Women of Rubies
In Interviews&profile By

MEET YOUNG LECTURER, SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR & OPPORTUNITIES CURATOR GRACE IHEJIAMAIZU

Grace Ihejiamaizu, a lecturer and social entrepreneur who’s working to promote quality education and empower the next generation of leaders and entrepreneurs.

Grace, who graduated from the Sociology Department of the University of Calabar, now teaches social work at the institution, armed with a masters degree in rural sociology and community development from the University of Uyo.

She’s the founder of iKapture Centre for Development, a centre for youth development that provides afterschool education and services to students and out-of-school youth in Nigeria using creative learning methods and ICT.

While studying for her first degree, Grace joined a global campus-based organisation called Students In Free Enterprise (SIFE) UNICAL (it’s now known as Enactus UNICAL), and eventually served as its project director, shaping her life and helping her kickstart her career as a social entrepreneur.

After graduation from the university, she worked as a full-time volunteer with American Corner, Calabar and in the process, she kick-started my first personal project, RYPE (Raising Young and Productive Entrepreneurs) Initiative which later metamorphosed into iKapture Center for Development.

In 2012, Grace founded Opportunity Desk, a platform for youths looking for international experience through global scholarships, internships, jobs, conferences, competitions, fellowships, grants and awards.

She’s also the author of Go Global with Opportunities.

Grace has been named one of Google’s 12 brightest Young Minds in 2011 and a Global Changemaker in 2012. She’s one of the nominees for the 2013 Future Awards Africa Young Person of the Year Prize.

She’s been recognised by the US State Department as the “International Exchange Alumni Member of the Month for September 2012.”

Grace holds certificates in Civic Leadership from Kansas State University; and another in Social Entrepreneurship from University of Connecticut, USA.

We celebrate her for following her passion and impacting the society in the process.

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“I AM COMMITTED TO ENDING ALL FORMS OF NATURAL HAIR DISCRIMINATION IN AFRICA” – CHIOMA JOY EZECHUKWU-ALAEBO

Natural hair advocate; Chioma is a 26 year old young entrepreneur and final year student of Abia State Polytechnic, studying Public Administration.

Her unfortunate experience with hair relaxers and dyes launched her into advocacy. Chioma, who had spent the last three years of her life growing a healthy natural hair, is a social innovator who creates awareness on natural hair advocacy. She founded Black Hair Community and other online platforms where she has trained more than 1000 women across Africa how to grow healthy natural hair with ease. She also launched her cosmetics brand; Favent Beauty Cosmetics in 2017, Because of her passion for Natural Hair Care Education, and published her first book “Healthy Hair Secrets” same year. A book that explains what every woman’s healthy hair checklist should be.

Chioma is committed to ending all forms of Natural Hair Discrimination in Africa and encouraging African women to embrace their natural hair. She is currently working on a Natural Hair Documentary in line with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal (10) that will expose the hair discrimination against African women and their children.

On the 25th of May, 2019, she hosted the first ever Natural Hair Growth Hangout in Aba, Abia State, where she had guest speakers and lots of natural hair lovers in attendance, the event went viral on Facebook and opened her up to more opportunities globally.

In her words: “Our hair is more than just hair. It is our identity”.

The beautiful “Naturalista” who is also happily married to her supportive husband shares her story with me in this interview.

Childhood Influence

My childhood really prepared me for what I do today. I was born into a family where mum was a petty trader and dad , a carpenter; I was faced with visiting the markets after school. Though, I had always wanted to be a lawyer, my childhood and environment rather prepared me for business and entrepreneurship. After secondary school, I couldn’t further my education immediately because of lack of funds. I was left with getting a job at Tonimas Nigeria Limited Aba to work as a factory worker. My experience in that company left a vacuum in my life that being just an employee will never fill. My stay there was one of the things that inspired me to be a business owner. Not just a business owner like a mere trader. But, to become a company owner. I stopped aspiring to be a lawyer immediately. And started dreaming to own a company of my own. The saying that our environment influences our thoughts is so true. I saw how a company is being managed , how jobs are being created, and how money is being made. As an 18 year old Igbo girl, It affected my thought pattern.

