Women of Rubies, Author at Women of Rubies

In Interviews&profile September 17, 2018 By Women of Rubies

PROFILE| MEET ZAINAB AHMED, NIGERIA’S MINISTER OF FINANCE

On Friday, September 14, 2018, Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed was appointed as the acting Minister of Finance by the President Muhammadu Buhari, following the resignation of Kemi Adeosun as the Minister of Finance over a certificate forgery scandal.

Before her new appointment, Ahmed was the state minister, Budget and national planning of the federal republic of Nigeria.

Here are six facts to know about Zainab Ahmed, the new minister of finance

1. Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed was born 55 years ago in Kaduna state.

2. She obtained a Bachelors Degree in Accounting from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 1981 and an MBA from the Ogun state University, Ago Iwoye.

3. She started work in 1982 as an Accountant in Kaduna state ministry of finance in Kaduna state and moved to Nigerian Telecommunication Ltd (NITEL)

4. In 1995, where she worked in various departments and rose to the rank of the Deputy General Manager (DGM).

5. In 2010, she was appointed to serve as the executive secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.

6. Before her appointment to oversee finance ministry, she was minister of state Budget and national planning.

7. She is a fellow of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN), a member of the Nigerian Institute of Taxation and the Nigerian Institute of Management.

8. In March 2009, she was appointed Managing Director of Kaduna Investment Company. She was then appointed a member of the National Stakeholders Working Group (NSWG).

In Career Gems September 17, 2018 By Women of Rubies

WOMEN NOW OCCUPY 68% OF THE PARLIAMENT IN RWANDA

Out of 80 parliamentary seats in Rwanda, women occupy 54 seats, which is 67.5%. The new record was set after the National Electoral Commission announced the September 3 parliamentary elections results, which saw President Kagame’s party, RPF sweeping 74% of the total vote and taking 40 seats.

By contrast, women in the Nigerian House of Assembly and the Senate make up less than 10% of all the representatives.

While Rwanda is a world leader for women in politics, no woman has managed to become President. Two have tried unsuccessfully, and the last one who tried, Diane Rwigara, is now facing 20years in prison.

Though President Kagame places value on women’s roles and spearheaded many reforms to help build women’s capacity in civil society, his dictatorial government is still limiting women’s – and human – rights.

Credit: konbini.com

In self development September 14, 2018 By Women of Rubies

TOLU BABAJIDE: MY PERIOD AND IT’S SAMARITAN

From the daily discoveries and rescuing of ‘proverbial Taju’s and Olajumoke’s’ out of poverty to the passionate solidarity for domestically abused women in Nigeria, one cannot fairly conclude that kindness is a scarce commodity. It is safe to assume that we are not averse to the concept of kindness and how it translates into our everyday world. Even though the lines get blurry sometimes, in the sense that a woman dedicated to lending her voice against domestic violence still gets back home and unrepentantly maltreat her help and goes about bragging about it amongst her friends. It is like an irony of sorts.

While trying to research for this piece, I was shocked to know that there is a day dedicated for kindness. Yes, there is a World Kindness Day and it is not until November 13. But why must we wait for a day when we can choose to live out kindness every day. Being kind is an intentional activity and I am not talking about the one we put up when trying to suck up to someone or the one we show to people that are deserving of it. I am rooting for those random acts of kindness that are not defined by class, social strata, wealth or religion.
Like the one I was shown few weeks ago. It brought me to my knees and further humbled me and showed me that anyone could be of help.

Since I became someone who bleeds every month, I have always taken pride in being able to stay clean and stainless on these ‘red days’. Every woman goes through this ritual every month, yet no one wants it publicized so we ‘package ourselves’ well by buying well layered pads or even investing in tampons. All through my college and spinsterhood days, I never for once had a heavy flow talk less of being stained. But typical of a woman’s body and my hormonal implant fail, I have gloriously been blessed with very heavy red days. It opens like a tap and won’t stop pouring until days later. So, this day, I had an early morning meeting on the island and I have done the needful by padding myself up literally. Like I couldn’t have done better than that, but I guess the long trip from the mainland to the island has encouraged my uterus to weep like crazy.

The more I drove, the more it poured but there was a big part of me that was confident in my preparation. I felt there was no way I could get stained, but this day was different.
As soon as I drove into the Ikota Shopping Market and came out of the car, I saw to my dismay, trickles of blood and I wasn’t only stained, I was dripping with blood. I panicked and started to look around to see if anyone just witnessed my show of shame. Someone saw me. Someone saw my struggle and embarrassment.

