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Nigerian media production company, Omas World of Glamour has announced the expansion of its operations from its Headquarters in Port Harcourt Rivers State, its branch office in Gwarimpa Abuja to Lekki in Lagos State, setting a giant pace to building a national footprint.

According to the company, the move will allow the organization gain more expansive media reach, extend its solutions to clients across the Nation and also provide unending employment to the youths of the country. Speaking on the expansion, the company’s CEO, Dr. Mrs. Joy Ezeike said that Omas World of Glamour is an independent media outfit committed to every client with a mission to use media channels to drive impact.

“We are excited to see Omas World of Glamour enter the Lagos market. We have been able to provide our clients with media production services that produce measurable results as well as insights for future expansion and now we are here in Lagos. This will be an advantage for customers in the south western part of Nigeria, as we are here to provide them with the best delivery and pricing” She stated. The most exciting facet that we look forward to is continuous development, allowing us to achieve our vision of being the foremost media production company with a global outlook.

Omas World of Glamour will continue to bring new solutions to clients who are seeking best in world class services with special focus on quality, excellence and professionalism.”

Speaking further, Ezeike shared insights on the company’s corporate social responsibility initiatives and sub divisions.

She said, “Omas World of Glamour who provide services such as: Photography, Cinematography, Redcarpet events, Event coverage, Event centers, Makeup artistry, Event planning, Media consultancy, Film Production, Online TV studio, Enlargement frames, Crane and drone services also includes The Omas Mega 4 Project: (Omas foundation for hope, Face of Omas, Omas Studios TV, My Story)

-Omas foundation for hope (inspired by compassion for the needy and less privileged, an extension of our basic mission which is playing an active role in ensuring that people are empowered to release their potential because this ultimately impacts our business).

Face of Omas (an annual pageant for the upliftment of the girl child)

Omas Studios TV (an online TV studio)

My Story (a movie on the life of the Company’s vision bearer).

 

The Company has been amongst the top in rendering quality services in the Media Sector of the country which has seen us bag some highly regarded awards such as, Enterprising Personality of the Year from the 7th GACA awards held in port Harcourt on 7th November 2021, Honorary Doctorate Degree by Omni Bible University Oklahoma USA, Special Recognition Award at the 10th Nigeria Festival of Awards held in Abuja in December 2021, nomination for Media Personality and PH woman of the year at the Port Harcourt Magazine awards 2022, to mention but a few.

Our latest expansion is yet another testament that we have the production capabilities that customers seek and for this, we are thankful.”

Larmmy Ogidan-Odeseye popularly known as Chelsea Godmother is a wife, mom, senior software analyst, business strategist and philanthropist making a difference in the mental health community and in humanity at large. She shares her inspiring journey in this interview.

Childhood Influence

Everything in my childhood prepared me for what I do now. My mom is a retired teacher/headmistress, and my dad was a mechanic. I was born in Mushin, Lagos. I lost my dad on my 10th I remember a lot about my childhood and how I had to step up and grow up faster than I needed to. My dad has 3 wives, my mom was the youngest of them. I learnt a lot about hardwork, persistence and resilience. When I lost my dad, I remember the family swooping in and attempting to take everything he had worked for from us. He had a spare parts shopping complex in Ladipo, mushin then and the 56 shops had to be divided in to 3 parts. I spoke up at this meeting and told the family how it was supposed to be shared. They went with my suggestion. I was a little girl of 10 and the youngest in the room. That was a proud moment.

Inspiration behind Heartcafe

I saw Hauwa on twitter make a post about sponsoring therapy for 5 people through Dedoyin Ajayi. I knew that was my window of opportunity. I reached out to Hauwa who connected me to Dedoyin where I sponsored additional 20 people. Then I suggested us hosting a mental health space. Turns out Dedoyin was already hosting a group mental health session offline before the pandemic called Heartcafe. The online space kicked off and she brought me in as a co-founder.