Inspiration behind your Black hair community initiative and my  book Healthy hair secrets

When i was in JSS 2, I wrote one funny novel in form of a drama. I will say reading lots of books in primary school inspired the writing of the novel then. And, I have always wanted to be an author but don’t really know what to write on. I grew up knowing that the novel I wrote then was a trash compared to the books I see people publish. So, I had to let that aspiration of being an author die. Fast forward to 2017, I met a phenomenal lady by name Edirin Edewor on Facebook who advertised a free webinar to teach young people how to write a book with ease and publish it on Amazon. I had to grab the opportunity immediately. At the end of the power packed webinar, I learnt all that I need to actually become an author and I bought her book ” A-Z of E-book Publishing “. Having created a niche for myself in the Beauty Industry already, I decided to write a book that will give answers to numerous questions asked by various women concerning natural hair growth. Healthy Hair Secrets which is a hair care checklist, is a book I’m still proud I wrote. All thanks to Edirin Edewor

Reception

My journey into the Natural Hair Care Industry since 2016 to this point has been a roller coaster. Sometimes, I feel so bad and frustrated because of what I encounter daily on this journey. When i was starting, I reached out to some women who are already in the Natural Hair Care Industry to learn one thing or the other from them as a newbie. I got turned down and ignored by most of these women that I had to push myself harder learning most of the things I know today on my own. It was frustrating. It affected my self-esteem and confidence. I felt I wasn’t enough. The mental note this experience created on my mind is still fresh that I hardly go to women to seek for help or advice today. The experience made me determined and I am happy with the great reception I get daily from my customers, clients and prospective ones, I believe that the world is actually my stage. I’m just scratching the surface now. More grounds to conquer.

My Inspiration

The hunger to solve the Natural Hair problems faced by African women, and the successful stories of African business women all over the world inspire me to never back out of this journey but stay put in working hard and smart.

Greatest reward

Apart from being awarded the 2017 Start-up of the Year by Vision Alive Foundation after I launched my cosmetics brand- Favent Beauty Cosmetics, my greatest reward for what I do has been the recommendations and referrals I get daily from my customers and clients. They keep telling everyone about me. They keep announcing me to the world. They keep recommending me whenever someone laments about her natural hair. To many, these things may not be rewards. But to me, the recommendations and referrals are my greatest rewards for what I do.

Challenges as a Natural hair advocate

Not having a physical school here in Nigeria that offers Trichology ( the study of human scalp). Though there are online schools that offer this course, having a Nigerian physical school that teaches this will make a lot of sense. It is the foundation of every hair care business and should be offered in Nigerian schools just like every other courses. The absence of this is really affecting the natural hair care practice in Nigeria. Also, not being able to solve the problem of a client after trying out possible solutions is really challenging though I refer them to certified Trichologists. Getting natural hair women that are open to collaboration and partnership is tough. Really tough. But we will keep digging.

Media should do more

The media platforms and social media influencers in Africa are not helping in projecting the advocacy for natural hair. They will charge you to feature your works on their platforms. When you write to them to invite you to a radio show for you to educate the African women on the dangers of using unsafe hair care products like relaxers and permanent dyes or how to take care of their hair, they will ask you to pay them. When you can’t pay them, you won’t be featured and  a lot souls keep living in ignorance.

My Natural hair documentary project in line with the UN SDG

I got the inspiration for this project after coming across and witnessing first hand a lot of abuses faced by myself and other African women just because of our God given natural hair. When I returned natural, I was bullied by my coursemates in school but I was able to pull through. That wasn’t the case of my younger sister who is also a victim of  hair discrimination, verbal abuse and bully .The Natural Hair Documentary will  tell the story of Afro hair as an African identity, the dread hair discrimination against African women and their children, the emotional, physical and verbal abuse faced by African women and their children just because of their Afro hair, the inequality eating deep into our society just because of Afro hair, and the way forward. In line with the United Nation’s SDGs (10 target 3), my team and I are working to ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies and action in this regard through this documentary project.

