabar, I decided to offer free trainings to guest houses and hotel staff. I even issued certificates after the training to people who attended.

I finished serving and then started buying and selling under-wears from bank to bank, house to house, at churches, etc. I stopped that business and went on to start a magazine publishing business, which I also stopped in 2013 after having my second child in the US and taking a long break from business.

Today, I’m running and growing an edtech company which is at the core of my existence on earth. We sell courses, ebooks, virtual coaching programs, physical workshops, etc.

Business ChallengesI would say being a one man business. It takes a lot to start and stand! I’m everything to everyone; accountant, managing director, marketer, trainer, coach, receptionist, etc… Although I have a digital team who works on my online school, not having physical staff yet is a challenge. But I’m on the verge of hiring some

Unstable internet connection is also an issue. My business is online 24 hours, so when the internet fumbles, it affects us seriously, as we almost can’t do anything and have to wait till it’s restored.

#Growyourgram

Truth be told, when I launched #growyourgram, I knew it was going to be BIG from DAY 1. I sketched the plan on paper and even though I didn’t put every aspect of it down, I knew it would explode in no time. The singular reason being that there was mad hunger by people on Instagram to learn and use Instagram for business.

I was bent on making a mark on the Instagram platform. I was exhausted watching others play big. Most importantly, I was keen on helping women in business build powerful brands and businesses on the platform.

We are currently working on the second version kicking off in January and I bet you, it will be massive.

Inspiring Feedbacks

Reading feedbacks from people who tell me how I helped them grow, win, and push. In fact one person sent me a DM on Instagram telling me how I helped her stop a suicide she was considering since she lost all she had; business, husband, money in the bank and reason to live.Things like this are priceless to me and I will make them happen again and again.

My brand in 5 years

As an edtech company, we will be operating globally and earning in foreign currency. We will be financially empowering at least 1000 women who are unable to speak good English language, or understand the internet, earn solid income by helping them create and sell their own digital products.

My personal brand on the other hand will be one of the most influential brands on Instagram™ and I will use it in return to rewrite the narrative for African women and open even more doors for us all.

Advice to young Entrepreneurs

They should come up with ideas that have capacity to go global. We truly as a nation need to come off importing more than we create. So if it is a physical product or a digital product, they should please ensure their ideas can become international products. Also, they should check if there is even a market for their idea before they launch. They should embrace the internet and use it as a platform to test their ideas and eventually promote the product or service they want to offer their market.

My Motivation

The pursuit to be all that I’ve been created, designed and assigned to be by my God.

Also, the pursuit to ensure my children have access to the best lives, education and access kings and queens should have.

Being a Woman of Rubies

The confidence, courage and determination I have to be all that I can be and the passion to help other women achieve same.

Advice for women all over the world

The time and season to RISE is now! The internet is availing us as women so much to do with it. If you are a woman reading, I beg you to delay no longer. STOP letting fear, laziness, lack of adaptation to change, self-limiting beliefs, and approval from others stop you. Truth is that if you might miss this particular bus, you might be hurting yourself. And yes, another bus will surely come, but what if that bus isn’t headed in your direction? I advise you get on this bus (internet/social media) now and take over the drivers seat.

Using technology to your advantage!

If you have a passion, gift, skill or story that can impact even if it’s only 10 people, please go all out and start using social media to promote it and yourself.

Women are raking in millions of naira working from home. Some are influencers who companies pay between N500,000 – N3,000,000 simply because they have what we call “social influence; aka, social capital).

Again, this is the time and season for the woman to rise and shine.

{May the women of rubies stand up and be counted}!

In self development December 17, 2018 By Esther Ijewere

SIJU YUSUF: BLOOM WOMAN

#Bloom is a hashtag my friend recently started using when discussing (with) women and I understand perfectly why she has become obsessed by the need to see the womenfolk flourish.

Yesterday, I was further steered into analyzing what exactly my friend is on about. I was watching a movie, of a flourishing woman, who would rather be relegated and have her partner take the limelight. She wished, prayed and acted. Consulted all sorts of people to make this happen.

Women deal with a lot of unhealthy emotions and now, thoughts. It is perfectly okay to wish well for others but do not, I repeat, DO NOT wish any less for/on yourself.

‘Love your neighbor AS yourself’- This was said with the expectation that you have loved yourself first and foremost.

Do you know the saying that the sky is big enough for all birds to soar? It’s literal meaning is not only in birds but also humans (notice how this is human and not gender specific?)

It beats me to see women lurking in the shadows or wanting to.

To you, woman;

You are created with enormous potential. Your powers are phenomenal. Your wisdom is unprecedented. You are not an after thought creation, you were created to fill a palpable, conspicuous void. You are created with a purpose.

Stop lurking in shadows. Stop taking the backseat when the best has been reserved for you. Love yourself!

Approve of yourself. Bloom woman, bloom!

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