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In Career Gems June 6, 2022 By Women of Rubies

Sheryl Sandberg Steps Down As Chief Operating Officer Of Facebook Parent Company Meta

Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer of Facebook and its parent company Meta, has announced she will step down from her role, ending 14 years in the job that made her one of the most powerful figures in the tech world and saw the company weather a meteoric rise and multiple controversies.

Sandberg announced the move in a post on her own Facebook page on Wednesday, adding that she was not sure of what the future holds for her but plans to focus on her foundation and philanthropic work going forward.

She said she will leave the company this fall, but will continue to be on Meta’s board and thanked Meta founder and chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg for his support, saying “sitting by Mark’s side for these 14 years has been the honor and privilege of a lifetime”.

“When I took this job in 2008, I hoped I would be in this role for five years,” she wrote. “Fourteen years later, it is time for me to write the next chapter of my life.”

The billionaire executive has been one of Facebook’s most prominent public faces since joining in 2008, shaping its policies and overseeing responses to the myriad public controversies the company has battled.

Her departure comes as Meta continues to weather a financial storm and shifts away from social media into virtual reality.

Facebook rebranded in 2021 to Meta, attempting to move its primary business away from social media and into virtual reality after a series of difficult years.

Zuckerberg has bet big on his hopes for the “metaverse”, an augmented and virtual reality space where people can interact through avatars in a shared world.

In a comment on Sandberg’s post announcing her leave, Zuckerberg said she had “architected our ads business, hired great people, forged our management culture, and taught me how to run a company”. He said in a post on his own page that Sandberg’s position would not be filled, and announced restructuring of existing roles at the company.

Sandberg’s departure also comes after billionaire tech investor Peter Thiel stepped down from Meta’s board, following the company’s worst-ever earnings report, suggesting some power players may be jumping ship as the company flounders.

Most recently Sandberg and Facebook had faced increased scrutiny after documents leaked by the whistleblower Frances Haugen were turned over to Congress and published by a number of news outlets.

Source: Feminine

In Career Gems June 6, 2022 By Esther Ijewere

Eva Mendes Highlights The Importance Of Eliminating Gender Roles In Her Household

Eva Mendes just gave fans another rare glimpse into her home life, telling the world that gender roles don’t exist in her and Ryan Gosling’s household.

In a recent and rare interview with Forbes, Mendes talked about how her partner Gosling of the household, admitting she’s “not an amazing cook.” However, she sees this dynamic as a valuable lesson for their daughters Esmerelda and Amada.

“Hopefully it’s showing my girls that there are no gender specific roles that one must take on and that we are partners in this and that we’re all partners in this, not just Ryan and I, but our children as well,” she said.

The 2 Fast 2 Furious star added, “It’s a team effort every day, so if they see him and I switching off doing certain things that again aren’t specific to stereotypical gender things, I think that just creates balance and harmony.”

Many stars have been raising their children in a gender-fluid household, teaching their growing kids that they don’t need to be limited by gender roles if they don’t want to be.

Mendes and Gosling originally met while co starring in the film The Place Beyond the Pines, dating soon after in 2011. They share two daughters together named Esmerelda, 7, and Amada, 6.

After giving birth to them, she decided to take a step back from acting to focus on her little family. She addressed it in response to an Instagram comment, saying, “As a mother now, there are many roles I won’t do. There are many subject matters that I don’t want to be involved with, so it limits my choices and I’m fine with that. I have to set an example for my girls now.”

In Inspiration June 5, 2022 By Esther Ijewere

I Started My Business Out Of My Passion For Humanity- Dr. Joy Ezeike

Life they say has different faces and only the tough people can stand the challenges involved. It is better to fail in novelty than to succeed in imitation, a belief that makes Amb. (Dr.) Joy I. Ezeike is unique in life; she believes in her own concept of creating a different world in business and personal life.

A woman of many parts, Ezeike is an entrepreneur and business professional par excellence, a renowned certified media expert with global training experience, and an astute personality with proven managerial and administrative competencies. She retired to a private personal business after several years in the banking sector.

Her love for photography, cinematography, movie production and event management spurred her to establish a media company, Omas World of Glamour Ltd. As the Founder/CEO of the organization, she made sure that the required energy that engenders business growth was invested and the company grew to become the number media company in the city of Port Harcourt, with strong presence in Lagos and Abuja.

Her contribution to the social-economic development through the media industry earned her different awards from different reputable bodies, including religious organisations, in recognition of her role in society and capacity building. The most recent is the Garden City Advancement Award where she received a platinum honors as enterprising personality of the year in 2021. Also, the Rotary Club of Ogudu GRA honoured with an award in recognition of her service to humanity.

A honorary doctorate degree holder (Hon. Causa) in media and art from Omini Bible University Oklahoma USA, She shares her inspiring story with Esther Ijewere in this interview.