Being a Woman of Rubies 

My story! Yes, my unique story is and will remain an inspiration to so many women out there. My goal is to use every possible medium or platform to solve the natural hair challenges  faced by African women being my greatest weapon, and my inspiration to be a natural hair care giver and problem solver. All these attributes make me a Woman of Rubies.

Appreciation of black women “Naturalista”

We are not well appreciated at all! The verbal abuse, bullies, hair discrimination, mockery, assault, etc, it’s so alarming. Who did we offend? Why the hate? Why can’t we enjoy growing our God given natural hair ?

Advice for women who are having trouble with their r natural hair way and basic natural hair tips for beginners

Moisture is the Key! And to keep your hair moisturised, it is imperative to know the porosity level of your hair. Hair Porosity which simply means the hair’s ability to absorb and retain moisture, is what actually determines the products your hair needs and what your hair care regimen should be. Growing a healthy natural hair will become easy for you when you learn to treat your hair rightly. Stop using hair products because every other person is using it. Find out what actually works or can work for you. First step is carrying out a porosity test on your natural hair.

HOW TO TEST YOUR HAIR POROSITY LEVEL:

* Wash your hair thoroughly to get rid of any product buildups and air dry.

* Cut out a strand of your clean hair.

* Drop the hair strand in a glass of water.

* Pay attention to see if it sinks or floats.

* If it floats, it is low porosity hair.

* If it sinks, it is high porosity hair.

* And if stays at the middle of the water, it is normal or medium porosity hair.

Congratulations, now you know the porosity level of your hair.

This will help you know the products and hair care regimen your hair needs.

Advice for young women who want to go into my line of work

Hey Queens! My advice for you is a simple one. Do not stop learning. Be knowledgeable. Be your greatest cheerleader. Equip your brain. Remain focused. Volunteer and intern when you see an opportunity to do that. Attend events and network with like minds. Read books. Finally, invest in your personal development in any way that you can because  personal brand sells faster. The world is your stage. See you at the top.

You can join my Facebook group (BLACK HAIR COMMUNITY) or follow my personal blog instagram page (@naturalhairadvocate) and my business page (@faventbeautyorganics) to learn natural hair tips that are result oriented and works.

Growing your natural hair can be very easy when done the right way.

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In Editor's Choice By

“I AM COMMITTED TO ENDING ALL FORMS OF NATURAL HAIR DISCRIMINATION IN AFRICA” – CHIOMA JOY EZECHUKWU-ALAEBO

Natural hair advocate; Chioma is a 26 year old young entrepreneurand final year student of Abia State Polytechnic, studying Public Administration.

Her unfortunate experience with hair relaxers and dyes launched her into advocacy. Chioma, who had spent the last three years of her life growing a healthy natural hair, is a social innovator who creates awareness on natural hair advocacy. She founded Black Hair Community and other online platforms where she has trained more than 1000 women across Africa how to grow healthy natural hair with ease. She also launched her cosmetics brand; Favent Beauty Cosmetics 2017, Because of her passion for Natural Hair Care Education, and published her first book “Healthy Hair Secrets” same year. A book that explains what every woman’s healthy hair checklist should be.

Chioma is committed to ending all forms of Natural Hair Discrimination in Africa and encouraging African women to embrace their natural hair. She is currently working on a Natural Hair Documentary in line with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal (10) that will expose the hair discrimination against African women and their children.

On the 25th of May, 2019, she hosted the first ever Natural Hair Growth Hangout in Aba, Abia State, where she had guest speakers and lots of natural hair lovers in attendance, the event went viral on Facebook and opened her up to more opportunities globally.

In her words: “Our hair is more than just hair. It is our identity”.

The beautiful “Naturalista” who is also happily married to her supportive husband shares her story with me in this interview.