My witness was an old woman working at the public toilet of the market. She saw me and rushed to me with her head scarf to cover me. At that moment, my confusion gave way to bewilderment and gratitude. She puts her hands around me and whispered in Yoruba, “Don’t feel bad, it happens to all women.” I couldn’t argue with her reasoning because as at that time, she was the rightest thing in my world and I wasn’t about to disagree with her.

She rushed to buy toilet rolls for me and ushered me into the brand new/never used toilet to change myself. When I offered to give her money for the tissue rolls, she responded with an embarrassing laugh, “am I not old enough to give you something”. She made sure that I became comfortable again and sent me off with a smile and a hug. She covered my shame and she did it brilliantly.

Kindness has no colour. It is gender blind. It is deaf to social and wealth systems. It doesn’t know who is trending online and who isn’t. It just keeps on giving and giving till it becomes a cycle and a lifestyle. I might never see my Samaritan again, but she has unknowingly put on me, the mandate to show undeserving kindness to everyone that I cross paths with. Rather than hastily passing judgement on people and their decisions, I choose to see life, not only from the black and white angles but from all shades of colours.

Rather than talking carelessly about a situation, I know little or nothing about, I choose to keep shut and get all the facts before commenting. Rather than berating the government on what and what’s not, I have been compelled to start the change within myself, my home and my immediate community.

Kindness is not so hard to show. We just need to start with someone.

About Tolu

Tolu is a writer , social media strategist and fundraising expert. She is also the founder of Ink and Ideas.

Facebook: Tolulope Babjide

Instagram: @tolubabz

In Career Gems September 14, 2018 By Women of Rubies

TANZANIAN PARLIAMENT BANS FEMALE LAWMAKERS FROM FIXING ARTIFICIAL NAILS AND EYELASHES

The Tanzanian parliament has banned female lawmakers from entering the parliament with fake nails and eyelashes.

Job Ndugai, the speaker of the parliament, who made the announcement on Monday, told BBC he imposed the ban after their deputy health minister raised concerns about the health risks posed by fake nails and eyelashes — because this is totally about female health and not men having agency over women’s bodies.

The speaker said the ban would also apply to visitors to parliament. In addition to that rule, lawmakers are also prohibited from wearing short dresses and jeans to parliament.

This news comes just days after the Tanzanian president, John Magufuli urged Tanzanian women to “give up contraceptive methods” insisting that his country needs more people. The president said family planning had led to a declining population in Europe, and a workforce crisis.

Mr Magufuli said:

“Those going for family planning are lazy. They are afraid they will not be able to feed their children. They do not want to work hard to feed a large family. And that is why they opt for birth control and end up with one or two children. I have travelled to Europe and elsewhere and I have seen the side-effects of birth control. In some countries, they are now struggling with declining population growth. They have no labour force.”

Mr Magufuli’s comments were however condemned by MP Cecil Mewambe who said:

“Our health insurance schemes can only accommodate a maximum of four children from one family.”

In Career Gems September 14, 2018 By Women of Rubies

BIMPE ONAKOYA BECOMES THE FIRST NIGERIAN MAKEUP ARTIST TO HEADLINE A SHOW AT NEW YORK FASHION WEEK

One of Nigeria’s top make up artist, Bimpe Onakoya was the headline makeup artist for American designer, LaQuan Smith for his sultry collection showing off brass sensuality for Spring/Summer 2019 at the New York Fashion Week.

Maybelline New York Nigeria’s Artistic Director created beauty looks for super models like Winnie Harlow and many more. Check out photos from Bimpe backstage.

In self development September 12, 2018 By Women of Rubies

MEET OTIMAYIN MORENIKE, TEEN HAIR STYLIST WORKING & SCHOOLING

My name is Otimayin Queen Morenike. I am a native of Kogi State.

I am the second child of my family and I am 19 years old. I am into hairdressing, styling people’s hair and bringing out the exact beauty in them.

I started this hair dressing business by making hair for my friends; then I was in secondary school and just 12 years old.

I get motivation from home and my mother is my role model.
Categorically speaking, the starting wasn’t easy, but there were so many things that spurred me to go into the business and one of them is the need to be independent and also to lessen my mother’s burden of catering for me.