Childhood Influence
GROWING up and family life in a humble background got me ready for life. I grew up in a very peaceful, fun and loving family with parents who taught me almost all I know. Of course, I didn’t know I would be here right now doing this, but somewhere along the line, it came to me and ever since, to the glory of God, it has been a success story.

Inspiration Behind Omas Group Of Companies And Omas Mega 4 Projects
Love and Passion for humanity; the passion to create unending employment for the young ones in our society. The Holy Spirit has been the guide and anchor: He directs, and I simply follow.

The foundation for hope is an NGO set up to cater for the elderly, helpless and needy of our society. My Story is a movie about my life to give hope and belief to others who are either upcoming or think they have lost it in life. Face of Omas is a pageant brand geared towards uplifting the girl child, while Omas studios TV is an online platform.

The Journey So Far
It Wasn’t smooth at first, but the Holy Spirit kept me going, so, I Thank God for the success we enjoy today. It’s been a tough yet fun ride; I can’t wait to see what God has in store for me.

What Informed My Decision To Leave Banking Sector For Entrepreneurship
I left the bank because it was pre-planned; I left to be a mother to my children and a wife to my husband. My regional manager refused me leaving thinking there was a problem at the home front, but there wasn’t any. I didn’t just believe in people taking care of my kids, so I took a sabbatical leave from the bank. But business came calling and I answered; I can return to banking at any time.

Society And Its Support For Women In My Kind Of Business
Societal support doesn’t really count for me, because society is not the vision bearer; they won’t really understand your drive. My pulling force in life/business has been heavenly support and that is what really counts for me. But then, generally, it will be better if society will support women, especially in the media industry.

Three Women Who Inspire Me And Why
I have drawn inspiration from many Nigerian women, the likes of Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Rev Nches Iredu. Then on the international scene, you have the likes of Michelle Obama etc. These are women, who have been on various ladders of leadership, and some are leading big organisations and institutions. So, they inspire me a great deal; it makes me believe that there is no limit to what a woman can achieve.

Achieving Work-Life Balance
It has been God; He makes all things possible. He keeps giving me top-notch dedicated workers who always key into the vision. How I do it, I don’t know; God just keeps making it happen. I must tell you that it is not always very easy balancing marriage and work, as both are demanding, especially when you have children to take care of. However, marriage should not deter women from working and even giving sufficient time to work.

These days, the emphasis is no longer on the housewife; this is because to catch up with the demands of the family requires all hands to be on deck. As a matter of fact, I have provided strong support for my husband as long as the day-to-day running of our home is concerned. Over time, I have understood the home front and also my career; it takes dedication, absolute dedication, and self-sacrifice to balance the demand from the home front and career.

Truthfully speaking, I work hard and I give time to my work. I even work at night, yet I still find sufficient time for my husband and children. One thing that has helped me is my time management skill and I think people should learn the principles of time management; it will help them to balance the time they give at home and at work.

Challenges Of My Work
Lack of Government support and lack of collaboration with established firms in putting Nigerian media at the top sector. Dealing with young minds and eradicating poverty by creating unending employment requires a lot of investment. We need well to do individuals, firms, and the Government at both state and federal levels to come in and support training and equipping these young minds so we keep them off the street.

Other Projects And Activities
The Face of Omas will be coming soon with the view of uplifting the girl child. The Foundation for Hope is already catering for children in orphanage homes amidst plans to do some big charitable works and medical outreach in villages. Omas Studios TV has already started filming programmes and TV content for the general public. My story has been shot with the 1st episode already out on YouTube.

To Young Women Who Want To Go Into Business
First of all, clearly understand your vision and follow it up. Have a passion for your business. Passion is what drives you in any business, not minding how much you earn. Be a person of integrity; never be a two-sided person in business. Make the Holy spirit your everyday companion. ‘Women should be goal-oriented, women should focus on their goals and be intentional about them, the opportunities to excel in life are equal for men and women’ -alluring_jloo

Business Nugget
Do not worry about success at startup, stay dedicated and work towards being significant. With determination, success will come naturally.

Why I Am Extending My Business To Lagos
We have touched young lives in Port Harcourt and we are doing the same in Abuja, why not Lagos? 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 Southwestern part of Nigeria, as we are here to provide them with the best delivery and pricing.

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.

In Editor's Choice June 5, 2022 By Esther Ijewere

My Mission Is To Empower 5000 Young African Women With Basic Digital Skills- Excellence Joshua

A famous person once said; “Innovation is the outcome of a habit, not a random act.” That is what technology has done to the world; it made us recognise the power of consistency and focus.

Excellence Anurika Joshua belongs to the crop of women who are making a difference in the world through technology, and lifting other women while at it. She is the founder of Techy Train incubator, a Nigerian-based onshore and offshore training and outsourcing organisation that specialises in equipping African young women and female entrepreneurs with digital skills to empower them to get jobs in their countries and to also maximise remote job opportunities around the world. This will help in reducing the gender wage gap and to also support capacity building among African companies and startups development worldwide.