Childhood Influence

My childhood really prepared me for what I do today. I was born into a family where mum was a petty trader and dad , a carpenter; I was faced with visiting the markets after school. Though, I had always wanted to be a lawyer, my childhood and environment rather prepared me for business and entrepreneurship. After secondary school, I couldn’t further my education immediately because of lack of funds. I was left with getting a job at Tonimas Nigeria Limited Aba to work as a factory worker. My experience in that company left a vacuum in my life that being just an employee will never fill. My stay there was one of the things that inspired me to be a business owner. Not just a business owner like a mere trader. But, to become a company owner. I stopped aspiring to be a lawyer immediately. And started dreaming to own a company of my own. The saying that our environment influences our thoughts is so true. I saw how a company is being managed , how jobs are being created, and how money is being made. As an 18 year old Igbo girl, It affected my thought pattern.

Inspiration behind your Black hair community initiative and my  book Healthy hair secrets

When i was in JSS 2, I wrote one funny novel in form of a drama. I will say reading lots of books in primary school inspired the writing of the novel then. And, I have always wanted to be an author but don’t really know what to write on. I grew up knowing that the novel I wrote then was a trash compared to the books I see people publish. So, I had to let that aspiration of being an author die. Fast forward to 2017, I met a phenomenal lady by name Edirin Edewor on Facebook who advertised a free webinar to teach young people how to write a book with ease and publish it on Amazon. I had to grab the opportunity immediately. At the end of the power packed webinar, I learnt all that I need to actually become an author and I bought her book ” A-Z of E-book Publishing “. Having created a niche for myself in the Beauty Industry already, I decided to write a book that will give answers to numerous questions asked by various women concerning natural hair growth. Healthy Hair Secrets which is a hair care checklist, is a book I’m still proud I wrote. All thanks to Edirin Edewor

Reception

My journey into the Natural Hair Care Industry since 2016 to this point has been a roller coaster. Sometimes, I feel so bad and frustrated because of what I encounter daily on this journey. When i was starting, I reached out to some women who are already in the Natural Hair Care Industry to learn one thing or the other from them as a newbie. I got turned down and ignored by most of these women that I had to push myself harder learning most of the things I know today on my own. It was frustrating. It affected my self-esteem and confidence. I felt I wasn’t enough. The mental note this experience created on my mind is still fresh that I hardly go to women to seek for help or advice today. The experience made me determined and I am happy with the great reception I get daily from my customers, clients and prospective ones, I believe that the world is actually my stage. I’m just scratching the surface now. More grounds to conquer.

My Inspiration

The hunger to solve the Natural Hair problems faced by African women, and the successful stories of African business women all over the world inspire me to never back out of this journey but stay put in working hard and smart.

Greatest reward

Apart from being awarded the 2017 Start-up of the Year by Vision Alive Foundation after I launched my cosmetics brand- Favent Beauty Cosmetics, my greatest reward for what I do has been the recommendations and referrals I get daily from my customers and clients. They keep telling everyone about me. They keep announcing me to the world. They keep recommending me whenever someone laments about her natural hair. To many, these things may not be rewards. But to me, the recommendations and referrals are my greatest rewards for what I do.

Challenges as a Natural hair advocate

Not having a physical school here in Nigeria that offers Trichology ( the study of human scalp). Though there are online schools that offer this course, having a Nigerian physical school that teaches this will make a lot of sense. It is the foundation of every hair care business and should be offered in Nigerian schools just like every other courses. The absence of this is really affecting the natural hair care practice in Nigeria. Also, not being able to solve the problem of a client after trying out possible solutions is really challenging though I refer them to certified Trichologists. Getting natural hair women that are open to collaboration and partnership is tough. Really tough. But we will keep digging.

Media should do more

The media platforms and social media influencers in Africa are not helping in projecting the advocacy for natural hair. They will charge you to feature your works on their platforms. When you write to them to invite you to a radio show for you to educate the African women on the dangers of using unsafe hair care products like relaxers and permanent dyes or how to take care of their hair, they will ask you to pay them. When you can’t pay them, you won’t be featured and  a lot souls keep living in ignorance.