I have always wanted a life in which I would be able to cater for myself, provide my basic needs and relieve my mum of some responsibilities.

The aim and vision of my business have grown wider over the years.
I want my service to be widely known and accepted.

I want to be known for doing perfect job and satisfying my customers to the fullest of my ability.
This is because by so doing I will have some referrals and the survival of my business depends solely on this.

My training was hard and discouraging, but it worthwhile. I was trained by my mother and also by a professional. My business is solving women’s problem; specifically making ladies and girls look beautiful.

My business has also helped improve ladies’ appearances because we all know that the way you dress (in which hair is part of) is the way you’ll be addressed. I must add that as a teenager, it’s not easy combining schooling with business, but because of the passion I have for both, success in them has become my driving force.I currently see myself as a company offering quality services to its target customers.

The target audience for my business is the global market. With the help of God, I am making money from my business. I get customers from the campus near our home.
My customers are mostly students, which makes my brand stand out even though I treat customers very well.

Even when they are not making their hair, I call them and ask for their wellbeing, and apart from that, my creativity in terms of forming new styles stand me out in the business.

Source: Guardian

In Career Gems September 12, 2018 By Women of Rubies

2019 ELECTIONS: WOMEN DEMAND MORE POLITICAL SLOTS

Ahead of 2019 general elections, women have called for political parties to allow more females emerge as candidates in the forthcoming primaries to give them better chance and increase their involvement in politics and governance.

The women made this assertion during a rally held at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour party secretariats during the week. This was organised the Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARDC) in conjunction with National Democratic Institute (NDI).
Held simultaneously in Lagos, Kaduna, Adamawa, Enugu, Jigawa and Anambra states, the women also appealed for more female aspirants to emerge in the primaries while drumming up support for the emergence of female aspirants ahead of party’s primaries, especially at the governorship level, state and national assemblies.

Founding Director of WARDC, Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi noted that women have been in the back-seat for too long and things are not getting any better and believes women can make a difference in terms of addressing the myriad of problems we have in this country.
“These demands are for peace, progress and development for Nigeria. Women have proven themselves across the world that they can do great things. Look at Angela Merkel of Germany and Theresa May of Britain who were in Nigeria recently. I think women have passed that stage where our abilities should be doubted by anyone.”

At the PDP and Labour Party secretariats, the party leaders assured that their political parties would encourage more women in next year elections by ensuring that female candidates are featured for national and state assemblies elections.

Source: Guardian

In Career Gems September 12, 2018 By Women of Rubies

FOUNDATION LAUNCHES GROUND-BREAKING ONLINE DIRECTORY

In a bid to provide community information and access to hundreds of child protection services, The Cece Yara Foundation has launched the Cece Yara SafeKids Directory – a web-based/online portal which provides information on police stations, State Child Protection Units, medical services, Sexual Assault Referral Centres, free legal services and mental health care at the click of a button.

Recent reports have shown a rise in child sexual abuse with 1 in 4 girls, as well as 1 in 10 boys experiencing it before they reach the age of 18. The Foundation has been the light at the end of the tunnel for sexual abuse cases – fighting for the rights of children, non-offending families as well as amplifying societal prevention awareness via field and media initiatives.
Being the first of its kind in Nigeria, the online portal will serve as a vital information hub for individuals or organisations seeking child-protection services offered by the police, medical practitioners, mental healthcare providers, legal advocates, shelter providers and other credible child-focused organisations in the country.

Mrs. Bola Tinubu, Founder Trustee of the Foundation stated: “We were committed to building the most complete and accurate database of Child Protection Service Providers in Nigeria from day one and it has taken a lot of hardwork and research hours to verify all entries. This Directory will go a long way to support speedy reporting and response to child sexual abuse and other cases of abuse. This portal will be regularly updated by a team of dedicated data volunteers.”
On the functionality of the directory, the Foundation’s Research and Data Analyst, who is also the brain behind the design and development of the directory, Mr. David Adeleke said: “The web directory is user-friendly, and with the understanding that majority of the end-users will be accessing these services from their mobile devices, the directory offers maximum compatibility with mobile devices.”
It is important to know that the impact of child sexual-abuse can be profound and last a lifetime. However, easy access to help will drastically reduce the risk factors and promote protective factors that will ensure the well-being of children and families.