A Digital Media Consultant, 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, in 2021, she started the Tech-Up Girls Initiative with her team to empower 5000 young women across Africa with basic digital skills before the end of 2022. The World Bank Fellow, and recipient of the AGS survivor-woman award is also the winner of Mentoring Her Pitchathon, 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. A trailblaser who is passionate about using technology to drive change across areas in women, health, and education, she shares her story with ESTHER IJEWERE In this interview.

Childhood Influence
Yes, my childhood kind of did. My dad used to have a business centre even before I was born; first in Niger State and eventually in Abuja, the University of Abuja campus precisely. When I was about seven years old, on my birthday, my dad bought me a typewriter as my birthday gift and a book to learn how to type.

My mum used to be an accountant and a clerk with the then NEPA. She knew how to type very well, so she would teach me how to do ASDF and ;LKJ, you know, and all of that. I learnt how to type; that was when I was in primary three. But as I grew up, when I finished primary school, my elder brother and I would go to my dad’s business centre to help him with work. We would do things like photocopy, lamination… of course those are tech skills. So, we did all of that.

Then, when I grew a little bit older, he would tell his staff who were computer typists to teach me the computer, so they would teach me how to type and apply shortcuts on the computer. They taught me, so I knew how to type very well such that when I was in senior secondary school, I think or after junior WAEC, I was typing for money. Then a page was typed for N70 or N100? And we had so many people doing projects. It was a university environment, not everybody could own a computer or a laptop at that time, so people had to patronise business centres. And, yes, I knew how to type really fast.

My brother got more interested in coding, in software, and things like Oracle and all of that and he went further to explore that area but me, I just liked it; I love gadgets a lot. And my dad got me a phone; I think in 2006, I had just finished JSS 3. I never thought that I was going to be doing anything tech or digital skills like this; I didn’t think of it that way. But really, it helped. We would always go to my dad’s business centre to help him and I was exposed to all of these and he would just tell us, ‘don’t worry, when you are in school, when you get to the university, you won’t be stranded; you can always start your own business centre or do something.’

But you see, my story of survival from abuse pushed me to help other women and I didn’t think initially that my background was going to give me ease transitioning to tech. But here I am today; I am doing all of it. I think, yes, a part of my childhood actually prepared me in a way for what I do now.

Inspiration Behind Techy Train Incubator
In 2018, I was 25 years old, a fresh graduate from the university. I had just separated from my then abusive husband and fled with my two-year old son; I had no job, had a neurological breakdown, and was absolutely broke. I was desperate to survive. And while at it, I realised that the African society is not kind to helpless women and there were not many options for me. Despite being a graduate of Medical Laboratory Science, when life hit me hard, like it does to more than 21 per cent of Women in the world, the only lifeline I found to rebuild myself was through technology skills and digital solutions.

As soon as I began to make headway, I was determined to help other women do the same as well. I founded the Techy Train Incubator, a social enterprise to bridge the gender employment gap in Africa by training women and girls on digital skills, equipping them for the future of work and the right employability and helping them get jobs.

So far, I have led a team that has trained successfully over 7000 young Women across 21 countries in Africa on relevant basic digital skills and helped over 3500 outsource their talent globally, thereby fostering the economic development of women especially in Africa.

The Journey So Far
So far, I have led a team that has trained successfully over 7000 young Women across 21 countries in Africa on relevant basic digital skills and helped over 3500 outsource their talent globally thereby fostering the economic development of women especially in Africa. I have won a few grants that have accelerated our work and reach across Africa.

I started a foundation in 2021 funded by the Techy Train incubator to train young girls and ladies for free in relevant technology skills, especially those with financial challenges and with no jobs to cater for themselves and their children. My mission in this is to empower women and youths with tools to work their way out of poverty, care for their families and strengthen their communities. As there are so many opportunities in the Tech and online space that are yet to be tapped, I believe that with thorough guidance and training, we can help women, especially those who are suffering in abusive marriages, become financially independent, leveraging just their smartphones and the internet; helping them set up a thriving business online. It will also prevent more young women from being vulnerable to abuse.

Mission To Empower 5000 Young Women Across Africa With Basic Digital Skills Before The End Of 2022
I set up The Tech-Up Girls Initiative bootcamp with my team to empower 5000 young women across Africa with basic digital skills within three years, starting in June 2021. However, this goal was achieved within a year. 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. The final cohort where over 1700 young girls are enrolled will be completed by June 24, 2022.

In January 2022, I set-up the Tech-Up Ladies to teach young Nigerian female graduates how to code and become Software Developers. Nine young ladies were trained within 10 weeks for FREE and completed their training in March 2022.