My Natural hair documentary project in line with the UN SDG

 I got the inspiration for this project after coming across and witnessing first hand a lot of abuses faced by myself and other African women just because of our God given natural hair. When I returned natural, I was bullied by my coursemates in school but I was able to pull through. That wasn’t the case of my younger sister who is also a victim of  hair discrimination, verbal abuse and bully .The Natural Hair Documentary will  tell the story of Afro hair as an African identity, the dread hair discrimination against African women and their children, the emotional, physical and verbal abuse faced by African women and their children just because of their Afro hair, the inequality eating deep into our society just because of Afro hair, and the way forward. In line with the United Nation’s SDGs (10 target 3), my team and I are working to ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies and action in this regard through this documentary project.

Being a Woman of Rubies 

My story! Yes, my unique story is and will remain an inspiration to so many women out there. My goal is to use every possible medium or platform to solve the natural hair challenges  faced by African women being my greatest weapon, and my inspiration to be a natural hair care giver and problem solver. All these attributes make me a Woman of Rubies.

Appreciation of black women “Naturalista”

We are not well appreciated at all! The verbal abuse, bullies, hair discrimination, mockery, assault, etc, it’s so alarming. Who did we offend? Why the hate? Why can’t we enjoy growing our God given natural hair ?

Advice for women who are having trouble with their r natural hair way and basic natural hair tips for beginners

Moisture is the Key! And to keep your hair moisturised, it is imperative to know the porosity level of your hair. Hair Porosity which simply means the hair’s ability to absorb and retain moisture, is what actually determines the products your hair needs and what your hair care regimen should be. Growing a healthy natural hair will become easy for you when you learn to treat your hair rightly. Stop using hair products because every other person is using it. Find out what actually works or can work for you. First step is carrying out a porosity test on your natural hair.

HOW TO TEST YOUR HAIR POROSITY LEVEL:

* Wash your hair thoroughly to get rid of any product buildups and air dry.

* Cut out a strand of your clean hair.

* Drop the hair strand in a glass of water.

* Pay attention to see if it sinks or floats.

* If it floats, it is low porosity hair.

* If it sinks, it is high porosity hair.

* And if stays at the middle of the water, it is normal or medium porosity hair.

Congratulations, now you know the porosity level of your hair.

This will help you know the products and hair care regimen your hair needs.

Advice for young women who want to go into my line of work

Hey Queens! My advice for you is a simple one. Do not stop learning. Be knowledgeable. Be your greatest cheerleader. Equip your brain. Remain focused. Volunteer and intern when you see an opportunity to do that. Attend events and network with like minds. Read books. Finally, invest in your personal development in any way that you can because  personal brand sells faster. The world is your stage. See you at the top.

You can join my Facebook group (BLACK HAIR COMMUNITY) or follow my personal blog instagram page (@naturalhairadvocate) and my business page (@faventbeautyorganics) to learn natural hair tips that are result oriented and works.

Growing your natural hair can be very easy when done the right way.

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In Career Gems By

KYLIE JENNER IS THE HIGHEST-PAID CELEB ON INSTAGRAM, EARNS UP TO $1.2M PER POST (SEE FULL LIST)

Make-up mogul, Kylie Jenner has retained her crown as the highest-paid star on Instagram as it has been revealed she charges up to $1.2 million per post on her page.

In the 2019 Instagram Rich List, which was unveiled this month by Hopper HQ, the 21-year-old mother-of-one is estimated to charge $1,266,000 per post on average, which is an increase of 27 percent from last year, when it was revealed that from $1 million per post on average.

She is placed ahead of Ariana Grande, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kim Kardashian, and Selena Gomez who are also placed in the top five highest paid celebrities on Instagram.

See the list below.

1. Kylie Jenner – $1,266,000 per post
2. Ariana Grande – $996,000 per post
3. Cristiano Ronaldo – $975,000 per post
4. Kim Kardashian – $910,000 per post
5. Selena Gomez –  $886,000 per post
6. Dwayne Johnson – $882,000 per post
7. Beyoncé Knowles – $785,000 per post
8. Taylor Swift – $748,000 per post
9. Neymar da Silva Santos Junior – $722,000 per post
10. Justin Bieber – $722,000 per post

 

 

Credit: LIB

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CHIMAMANDA ADICHIE AND HUSBAND DR ESEGE DINE WITH FORMER US PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA & FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA

Renowned Nigerian author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was pictured at a private dinner with former US President Barack Obama, former First Lady Michelle Obama and other VIPs.