The journey so far

It has been fulfilling. We host Heartcafe every Friday at 5pm and it’s amazing how much we have been able to achieve. The stories that are shared, the healing and therapy that are happening. We recently celebrated 1 year anniversary of Heartcafe and in a year, we have given free therapy sessions to 164 people and this is excluding the 100s of people that join us every week.

Advocating for issues centered around Mental Health, and what inspired this passion for such a worthy cause

I have worked with and been around people with mental illness and it just became a passion. I once worked in a pediatric behavioral health unit of a hospital as a consultant, and it just piqued my interest. There was a wave of suicide attempts one time on twitter and I knew I had to something in my capacity.

Being a senior software analyst, and how it has impacted me as a person

I work in Healthcare I.T. I’m a senior analyst for a software used in Hospitals for patient care. I build, customize and upgrade this system for different hospitals across the United States. You know growing up in Nigeria, our parents believe you should either be a doctor, lawyer or an engineer. At one point in my life, I wanted to be a doctor. I ended up studying Zoology in OAU. I know I’m never going to be a doctor. That dream has been squashed a long time ago so helping doctors, nurses and healthcare workers get their job done faster and more efficiently is getting the best of both worlds and it’s sure paying the bills.

My humanitarian work on Twitter

As someone who didn’t grow up with much, I know how it feels to not have. I know that my life has been a journey of grace and people have helped me along the way. This is how I am giving back. I also get a dopamine effect from helping people so I can’t stop.

The society and its support for women in tech

Being a woman in tech has its ups and down but I have been lucky to work with some amazing people who have given me opportunities regardless of my gender. I did notice that if I get interviewed by a woman for a contract, it’s much easier than getting interviewed by a man..lol. I didn’t let that stop me though. I think we as women can do more to let go of unfortunate situations and move on quickly rather than dwelling in it expecting self pity. As a woman, you do need to be extra tough. it’s not always fair but it is what it is.

3 women who inspire you and why

Esther in the bible: A queen. A risk taker and an influencer. Do you know what it means to go into the king’s bedroom and demand what you want at that time? I stan

Judy Faulkner: Google this woman. A mom, a mogul. I aspire to be her everyday. I wake up and ask myself “what would Judy do?”

ME!!!: I know this might sound a bit self-serving to some but I am an inspiration to myself. The things I am able to achieve day to day, my multi-tasking skills need to be studied.

Challenges  I experience in my line of work?

When everyone labels you the “I.T GUY” and somehow think you’re less deserving of respect. Someone once asked me where do you work, I mentioned “so so hospital” and she said, what department? I said, I.T. and she goes “so you don’t work there. You just work in I. T” I’m like, you will not be able to do your job if everyone on my team take a day off at the same time.

Other projects and activities

I do have a lot on my plate. I’m a mom of 3. Ages 5,3 and 1 so that’s a major project. I also have a business. I sell household items so I’m a petty trader and lastly, the first batch of JeLarmmy homes are now under construction, opening fall of 2022. Real estate has always been a side passion of mine and I’m glad I’m finally able to achieve it with more to come.

Being a Woman of Rubies

As a Christian, I have read through Prov 31 over and over. The way that woman runs her household is an inspiration. Women are smart, brilliant and powerful. Do not underestimate me and what I can achieve. My gender is my strength, not a limitation.

Advice for women who want to pitch their tent in the tech sector

DO IT! Find a niche and perfect it. Be indispensable when you do. You do not have to know how to code or write software programming languages to get into tech. There are so many fields that do not require that. Scrum master, product owner, Project management etc.

Being  happily married with amazing kids; and creating work life balance

The major thing that keeps me going is that Yomi, my husband, is a great support system for me. This man is my backbone. He knows how much I take on at a time and he is always willing to step in and handle things when I’m crashing under the weight. I’m also a good multi-tasker. I treat my family and work as a scrum project. Each person or item is a sprint. It keeps me organized. Believe it or not, I start my day with 45 minutes of exercise and meditation to also get my body and mind right and ready for the day. I’m a morning person. I’m usually up at 4 so I take care of myself before everybody else wakes up.