Being A World Bank Fellow, And Winning The AGS Survivor-Woman Award
First, the World Bank Fellow award, I had just started Techy Train not too long ago and then I applied and pitched my business to go into the Access Bank Womenpreneur Pitch-A-Ton and I didn’t really think I was going to be selected. I scaled through the first stage and then I got selected among 50 women that were trained by the International Finance Corporation and World Bank Group for that programme and it was a phenomenal experience. We went through quite a number of unique business skills training; very practical hands-on and it was just too good. So, after that, part of the award we were given was becoming World Bank Fellows and it’s really a boast. It has been a good one. It is not just about that; it is about the community that we have found and the support and the leverage that we have had since then. The AGS survivor-woman award is something that is very remarkable to me that I just will not forget, because it was my very first attempt at sharing my story, so Mwanga Africa was partnering with the AGS tribe, now Herconomy, to share stories that touch lives. I was very reluctant, I didn’t want to share it and for some reason, I won. For me, it wasn’t that; it wasn’t about the prize money of $1000 that was given. It was the fact that my story was valid; it was the fact that for the first time, I was vulnerable enough to share my experience and it changed my life. I used a part of that money to get my very first new laptop and then I registered for Codecademy to study full-stack web development and that was a journey to greater things in my life.

So, I feel privileged. It also gave me quite some visibility and from then, I saw that I was not alone. So many people were going through the same experience I had, but were not bold enough to come forward and I saw myself providing help and support to most of them.

Society And Its Support For Women In Tech
I think right now, not many women are in the tech space and despite this, I don’t see so much discrimination. I think in the tech space, it is more about how good you are. If you are good, they give you the opportunity; so, it is not about being male or female. At least, I have not experienced that. I even see that they want more women, but we don’t have so many women that are skilled enough to do the job required so the gap is wide.

You see, they always want women; I don’t think they discriminate. I think there is just so much to be done, and I think that more people should support and encourage women to actually go in that field. If it is in that angle, then I think yes, we should support more women to go into tech.

Three Women Who Inspire Me And Why
First, my mum; the woman is so resilient, determined and powerful. She’s one person who if she’s backing you, you can go to sleep. She literally keeps encouraging me. I admire Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji for her tenacity. I admire Dr Lola Adeyemi for her heart. She’s a gift that keeps giving and constantly sees the good in others. In the work I do, I have to keep giving, keep impacting with or without external support and remembering her and what she has done for me, I am encouraged to do more.

Challenges
Some of the challenges I have experienced in my line of work include inconsistent power supply. You don’t have power, you don’t even have fuel to power the generator; it could be a lot of work. Another thing I have experienced is being able to balance work and family; it can be a whole lot especially parenting my son alone. There are sacrifices and things I have to give up to actually make some things work.

Thirdly, it is not easy to build a business with a good structure in Nigeria. Many things, many people want to relate with you one on one, so it was very difficult transitioning that we have a team and this is how things will work.

Other Projects And Activities
We have the Tech-Up Ladies. In the Tech-Up Ladies, the plan for 2022 is to empower 20 young women with software development skills. We have empowered nine already through a 10 weeks programme; they finished on March 31, and it’s been phenomenal.

Now, moving on from the Tech-Up Girls that we are achieving in a bit, we are looking forward to partnering with well meaning Nigerians, Non-profit organisations and people that are interested in empowering women and girls, especially with tech skills in Nigeria and across Africa. We are looking forward to partnering with them to facilitate programmes to reach more people. We have a system that works, we just need resources to channel them to reach more people.

We are also working on leveraging partnerships with other African countries to go there and empower girls there but to use local content for girls in those localities. Most importantly, we are also working on building a marketplace for women in tech from Africa where they can sell their skills to individuals and corporations around the world. The platform is to be built specifically for women in tech and by women. We are looking forward to resources to make this happen.

Being A Woman Of Rubies
It is the fact that Excellence has gone through a deep furnace experience. So, when I teach, I don’t teach from my head knowledge. I know what can work, because it is not abstract knowledge; it is because I have walked the path. I have gone through the pain. I have seen all of it; I have seen the failure, I can pre-empt what will work and what will not work. So, I am not going to give motivational talks or just hype women. I am not telling them where I have not been. I am not bringing them out from where I have not been. I know the road; I have been out of ‘prison’’ so I know how to show them out so that is what makes me unique. Despite it all, I thrived against all odds; coming out and now going back to bring out other people from there.

Advice For Young Women Who Want To Pitch Their Tent In The Tech Sector
I will say come in, come on in; there is more than enough room for you in tech. There is a uniqueness that women bring into developing products that are created in tech that men alone cannot bring. So, I would say please and please do come on to tech; come and humanise technology. We love you, we appreciate you and we would want to see you. I think there is room for you to be all that you can be without limitations, without discrimination. I think more women should come.