 

The Americanah author attended the dinner with her husband Dr Ivara Esege. Others present included Shaw-Scott, Steven Spielberg and wife, Kate Capshaw.

 

Ms Adichie’s brother, Chuka posted the photo to his Instagram page with the caption: “When my definition of a great evening is some of the greatest minds I admire meeting to have a private dinner and when the great minds include my darling little sister @chimamanda_adichie, President Barack Obama Michelle Obama @michelleobama, Steven Spielberg and his wife.”

 

Chimamanda Adichie and husband Dr Esege dine with former US President Barack Obama & First Lady Michelle Obama

Credit: LIB
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‘DAUGHTERS OF CHIBOK’ TO REPRESENT NIGERIA AT 76TH VENICE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Following its screening on the 5th remembrance of the abducted schoolgirls in Chibok town, ‘‘Daughters of Chibok’ will be screened at the 2019 Venice International Film Festival.

The film will be competing in the linear content category, among 12 other Virtual Reality films selected from around the world.

The 76th Venice International Film Festival will run from August 28 to September 7 at Venice Lido.

Representing Nigeria and Africa in the category, ‘Daughters of Chibok’ joins other VR movies from countries including France, China, Japan, Australia, United Kingdom, USA, Italy, Taiwan, and Israel.

The films will be judged by an international jury who will determine the winners for Best VR, Best VR Experience for Interactive Content and Best VR Story for Linear Content awards respectively.

Speaking on the movie, Benson told Pulse that one of the reasons he’s pushing the film across the world is to raise funds for families of victims of the insurgents.

“We hope that this film serves as a vehicle to not only transport people to Chibok, but we also want to use it as a means of raising financial assistance to families of victims of the insurgents. It is one thing to lose your child and spend years waiting for her return, and it is another to still be living in abject poverty.  

Joel Kachi Benson's second Virtual Reality film, 'Daughters of Chibok' tells the story of a kidnapped schoolgirl from Chibok. [Kachi Benson]
Joel Kachi Benson’s second Virtual Reality film, ‘Daughters of Chibok’ tells the story of a kidnapped schoolgirl from Chibok. [Kachi Benson]

“We must remember that these women have other children to cater for, and when you don’t have the means of taking care of them, that is extra pain. If we can’t bring back their girls now, at least we should be able to do something about their economic situation”, he said.

More so, he said he realised the significant role the womenfolk of Chibok play in sustaining their families, thus the need to support affected mothers who are waiting for the return of their daughters.

‘Daughters of Chibok‘, which is the first-ever VR film on the infamous Chibok kidnappings, centers on Yana Galang, a woman leader in Chibok, whose daughter was among the kidnapped Chibok girls.

The film is a stark reminder that the traumatic events of that fateful night in April 2014 are still fresh, and there are women still waiting for their children to be returned.

The 11-minute short film mirrors Galang’s pain as she hopefully awaits the return of her daughter while struggling to live a normal life as a peasant farmer.

In 2018, Benson made his first Virtual Reality film, ‘In Bakassi‘, a short film that captures the plight of children living with PTSD in Internally Displaced Persons Camps in the northeast region.

 

 

Credit: pulse.ng

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COMEDIAN MO’NIQUE EXPLAINS WHY SHE FEEL BETRAYED BY OPRAH WINFREY AND WANT AN APOLOGY

51-year-old Mo’Nique explains that Oprah put her family on her show without telling her in advance, despite the fact that Oprah knew of Mo’Nique’s strained relationship with her family.

Mo’Nique says she was hurt when she saw commercials  for the episode with her other family members featured, including her mother, father and brother.