The directory can be accessed on the foundations website (www.ceceyara.org) and currently has close to 200 listings of child -specific service providers in Lagos state. It is being expanded daily and will eventually serve other states of the federation. Listings can be filtered by Local Government Area, service categories and keywords. Phone can be dialed automatically from the web page, while addresses can also be searched using Google Maps.The Cece Yara Foundation is a child-centered non-profit organisation established to prevent child sexual abuse and provide access to care, information, protection and emergency intervention for children who are sexually abused or at risk, and their family.

The Foundation provides the ideal response to children through a 24-hour free child telephone helpline (08008008001) and its child-friendly Child Advocacy Centre based in Lagos, which provides free professional counselling, medical, legal and psycho-social support, as well as referral services. The Foundation also conducts prevention programs for adults to raise the awareness of sexual abuse, and to educate adults on how to protect children from sexual abuse.

In Career Gems September 11, 2018 By Women of Rubies

MEET THE THREE FEMALE DESIGNERS WHO DESIGNED LEBRON JAMES’ NEW NIKE SHOES

Three African American designers from Harlem, NYC – Kimberly Goldson, Felisha Noel, and Undra Celeste Duncan, have designed the first Lebron signature shoe. The three designers were selected for the project based on their previous work and passion for sport.

At the request of Nike and Lebron James himself, the three designers first traveled to Nike World Headquarters to learn how a performance shoe was made before meeting back in New York City for a working design session. The designers and James say they felt a kinship the moment that he described his vision for the shoe.

“We each had something that connected the four of us based on what LeBron saw from his mom, and the sacrifices she made for him,” says Goldson. “My mom did it. LeBron’s mom did the same for him. The connectivity was there between all of us.”

Their new design called the HFR x Lebron 16 was inspired by James’ belief that “African-American women are some of the strongest people on earth.”

He comments, “As someone who has a platform, because of what I do, I thought it was important to lend that platform to a group of people that I believe are under-recognized. Being the son, husband and father of strong African American women, I felt like this was something I wanted to do for them and for all the strong women out there who are succeeding despite what might be stacked against them.”

In its cooperative creation, representatives at Nike say that the HFR x LeBron 16 is a symbol of unified strength.

The limited edition shoes can be purchased online at www.nike.com/launch/t/womens-lebron-16-hfr-white-sail/

Watch their story below:

https://youtu.be/07DWXkYf6-8

Credit: blog.blackbusiness.org

In Career Gems September 11, 2018 By Women of Rubies

“MY HOPE IS THAT AFRICANS WILL HAVE ADEQUATE REPRESENTATION GLOBALLY”- GENEVIEVE NNAJI

Genevieve Nnaji sat down with Women and Hollywood prior to the premiere of her directorial debut “Lionheart” at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) to discuss the inspiration behind the movie, challenges she faced and her inspiration for going into filmmaking.

The star actress and filmmaker described “Lionheart” as “an inspiring drama about family values, succession, and most importantly, female empowerment. It highlights the various challenges faced by women, particularly in male-dominated industries.”

On what drew her to the story, Genevieve said: “The message and the environment which forces a heroine to shoulder the load. Questions of succession, gender roles, and traditional versus modern ideals surround the story. Plus, that it was rooted in African culture which made it even more fascinating. So, drawing inspiration from a close friend and family run businesses in Nigeria, “Lionheart” was created.”

Genevieve told Women and Hollywood she “wants people to reflect on the endless possibilities of growth and success that come with men and women, the old and the young, working together: a world where insecurities are tackled and equality is encouraged,” after seeing the movie.

“We need to be more open and accepting of competition instead of feeling threatened by it,” she added.
Her biggest challenge making the film will be “playing both roles of director and lead actor,” she says. “Fortunately, I was surrounded by a very efficient and effective crew. With their help, plus adrenaline and sheer determination, we were able to make a movie,” she added.

When asked about what inspired her become a filmmaker, she said:
I’ve always had a hunger for visual storytelling. There is so much material out there that is still untold — countless real-life stories from within and outside Africa, and today, we have the chance to tell it ourselves. My hope is that Africans will have adequate representation globally, and be given a seat at the table in big studio productions as we continue to grow and improve from within the continent.
I also believe that my generation of women need to continue to work at paving a path better than the one that exists today for the future generation of women in film.

Credit:Bellanaija

Women of Rubies