Important Tech Nuggets
In transitioning to tech, do not think abstractly; discover what tech skill intersects with your academic background, experience and skills, as well as which will remain relevant down the road. Do not learn a skill just because others are learning as well.

In Career Gems June 2, 2022 By Women of Rubies

Motherhood NG Initiative Organised Welfare And Medical Outreach To Celebrate Children’s Day

Motherhood NG Initiative through one of its pet projects, ‘project Hope for Children joined people around he world to celebrate this year’s childrens’ day with children in rural and undeserved communities in five states in Nigeria on Saturday 28th of May, 2022.

Project Hope for Children 2.0 planned to impact 7000 children with provision of Medical care, Hygiene and Nutritional kits, guidance and counseling and not to forget lots of fun games and music.

The purpose of this project is to encourage and promote good hygiene and healthy nutrition among children in underserved communities which will in turn have a positive impact on their personal well-being, self-esteem and self-worth .

This year’s Childrens’ day celebration cum Project Hope for Children was held simultaneously in Iwaya community Lagos state, Durumi IDP camp Abuja, Imafo community Akure Ondo state and Ibadan Oyo state.

The day was marked with free medical care for children by Mother and Child Hospitals Ikeja Lagos, provision of lots personal hygiene items, book reading and donation, talks and counseling, cutting and sharing of cakes, lots of dancing and other fun activities for the children.

The maiden edition of Project Hope for Children took place on the 27th of May, 2021 where more than 3000 children in Lagos and Ogun state were provided with nutritional and hygiene kits made up of item like toothpaste, toothbrushes, bathing soaps, sanitary towels(for girls), milk, healthy drinks and snacks etc.

Abiodun Alabi the coordinator said the successful and simultaneous celebration of children’s day by Motherhood NG Initiative can only be attributed to the collective effort of various amazing sponsors and selfless volunteers.

In Inspiration May 30, 2022 By Women of Rubies

How Chiddie Anyasodo Is Helping People Find Love Through Chotayah

A graduate of Electrical/Electronic Engineering, Chiddie Anyasodo is the co-founder of Chotayah, a high-end executive matchmaking service for professional Africans all over the world. Through the platform, Chiddie and her husband Ben, have helped many African singles discover and route out the obstacles preventing them from being in a healthy relationship. Chiddie’s career path evolved from engineering into full entrepreneurship over the years. She has worked in different phases of the Upstream Oil and Gas industry – initially as an International Mobile Field Engineer with Schlumberger, working in different countries. She also worked as Business Development Manager, later joined another company as the Global Vice President for Commercial, before moving on to build her own businesses.

Having previously experienced numerous heartbreaking failed relationships, Chiddie understands relationship pains and so empathizes fully with clients. This understanding ignited her passion to study relationships, how people can find High value Spouses and build healthy fulfilling relationships in their own terms .

Chiddie coaches and strategizes with heart, bringing the perfect combination of visionary thinking and practical experience to her service.

Chiddie is happily married to Ben Anyasodo, they are both co-founders of their matchmaking platform, Chotayah

Ben and Chiddie Anyasodo, Co-founders – Chotayah

Ben and Chiddie have a proven track record of creating head-turning power couples who augment each others’ successes.

The services they’ve crafted for Chotayah are bespoke and exquisite, tailored to each client’s desires and challenges, and focus on putting the seeker back in complete control of finding their ideal mate.

Together they have helped many African singles discover and route out the obstacles.

About Chotayah

Chotayah has become the most trusted name in high-profile African matches and marriages.

Speaking on the inspiration behind Chotyah, the sought after relationship coach had this to say: “I got rejected many times with excuses like ‘you earn too much,’ ‘a woman shouldn’t earn more than a man’. ‘You are too boyish, too ambitious’. ‘Your job exposes you and makes you travel too much’ and ‘you won’t make a good wife’. ‘A successful woman will never respect a man’.

“At one point, I was told by some pastors and relatives that I had a spiritual problem. You can imagine. After praying so much and the cycle kept repeating, I decided to try alternative methods.

“First, I tried to use some Western dating sites like E-harmony and Match.com. But they always rejected my application as I was Nigerian. I also tried to hire a matchmaker in the USA then, but she didn’t work with people outside the USA.

“So, I decided to go on my own. That experience made me start reading and exploring what makes relationships work. I also got a relationship coach, started studying serial men and women who always seemed to have lots of attention from their love interest.

“I took everything I learnt and crafted my own strategy to find my man. It took me about 8/9 months to find my man and no more heart breaks. My friends who knew about all my negative experiences started using the same formula and it worked for them.

“And every day, I see so many people like me going through the same challenges that I went through. Successful high-flying people who have succeeded everywhere but seem they are not able to succeed in the love department.