 Important tech nuggets with us

Like I said earlier, you don’t have to know how to code or write programming languages to get into tech. Also, if you want to get into I.T because everyone else is doing it, you will get bored. My advice is find a field or specialty that appeals to you, go for that and be a master in it.

 

 

Operatives of the Enugu State Police Command have arrested a suspected child trafficker who allegedly stole an 8-year-old boy from Zamfara state. Spokesperson of the command, ASP Daniel Ndukwe, who disclosed this in a statement on Friday May 6, said the suspect, Juliet Donatus was arrested while looking for a buyer for the child.

“On 09/04/2022 at about 2055hrs, Police Operatives serving in Central Police Station (CPS) Enugu, arrested one Juliet Donatus (female) aged 35, residing in Zaria, Kaduna State. Her arrest was as a result of a tip off alleging that she was found attempting to sell a male child at Old Park Enugu,” the statement read.

“The said child, who is 8 years old, was rescued while the suspect confessed to have stolen the victim from Zamfara State and brought him to Enugu in search of a buyer,”

The case was transferred to Gender/Anti-Human Trafficking Section of the State CID Enugu for preliminary investigation and has been further handed over to Kaduna State Police Command for conclusive investigation and prosecution.”

Oprah Winfrey is set to receive an honorary PEN/Faulkner award, ABC News reports.

Media mogul Oprah Winfrey founded her book club in 1996 with the goal of creating community and necessary conversations while supporting authors across the globe. Over the course of three decades, Winfrey has boosted the sales of countless authors, receiving an honorary National Book Award in 1999 for her work.

Now Winfrey is receiving the prestigious Literary Champion award from the PEN/Faulkner Foundation. The lifetime achievement prize is being granted to Winfrey for her contributions to literacy and her commitment to inspiring young readers and writers.

“Oprah Winfrey is a literary force field. She has been like a lighthouse, standing sentry and shining a beacon of light onto literature and into the lives of writers and readers,” said Mary Haft, PEN/Faulkner Board Vice President.

A two-time cancer survivor married for the first time at the age of 73, People reports.

Audrey Parker Green had always envisioned herself getting married and having children one day, four to be exact. But for the majority of her life, it just didn’t work out like that, and she was accepting of it. She never wanted to marry young, and she was really just enjoying her journey when one day in 1996, she got a random call from a former high school acquaintance, Allen Green.

Allen was divorced and thinking about the past when he remembered Audrey who he thought was a nice person, deciding to take a shot in the dark to ask her out.

“I said, ‘Let me take this chance,’… She gave me such a rough time,” Allen recalled.

Audrey wasn’t interested and the two would go some time before they saw each other again, reuniting a year and a half later in November 1997 at a Scottville High School alumni event.

“When I saw him, I said, ‘Oh my God. Here he comes. If he didn’t speak to me, it would only be [us] and God that knew he had ever tried to call me. That’s when he approached me and said, ‘Ms. Parker, I’m not letting you get away from me this easy this time,’” Audrey explained.

The two would eventually form a friendship over the phone that blossomed into a beautiful relationship, spanning 20 years. Allen often jokes that he “romanced her on the phone.” Despite their love, the relationship was fraught with challenges. In November 2002, Audrey was diagnosed with colon cancer and had to move in with one of her sisters.

“I told him that if he couldn’t handle it, he could leave, and I wouldn’t hold it against him. He said that, no, he was going to be here with me,” she recalled.

Allen kept his promise and stuck by her side, something Audrey says she’ll never forget.

“He was there with me when I was going through some tough times. When one person is sick, and another person is healthy, that’s hard on both parties,” explained Audrey.

Time went on and just when they thought they were out of the woods, in October 2008, Audrey was diagnosed with breast cancer, having to undergo a double mastectomy. Again, Allen was right there to hold her hand through it all.

“We were always there for each other…What I love about him is that, number one, I’m comfortable. I’m me. We laugh. We have fun together,” Audrey said.

Allen echoed those sentiments, saying, “We really enjoy each other. We love each other, and we try to do the best for each other.”