She says:

We didn’t discuss that, Oprah…I’m watching my father sit there, who was a strong alcoholic. I’m watching him drunk. I’m watching my mother be greedy. I’m watching my other brother, who was my manager, be greedy…I’m watching the scam. I want you to understand something, see this is why me and Oprah Winfrey got a problem…until that woman says let me apologize to you publicly, it’ll be ’til the day that I leave this Earth, because what you did was malicious.

She then sent a message to Oprah: “I would say Oprah Winfrey: you know what you need to do. And stop hiding behind what you call is negative comments…what people are beginning to do is see you for who you are.”

Watch.

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TWO GHANAIAN STUDENTS MAKE SANITARY PADS OUT OF BANANA STEMS

The Ghanaian market has introduced a revolutionary sanitary pad courtesy two female students from KNUST.

Miss Otoo-Quayson and Matilda Sampong decided to solve challenges women go through monthly by producing sanitary pads out of banana stems.

Miss Otoo-Quayson said, “According to statistics about 95% of girls in rural areas miss classes during this period and we thought to do something about this,”

Conferring to the young ladies aside from the sanitary pads from the west being expensive, they are also harmful to the reproductive organs. They said these sanitary pads are made out of plastic, dioxin (cellulose gel) and a little cotton.

Banana stem sanitary pad
Banana stem sanitary pad

Plastics found in sanitary pads are known to complicate embryonic development resulting in organ damage aside polluting the environment. Also, dioxin is listed by the WHO as a highly toxic environmental pollutant and has been linked to immune system damage and cancer.

Miss Otoo-Quayson and Matilda Sampong (KNUST students)
Miss Otoo-Quayson and Matilda Sampong (KNUST students)

Therefore, the new sanitary pads made from banana stems is very welcomed because not only is it environmental-safe alternative but it is also cheaper compared to conventional sanitary pads. According to the duo, these new sanitary pads are priced at just 2 cedis per pack which is comparably cheaper than conventional sanitary pads sold at 5 cedis per pack.

 

Credit: pulse.ng

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TENI REVEALS HOW SPENDING 7 YEARS IN THE UNIVERSITY BEFORE GRADUATING INSPIRED ‘UYO MEYO’

Teni the entertainer has opened up on how her seven years in the university inspired her hit single, ‘Uyo Meyo’.

In a recent documentary, Teniola Apata opened up on her world as an entertainer, her inspiration and her dream to win a Grammy.

Teni is so confident of her talent and abilities that she says she will not only win Grammys but also perform and sell out stadiums globally.

“I believe I will win the Grammys, I know I will win the Grammys, I will win the Grammys and I will sell out stadiums around the world. I just know, it’s just in my soul,” she said during the 12 minute-long interview.

In the early part of the interview, Teni reminisced on how she has prophesied greatness to herself and how it came to be.

“I told someone, you better take my picture, you better take my number because I will be a superstar. I was just saying it, do I even know what I was saying? I was just saying my own, but I just spoke it to the universe,” she reminisced.

Teni says she would only do what she feels or wish to do and not what others want her to do.

On her personality, the ‘Askamaya’ singer says she’s known to be a stubborn lady, who does solely what she wishes and not others wish for her.

“People I grew up with, like friends, have always known me to be a stubborn person,” she began. “I do what I want to do because I just realise from a very young age that look here, how long am I going to be on this earth? I need to enjoy my life, as long as I am not harming anybody, I need to do what is best for Teni. I would rather fail at what I want to do than fail doing what someone told me to do. I’m comfortable in what I am wearing, I mean if I was wearing all these tight things, I won’t be comfortable,” she said.

For Teni, people’s worth is in their person and not their estimated worth. She says, “Everybody has something to offer, I can’t do your job, can’t hold the camera like the cameraman but you have to be with them to realise because in Nigeria, you being special depends on how much money you have. People don’t know their worth is in their skin.”

Teni‘s confidence in her talent when she started was so strong that she told her label owner, Dr. Dolor that he would be making a huge mistake if he fails to sign her. “Here’s what I told my boss before he signed me. I told my boss (Dr. Dolor) that if you don’t sign me, you are going to be making a very bad decision because I’m different.”