“I then decided to go study matchmaking in the UK and Relationship Coaching in New York. My husband is a Behavioral Change Expert & Therapist. We decided to join our passion and expertise to give birth to Chotayah.”

To know more about Chiddie’s , Follow her via her social media accounts below

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

In Career Gems May 29, 2022 By Women of Rubies

Reject Parties Without Women-Oriented Policies – Bisi Fayemi

Bisi Fayemi, the wife of the Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, has advised Ekiti women to reject political parties that do not have policies capable of protecting their rights, saying voting for such parties will cause a reversal of the positive impacts the All Progressives Congress government had brought to female in the state.

Specifically, the governor’s wife told the women that the opposition parties in the state were bereft of policies that could uplift women politically, economically, socially, and educationally, hence the need to reject them at the poll on June 18.

The First Lady, who spoke in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, at a rally organised by a group, Ekiti Women in Politics, to mobilise support for the APC governorship candidate, Biodun Oyebanji, ahead of the governorship election, said, “The Fayemi government has done a lot for women.

“But my mind is at rest that our candidate’s wife, Dr. Olayemi Oyebanji, just like I have done, will protect and prevent women from oppression in Ekiti. This is the least we can do for you. For this to be actualised, come out on June 18 and vote for Biodun Oyebanji.”

“This election is a must-win for the APC for the sake of Ekiti women. Don’t fight, be focused on this campaign and deal with issues that will promote our candidate. Before Fayemi came, our women were marginalised in politics. But today, we have provided opportunities for a lot of them,” the governor’s wife said.

The APC Deputy Governorship candidate, Mrs. Monisade Afuye, who lauded Mrs. Fayemi’s persistence and steadfastness in advocacy for the rights of women, group members, said, “Go out and mobilise your women counterparts to vote for the APC. Go to all the nook and cranny and preach the gospel of good governance that the APC represents in Ekiti.”

The Director-General, APC Women Campaign Council, Chief Oluremi Ajayi, said, “Under Fayemi government, women produced 44 councilors, four council vice chairmen, four assembly women, many commissioners, special advisers, board members, and a National Assembly member.

“For this coming election, we also have a woman-deputy governorship candidate. Tell your people, residents outside Ekiti to come home and vote in this governorship election. Go home and be good ambassadors to sustain the good policies we are enjoying under Fayemi,” she said.

Source: Punch Newspaper

In Inspiration May 29, 2022 By Women of Rubies

Meet Tiwalola Ogunlesi, The Woman On A Mission To Make Self-Love The Default For Women

Meet Tiwalola Ogunlesi, a British Nigerian sensation who got fed up with young women battling low self-esteem and confidence and decided to start a Confident and Killing It movement. Through content, courses, coaching, and community, she helps young women and girls develop the confidence they need to live audaciously and walk in their greatness.

She has been unapologetic about her message which is to awaken women to their worth so they can live the lives they truly deserve. Often referring to herself as “if Oprah and Beyonce had a baby, it would be me”, her warm smile and appealing message have drawn the attention of household names such as Google, Facebook, Morgan Stanley, Deloitte, and The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy. Not only is she a sought-after speaker and coach, but she also hosts a high-rated podcast and runs an online academy that is transforming the lives of women and girls one step at a time.

You may see the product but for Tiwa, it was a journey, and she believes this is just the beginning.

The Journey to Confident & Killing It

Her journey to ‘Confident and Killing It’ started in 2017 whilst she was volunteering as a Youth Leader with teenage girls. She states: “when I asked the young girls what they want more of in their lives, all of them had the same thing in common – ‘they want to be more confident and love themselves.” Tiwa states she had struggled with this as well and was adamant about making sure the next generation of women are not having to go through the same struggles she went through.”

This righteous indignation led her to start Confident & Killing It. What started as 1 min videos on Instagram turned into in-person events, then hosting a university tour around the UK in 2018. A year later, she decided to quit her job and go full-time with C&K. Talk about audaciousness. Since then, it’s been big wins after big wins. From speaking at OWLAG (Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy to working with global brands, one thing is clear; she is relentless in her mission to wake young women and girls to their worth.

How C&K is revamping the self-help movement

When it comes to the self-help space, some would argue that it is a whole lot of ‘make you feel good’ content that has little relevance in daily life. What good does reciting affirmations do when you are slumped in the middle of depression or battling anorexia? For Tiwa, she understands this apprehension from people, hence she states what makes ‘Confident & Killing It ‘ unique.

“C & K is built on positive psychology. I didn’t just want to be the cheerleader and the ‘make you feel good’ coach, but we wanted women and girls to use tangible results. Through coaching, we help young women discover their strengths as well as keep a log of their accomplishments so whenever they feel low energy, they can remind themselves of their worth and capability based on tangible results.” She goes on to say her approach is:

*Acknowledge how you feel: You don’t have to feel happy all the time. It’s okay to not be okay.