Last year when the couple were discussing how Audrey wanted to spend her 73rd birthday, she simply told Allen to “wow [her].” And on March 27, 2021, while celebrating Audrey’s birthday, Allen got on one knee and proposed, asking her “Are you wowed now?”

Source: Beacuseofthem

Karine Jean-Pierre is making history as the first Black person to become White House press secretary, CNN reports.

Jean-Pierre’s current position is as the White House’s principal deputy press secretary, one of seven members on  President Biden’s all women communication team. She previously served as an adviser to the Biden campaign and former chief of staff to now-Vice President Kamala Harris. Last year, she made history as the first Black woman to hold the daily press briefing in three decades, the first to ever do so being Judy Smith in 1991.

Now Biden has announced that Jean-Pierre will become the new White House press secretary after Jen Psaki steps down on May 13, making her the first Black person to ever hold the title and the first openly LGBTQ+ person to serve in this capacity.

“I just want to take the opportunity to celebrate and congratulate my friend, my colleague, my partner in truth, Karine Jean-Pierre, the next White House press secretary…She will be the first Black woman, the first out LGBTQ+ person to serve in this role, which is amazing because representation matters and she is going to, she will give a voice to so many and allow and show so many what is truly possible when you work hard, and dream big and that matters, and…we should celebrate that,” Psaki told reporters at a White House briefing this week.

Jean-Pierre says she’s aware of the weight of this historic accomplishment, not only for the public, but also for her own family, her partner, CNN national correspondent Suzanne Malveaux, and the couple’s daughter. She thanked Psaki for her leadership and called the new appointment “an honor and a privilege.”

“I am still processing it because, as Jen said, at the top this is a historic moment and it’s not lost on me. I understand how important it is for so many people out there. So many different communities that I stand on their shoulders…It is an honor and a privilege to be behind this podium…[Jen] has been just a wonderful colleague, a friend, a mentor, during this past year and a half and I don’t think I would be here without so many people, but including her and she is just a true solid, amazing person,” said Jean-Pierre.

Psaki has been very vocal about her plan to step down after a year in her position. While several others were considered for the position, Jean-Pierre had already been working on the team and was prepared for the job.

“Karine not only brings the experience, talent and integrity needed for this difficult job, but she will continue to lead the way in communicating about the work of the Biden-Harris Administration on behalf of the American people,” President Biden said via statement.

Jean-Pierre is set to take over officially for Psaki on May 14th.

Photo Courtesy of Michael Brochstein/Zuma Press

Excellence Anurika Joshua is a Digital Skills Expert and Pan African social entrepreneur on a mission to boost the economic development of African women.
She is a Founder, Digital Media Consultant, a Pan Africa social entrepreneur, and a blooming African development expert who has trained and created job opportunities for over 3000 young African Women in the Tech Space since 2019.
With her passion for young women, She founded  Techy Train Incubator, a Nigerian-based onshore and offshore training and outsourcing organization that specializes in equipping African young women and female entrepreneurs with digital skills to empower them to get jobs in their countries and to also maximize remote job opportunities around the world, reducing the gender wage gap and to also support capacity-building among African companies and startups development worldwide.
She started an initiative in 2021 under the Techy Train incubator to train young ladies & women for Free, especially those with financial challenges and with no jobs to cater for themselves and their children.  As there are so many opportunities in the Tech and online space that are yet to be tapped, she believes that with thorough guidance and training she can help women especially those who are suffering in abusive marriages become financially independent with just their phones and data helping them set up a thriving business online.
She then set up The Tech-Up Girls Initiative with her team to empower 5000 young women across Africa with basic digital skills before the end of 2022. So far, over 3330 have been empowered from across 19 countries in Africa and assisted over 400 women in being gainfully self-employed using digital skills.
In 2019, she became a World Bank Fellow, and won the AGS survivor-woman award; in 2020 she won the Wrapper Initiative award by Erelu Bisi Fayemi and became the winner, Mentoring Her Pitchaton as well as the 1st Runner-Up of The Youth Innovation Challenge by The Funding Space. In 2021, she emerged as one of the winners of the Startup Lab Pitch Competition of the Nigeria Tech Summit.
As a Business and Digital media consultant, she obtained certifications from the International Association of Professions Career College, the School of Marketing, and The Call Centre School. She also obtained a Mini Masters in Business Administration from the International Finance Corporation (a World Bank Group) as well as other certifications in business, finance, and marketing.
She is an alumna of the Enterprise Development Centre of Pan Atlantic University; an alumna of the Academy of Women Entrepreneurs and a member of the International Association of Professional Social Media Consultants (IAPO).
To widen her horizon of knowledge to better develop more sustainable solutions towards the socio-economic development of African women and the world at large, she applied and got admitted into a graduate degree program in Global Inclusion and Social Development at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, USA.
She is a trailblazer who is passionate about using technology to drive change across areas in women, health, and education.
We celebrate her.