The 26-year-old BET awards nominee says her hit single, ‘Uyo Meyo’ is good music. In her words, “Uyo Meyo is good music. I have had governors call me because of ‘Uyo Meyo’ and I sat across Dangote because of ‘Case’. Isn’t that good music? Actually, I saw Dangote twice in a row, why? Isn’t that good music? ‘Uyo Meyo’ was a song that was just from the bottom of my heart. 

For Teni, her hit song, 'Uyo Meyo' is a good song that was created from the bottom of her heart.
For Teni, her hit song, ‘Uyo Meyo’ is a good song that was created from the bottom of her heart.

“I was just in my car driving to graduation and on my way to graduation, I was listening to a song I had and I called the producer and said send me the beat because the beat was so spiritual and I just started freestyling in my car and that’s just how ‘Uyo Meyo’ came out. It just came from me being grateful to God for everything thus far. For me, even being able to complete the programme, it took me 7 years to graduate from the university,” she told her interviewer.

During the interview, Teni confesses to loving roadside stuff that includes local Nigerian snacks.

She went further to share what she has learned after one of her hit singles, ‘Case,’ was released in Nigeria. She said, “I learned something vital when I dropped ‘Case’. If you want to keep making good music, you can not think about making a hit song, you just have to make good music. You just have to have that juice and mindset that I want to make good music. I don’t know if it’s a hit or not, and if it’s a hit, we thank God. If it’s not a hit we keep trying.”

Continuing, she said, “By the time Askamaya blew, I was in America, they were telling me that my song has blown in Nigeria. When I returned to Lagos, people were already calling me olomoge askamaya and I was like…It blew up in London like crazy, like a wildfire.”

For her legacy, Teni wants to live a fully well-spent one. “I want to make sure that when I am dead and people gather around me to sing goodbye, and they are singing it is well, I will know that it is well. And I live my life for myself and I don’t leave my life for anybody.”

 

 

Credit: Pulse

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“I’M HAPPY, I’M HEALTHY” – WENDY WILLIAMS BURST INTO TEARS WHILE TALKING ABOUT HER RELATIONSHIP WITH HER EX

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JULY 23: (L-R) Wendy Williams attends SiriusXM Town Hall with Wendy Williams hosted by SiriusXM host Karen Hunter at SiriusXM Studios on July 23, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for SiriusXM)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JULY 23: Wendy Williams attends SiriusXM Town Hall with Wendy Williams hosted by SiriusXM host Karen Hunter at SiriusXM Studios on July 23, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for SiriusXM)

In a chat with Karen, Wendy Williams opened up about her alleged feud with Blac Chyna‘s mum Tokyo Toni.

She also spoke about her need to have a sober house to feel safe as well as her relationship with her ex.

Wendy Williams got emotional when Karen Hunter asked about how she was handling her recent separation from Kevin Hunter Sr. When asked whether she’ll change her name on credit card and bank accounts, Wendy got choked up.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JULY 23: Wendy Williams attends SiriusXM Town Hall with Wendy Williams hosted by SiriusXM host Karen Hunter at SiriusXM Studios on July 23, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for SiriusXM)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JULY 23: Wendy Williams attends SiriusXM Town Hall with Wendy Williams hosted by SiriusXM host Karen Hunter at SiriusXM Studios on July 23, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for SiriusXM)

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JULY 23: Wendy Williams attends SiriusXM Town Hall with Wendy Williams hosted by SiriusXM host Karen Hunter at SiriusXM Studios on July 23, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for SiriusXM)

She said:

My name is Wendy Hunter. That’s my son’s name. You can’t take away twenty…don’t make me cry… Next.

She added, “I’m happy, I’m healthy…I’m at peace with the world and everyone around…I’m going through a situation in my family.”

“Is there a chance…” Karen began to ask.

“No! Don’t ask. Girl. No. Don’t ask. I know what you’re saying…but my family’s good, and we’ll always be family

Watch below.

Watch below.

Photo Credit: Getty Images/Astrid Stawiarz

Photo Credit: Getty Images/Astrid Stawiarz

 

 

Credit: LIB

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