*Articulate how you feel: Journal, talk to someone you trust, go to therapy.

*Practice self-compassion: She stresses: “You don’t have to be hard on yourself to achieve your goals.”

The BOOK: What to expect

But it doesn’t stop here. Tiwa has her debut book dropping in July; she says: “The book is a practical guide to overcoming fear, getting sassy with negative thoughts, and becoming your most empowered self. It’s a game plan for confidence that mixes the science of positive psychology with uplifting stories from everyday women to show you that there are no limits to who you can become. I hope that after reading it, you wake up and realize you don’t have to settle for an unfulfilling life. You can indeed create a life you love, one that you’re proud of.”

She adds: “I truly believe every single person deserves to love and believe in themselves. It needs to be the norm and not the exception and that’s why I’ve written my book. We live in a world that’s constantly telling women we don’t measure up. Society acts like our worth is based on our productivity levels, our jobs, how much we earn, our race, and so on. This is damaging. Research has shown there’s a confidence gap between men and women and I have experienced a generational cycle of low self-esteem in women and girls. The truth is we matter simply because we exist, not because of our achievements. Everyone deserves to know this. ”

The future is bright for Tiwa. With regards to where she sees Confident and Killing It, she affirms: “The goal is to see it become a media company that gives room for women and girls to love themselves as the default rather than an exception.”

Credit: Baucemag

In Uncategorized May 22, 2022 By Esther Ijewere

I Started Omas World Of Glamour Out Of My Passion For Humanity- Dr. Joy Ezeike

Life they say has different faces and only the tough people can stand the challenges of life. It is better to fail in novelty than to succeed in imitation, a belief that makes Amb. (Dr.) Joy I. Ezeike is unique in life, she believes in her own concept of creating a different world in business and personal life. Amb. (Dr.) Joy I. Ezeike is a woman of many parts, an entrepreneur and business professional par excellence, a renowned certified media expert with global training experience, an astute personality with proven managerial and administrative competencies.

She retired to private personal business after several years in the banking sector in Nigeria. Her love for photography, cinematography, movie production and event management spurred her to establish a media company known as Omas World of Glamour Ltd. As the Founder/CEO of Omas Group of companies (Omas World of Glamour Ltd, Omas Studios ltd and Omas Multimedia Ltd), she made sure that required energy that engenders business growth was invested and the company grew to become the number media company in the city of Port Harcourt. Presently, the company has a strong presence in Lagos and Abuja.

Her contribution to the social economic development through the media industry earned her different awards from different reputable bodies including religious organizations in recognition of her role in the society and capacity building. The most recent is the Garden City Advancement Award where she received a platinum honors enterprising personality of the year in the year 2021. Also, the Rotary club of Ogudu GRA District gave her an award in recognition of her service to humanity.

Dr. Joy has an honorary doctorate degree (Hon. Causa) in media and art from omini Bible University Oklahoma USA. She shares her inspiring story with Esther Ijewere in this interview.

Childhood Influence

Growing up and family life in a humble background got me ready for life. I grew up in a very peaceful, fun and loving family with parents who taught me almost all I know. Of course, I didn’t know I would be here right now doing this but somewhere along the line it came to me and ever since to the glory of God it has been a success story.

Inspiration Behind Omas Group Of Companies And Omas Mega 4 Projects

Love and Passion for humanity, the passion to create unending employment for the young ones in our society. The Holy Spirit has been the guide and anchor, he directs, and I simply follow. The foundation for hope is an NGO set up to cater for the elderly, helpless and needy of our society.“My Story” is a movie about my life to give hope and belief to others who are either upcoming or think they have lost it in life. Face of Omas is a pageant brand geared towards uplifting the girl child. Omas studios TV is an online platform.

The Journey So Far

Wasn’t smooth at first, but the Holy Spirit kept me going so I Thank God for the success we enjoy today. It’s been a tough yet fun ride, I can’t wait to see what God has in store for me.

What iinformed my mdecision to Leave the banking sector for entrepreneurship

The bank because it was pre-planned, I left to be a mother to my children and a wife to my husband. My regional manager refused me leaving thinking there was a problem at the home front but there wasn’t any. I didn’t just believe in people taking care of my kids so I took a sabbatical leave from the bank, but business came calling and I answered. I can return to banking at any time.

Society and Its Support for women in my kind of business
Societal support doesn’t really count for me, because society is not the vision bearer, so they won’t really understand your drive. My pulling force in life/business has been heavenly support and that is what really counts for me. But then, generally it will be better if society will support women especially in the media industry.

Three women who inspire me and why

I have drawn inspiration from many Nigerian women, the likes of Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Rev Nches Iredu, at the international scene, the likes of Michelle Obama etc. These are women who have been in various ladders of leadership, and some are leading big organizations and institutions so they inspire me a great deal, it makes me believe that there is no limit to what a woman can achieve.