Ifeoma Adibe-Chukwuka was recently conferred as an ambassador of the Nigerian Youth Advocacy For Good Governance and also received the 2022 Golden Role Model Award for her entrepreneurial work focused enterprise development, women empowerment and humanitarian service.

The ceremony was held on Wednesday 27th April 2022 in Lagos where few delegates of the Nigerian Youth Advocacy For Good Governance Initiative (NYAGGI) visited the Omaness Skinfood Head office to confer Ifeoma as an ambassador and also present her with the Golden Role Model Award.

Leading the presentation, Mr Olakunle Clement the lead delegate from NYAGGI expressed that it was a pleasure to confer Ms Ifeoma as one of their ambassadors and also celebrate her as an entrepreneurial icon of the year.

Ms Ifeoma has done well as an entrepreneur and her work has been instrumental in charting new paths that creates sustainable opportunities that economically empowers women, advances communities, and promotes shared prosperity driven by maximizing local resources and talent. Looking at her track records of over a decade, it also revealed her achievement as a humanitarian. These were some of the consideration for her conferment. We are here to commend your excellent work and encourage you to not relent. “Nigeria needs more personality like you to develop the nation” Mr Olakunle said during the conferment ceremony.

The NYAGGI Golden Role Model Award is normally reserved for people who have excelled in their work and have made impactful contributions to the empowerment of the Nigerian Youth.

Ifeoma Adibe Chukwuka was named one of the emerging African Female Entrepreneur to watch by the Cherie Blair Foundation For Women in 2021. She is the founder of AYECI Africa and The Omaness Skinfood Company, two impact-driven companies that go beyond conventional business model to create sustainable opportunities that empowers and enriches people across Africa using innovative social enterprise model in charity intervention and African skinfood.

 

 

Social entrepreneur, and  founder of Rubies Ink Initiative for Women and Children & Women of Rubies ; Esther Ijewere  was shortlisted among the 60 women from 15 African countries  women  that have been nominated for this year’s Donors For Africa, African Women in Development awards.

The award recognises outstanding African women activists, change-makers, government representatives, and social innovators, who are transforming lives in their communities and countries, helping to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

Speaking on the recognition, Esther Ijewere had this to say; “I am honoured to be  shortlisted as one of the 60 women in the development sector using her work  and platform to add value and support other women. To every young sister out there, stay focused, support other women on your journey, and don’t stop evolving.”

According to the organisers, more than 700 entries from 20 African countries were received after the call for nominations was made. The finalists were selected following a rigorous research and selection process, by the selection committee, which included government representatives, development experts, and women leaders from Africa.

Chidi Koldsweat, Chief Executive Officer of Donors for Africa Foundation stated that the recognition is aimed at documenting stories of African women leading change across the continent, is also set to become a repository of research findings, tink-tank, advocacy groups, policymakers, and women who have the capacity and access to contribute to nation-building.

She added that in Africa, women deliver a vast range of impressive innovations every day. Much of what they do may go unnoticed or are taken for granted, and are largely undocumented. Her organisation is inspired to document their journey and work together to advance development on the continent.

“Often it is what women do which makes all the difference, especially now at a time of unimaginable human suffering inflicted by the pandemic and increasing economic crisis’’.

“The award recipients remind us that there is no lack of ideas or talent, but of support mechanisms necessary for women to thrive and be active transformers to economies.

“So, our initiatives put a spotlight on outstanding women who are bringing innovative ideas and creative solutions to support, lead and deliver a future of peace, prosperity, and progress.”

This year’s award will close with a virtual conference with leading speakers in Governments in Egypt and Ivory Coast, amongst others. We celebrate our awardees and applaud their efforts in successfully addressing the challenges posed by events in their communities.” She said,

Donors for Africa Foundation is a nonprofit based in Nigeria, working to reduce the number of African development organisations and non-profits that fail due to a lack of funding and technical expertise.

The organisation provides training services, human capital development, and accelerator programs to change-makers and social innovators to ensure their sustainability and institutional strengthening to continue accessing funds and affecting their communities.

So far, Donors for Africa’s digital and capacity-building training programs have helped organizations access over $30M in funding, trained over 1000+ nonprofits, and helped more organizations survive the pandemic, recover and prosper, allowing them to develop resilience and withstand future shocks.

 

 Members of the growing and influential movement of social entrepreneurs and innovators, Catalyst 2030, will gather with world leaders during Catalysing Change Week 2022 in answer to the universal call to find bold new strategies to make the world a more sustainable and fairer place for everyone.

Launched at the World Economic Forum in January 2020, Catalyst 2030 comprises more than 1,500 people and organisations who are active in over 180 countries and who directly reach an estimated two billion people

For five days from 9-13 May 2022, you will have the opportunity to join millions of people across the world at Catalyst 2030’s Catalysing Change Week (CCW). CCW2022 offers the unique opportunity to engage with the world’s most innovative changemakers as they collaborate, co-create and share best practices.

The week-long event is open to everyone who is interested in learning about the growing Catalyst 2030 movement, its work and successes in tackling the root of some of the world’s most difficult challenges, as it seeks to accelerate attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

Journalist and Founder of Rubies Ink Initiative, Esther Ijewere, will be hosting the virtual zoom session on Media and Public Policy session on the 11th of May. The session kicks off by 9.30am WAT, and 10.30 CEST.

The speakers​ for the session​ are; Gusi Tobby Lordwilliams of Girl Hub Africa, Senior Software Analyst, and Mental Health Advocate; Larmmy O​g​idan-Odeseye, Journalist and Co-founder; The Gender Initiative ; Ruth Atim, and Communications expert; Rafiat Atanda.

“With over 250 sessions and activities between 9th to 13th of May​​ globally, it is a privilege to be hosting one and bringing such a crucial conversation to the front burner, as it relates to SDGs 3, 5, and 8”, Esther Ijewere said.

Jeroo Billimoria, Catalyst 2030 spokesperson and one of the movement’s co-founders said the event provided a crucial platform for the social innovation community and world leaders to brainstorm and collaborate to explore solutions to these challenges.

“Time is simply not on our side and people are suffering unnecessarily as the UN’s 2030 deadline to meet the SDGs looms. We need to make the most of every opportunity to work together towards making our collective dream of a better world for all people a reality,” Bilimoria said.

“We are excited that Catalysing Change Week 2022 will again bring together a diverse group of experts, social innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders from the private sector and government.  In a spirit of true collaboration we will listen deeply to understand the challenges and collaborate as never before to change the world for the better. Some of the problems that will be tackled include poverty, disease, food security and the pervasive global lack of access to basic services like health and education. Participants will tap into the collective wisdom around systems change while forging partnerships across countries, regions and sectors,” Billimoria said.

We invite the media and general public to join this panel session aimed at highlighting the role of the press and policy makers.

Please register to attend​ the Media and Public Policy  session​ with this link;  https://t.co/rmMhp3ECB1

Register for other Catalyst session​s​ here; https://catalysingchangeweek.catalyst2030.net/events/

​Read more about Cataylst 2030 here; ​https://catalysingchangeweek.catalyst2030.net/about/