Achieving work-life balance

It has been God, he makes all things possible. He keeps giving me top notch dedicated workers who always key into the vision. How I do it I don’t know, just God keeps making it happen. I must tell you that it is not always very easy balancing marriage and work as both are demanding, especially when you have children to take care of, however, marriage should not deter Women from working and even giving sufficient time to work. These days, the emphasis is no longer on the housewife, this is because to catch up with the demands of the family requires all hands to be on deck. As a matter of fact, I have provided strong support for my husband as long as the day to day running of our home is concerned. Over time, I have understood the home front and also my career, it takes dedication, absolute dedication, self-sacrifice to balance the demand from the home front and career. Truthfully speaking, I work hard, and I give time to my work, I even work at night, yet I still find sufficient time for my husband and children. One thing that has helped me is my time management skill and I think people should learn the principles of time management, it will help them to balance the time they give at home and at work.

Challenges of my work

Lack of Government support, Lack of collaboration with established firms in putting Nigerian media at the top sector. Dealing with young minds and eradicating poverty by creating unending employment requires a lot of investment and we need well to do individuals, firms, and the Government at both state and federal level to come in and support in training and equipping these young minds so we keep them off the street.

Other Projects and Activities

The face of Omas will be coming soon with the view of uplifting the girl child. The foundation for hope is already catering for children in orphanage homes amidst plans to do some big charitable works and medical outreach in villages. Omas studios TV has already started filming programs and TV contents for the general public. “My story” has been shot with the 1st episode already out on YouTube.

To young women who want to go into business

First of all, clearly understand your vision and follow it up. Have passion for your business. Passion is what drives you in any business, not minding how much you earn, but to bring an end product of perfection/excellence. Be a person of integrity, never be a two-sided person in business. Make the Holy spirit your everyday companion. “Women should be goal oriented, women should focus on their goals and be intentional about them, the opportunities to excel in life are equal for men and women” -alluring_jloo

Business nugget

Do not worry about success at startup, stay dedicated and work towards being significant. With determination success will come naturally.

Why I am extending my business to Lagos

We have touched young lives in Port Harcourt and we are doing the same in Abuja, why not Lagos? 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.

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In Career Gems May 24, 2022 By Esther Ijewere

First Lady Of Lagos, Others To Speak At Nimi Ekere’s Strive Conference on May 27th

It is said that it or easier to build strong children than repair broken adults. Being a child in today’s world is unarguably not as seamless as it used to be as there are so many distractions that appear alluring that children encumbered with.

Technology, westernization, peer pressure influence, poor parental guidance and a whole lot more are just a few of what this generation of children have to grapple with.

A lot of them want to be heard but no one is listening and in no time they are caught up in the web of gross moral decadence and irresponsible living.

The STRIVE conference is an annual event that is aimed at bringing children together to educate, inform and guide them on the path to go and how to navigate the dark corridors of the menaces in the society and stand out to become responsible leaders of tomorrow.

The theme of this year’s conference is; Creating a Better Future for the Nigerian Child.

There will be speakers of international repute that will take them on Cybersafety, Character Development, moral values and Etiquettes, Mindset Re-orientation, Purpose Discovery and a lot more.

The conference will also have in attendance top government dignitaries like the amazing first Lady of Lagos State, Her Excellency, Dr Ibijoke Sanwo- Olu and the Lagos State Commissioner for Education, Mrs Folashade Adefisayo.

According to the organizer; Dr. Nimi Ekere; ‘Strive’ conference, is first of its kind for children, in Lagos State. This conference will have notable speakers, child advocates, religious leaders and role models speak to the children on how they can stay away from vices, protect themselves from abuse, live their dreams and become whatever they set their hearts to become. It is going to be a phenomenal one and the first of its kind in the country and Africa.

Dr. Nimi Ekere, a Consultant Family Physician, a Fellow of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Family Physicians. She is also a Fellow of the Institute of Management Consultants and a Certified Management Consultant. Dr. Ekere is a Certified Management Specialist with distinction in Time Management from the London Graduate School. Dr. Nimi Ekere is also a child advocate, author, speaker, coach and humanitarian.

She is also an author of four books for children, pre-teens, teenagers and parents on the dangers of child sexual abuse with effective remedies. Three of these books are government-approved for use at schools in Lagos State. Just recently, all four of her books were approved and added to the curriculum of the Rivers State Ministry of Education to be used in primary and secondary schools in the state.

Date is Children’s Day, 27th of May @ Afe Babalola Hall, Unilag, Lagos State at 9am.

This event is for children aged 10 to 18 years old.

Admission is free for all children if you are however registration is required for children not coming from schools and non students( not older than 18).

Event will be streamed on Facebook( Smileandshine Children’s Foundation.