Skip to main content

Women of Rubies

Category

Career Gems

Category

In furtherance of its continuous efforts to stopping the spread of Malaria in Nigeria and in commemoration of 2018 World Malaria Day, leading insecticide brand Mortein, has strengthened its partnership with Lagos and Ogun State Governments through the States’ Ministry of Health and Education, to organize the annual Malaria Quiz Competition for students in public Secondary Schools in both States.

Marketing Manager, Home and Hygiene, RB West Africa, Omotola Bamigbaiye-Elatuyi (left); Director, Disease Control, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr Erinosho Eniola (middle) and National Professional Officer, Malaria, World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr Tolu Arowolo with participants at the 2018 Mortein Malaria Quiz Competition in Lagos.

The primary objectives of the competition were to promote and enlighten the students on the malaria scourge in the society, highlight best ways of prevention, treatment, and cure of malaria. The quiz on Malaria Prevention saw over 15 public secondary schools in participation who were pre-selected from secondary schools across the state.

 

Marketing Manager, Home and Hygiene, RB West Africa, Omotola Bamigbaiye-Elatuyi (left); Director of Public Health, Ogun State Ministry of Health, Dr. Qundus Yusuff (2nd left), Ogun State Malaria Programme Officer, Mrs Olamide Adeyinka and Senior Brand Manager, RB West Africa, Mrs Kuburat Sanusi, with participants at the 2018 Mortein Malaria Quiz Competition in Ogun State.
Speaking at the events, Marketing Manager, Home and Hygiene, RB West Africa, Mrs. Omotola Bamigbaiye-Elatuyi, said the partnership with the states demonstrate RB’s commitment to the anti-malaria fight towards a malaria free nation emphasizing the unalloyed support of the RB to the Government on the prevention of the scourge.

According to her, this competition is designed to arouse and re-awaken the interest of students in the knowledge of malaria and how to prevent it. “This competition is not just to identify winners and reward them accordingly, but to ultimately have advocates who would be championing the course of malaria prevention in their respective schools. Our expectation is that the Mortein Malaria Quiz Competition will continue to re-awaken the interest of students and teachers as well as educate the general public on preventive ways towards the eradication of mosquitoes in their immediate environment instead of curing it.

In his remarks, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Olajide Idris, charged students to engage their host communities in combating the malaria scourge.

Dr. Idris, who was represented by the Director, Disease Control, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr Erinosho Eniola, noted that the students have the power of influence on their mothers and siblings which they can maximize in waging war against malaria for healthy society.

In his remarks, Ogun State Commissioner for Health, Babatunde Ipaye, represented by the Director of Public Health in the Ministry, Dr. Qundus Yusuff, enjoined the students to put to use the knowledge they have acquired during the competition, tasking them to be committed ambassadors of the anti-malaria campaign.

He further expressed appreciation to Mortein for their initiatives and efforts in the fight against malaria in Ogun State.

In Lagos, five Secondary Schools in the State participated in the quiz competition, and was won by Agidingbi Senior Grammar School Ikeja, while in Ogun, 12 Secondary Schools participated and the 1st place trophy was won by Itoki Secondary School, Ifo.

 

Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has received an honorary degree from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.

Adichie was one of the 6 conferred with the degree at the ceremony, all of them describes as people who have changed the world in extensive ways.
“Few writers have captured the challenges of immigrants and others navigating those changes as Adichie,” the university said.

Others honoured with the degree are: the CEO of General Motors, Mary Barra; former Durham, Mayor William Bell; Phil Freelon, lead architect for the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture; Dr. William Kaelin, professor of medicine at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School; and Attorney Russell M. Robinson II.

President Trump’s nominee for CIA director, Gina Haspel was confirmed today by the Senate, with help from several Democrats who backed the nomination despite concerns over her role in post-9/11-era interrogation and detention practices.

The Senate voted 54-45 to confirm Haspel, with a handful of Democrats voting in support. The vote came a day after Haspel was recommended in a 10-5 vote by the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Haspel will be the first woman to lead the agency. She will replace now-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, served as the base chief at a black-site prison in Thailand in 2002, where techniques such as waterboarding were used on terror suspects. But Republican supporters accused Democrats of politicizing her nomination, and initially trying to derail an otherwise highly qualified nominee.

At her confirmation hearing last week, Democrats grilled her on her views on what they deemed torture, as well as objecting to what they saw as the CIA’s selective declassification about information on her. She was also questioned at length about the 2005 destruction of more than 92 interrogation tapes a move she said she supported to ensure the safety of CIA agents. Haspel refused to criticize her colleagues and superiors for their conduct during what she called a “tumultuous time,” but said the CIA under her watch would not resume such techniques. She also defended her own conduct.

“After 9/11 
 I stepped up. I was not on the sidelines, I was on the frontlines in the Cold War and I was on the frontlines in the fight against Al Qaeda,” she said in response to a question from Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore.

Haspel’s confirmation had been in question after Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., later joined by Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., said he would not vote for her.

Media mogul Linda Ikeji has announced a new reality show; Magodo Mums & their Single Friend, written by her.
The show will be joining a host of many others set to premiere on Linda Ikeji TV soon.

The reality show will chronicle the lives of a group of married friends and their one single friend and how they navigate through the drama, love, friendship and conflict.

TIME Magazine has released the 2018 edition of its annual list of “Next Generation Leaders” and our girl Farida Ado has been featured.

Featuring 11 people from around the world, including pop stars The Weeknd and Ariana Grande, TIME describes Farida as “Kano’s Jane Austen.”

32-year-old Farida is known for her romance novels. Picture a Mills & Boon novel, but in Hausa.
Speaking to TIME, Farida said: “Women turn to romance novels to figure out how to live their own lives.”
And her books draw inspiration from real-life events, too!

Discussing her series “The Block of Ashes,” Farida revealed she was inspired by the story of her neighbor who, trying to solve her marital problems, decided to see a juju priest. She said:
I try to reflect the reality of society in my stories. These juju doctors had become a menace in many homes.

 

TV personality/ actress Zainab Balogun, who just had her traditional wedding earlier this week, has become the brand ambassador for De-Deon Syrup under Daily Need Group Pharmaceuticals.

While sharing the news via her IG page, Zainab said she is happy to be part of the family.

She wrote,

 

“When your week starts on a high!!đŸ’ƒđŸœÂ I am sooo excited to finally share with you all that I am officially the Brand Ambassador of @dedeons syrup from Daily Need Group Pharmaceuticals. I stand here with 2 generations of this phenomenal family business that I can now call home.”

 

View her post below.

Two 22-year old women, Princess Bright and Tele Lawal, have been elected as Councillors of their wards in the UK

Princess Bright was elected the councillor for Eastbrook ward, while Tele Lawal was elected the councillor for the London Bourough of Havering council – representing residents in Heaton Ward, Harold Hill.

Tele, in a series of tweets shares how she won the election despite the many obstacles on her journey.

She tweeted,

Let me give you a quick run-through of my journey and obstacles faced. Hopefully, some of what I’ll share will inspire you to believe that even when it seems like the odds are against you, no matter what may come your way, if it’s for you it will be yours with faith.

I don’t come from a political background, I have never studied politics, nor do I have any friends/family involved in politics – in fact, I’m fairly new to politics(I’ve been a member of the Labour Party for about 2 years now). So, I lacked experience and knowledge

Compared to all the other candidates. This did not hold me back or put me off from running, nor did it stop residents from voting for me. Why was that? GOD! ‱ I did not run in a ‘safe’ Labour borough. My council is Tory-led and has TWO Labour Councillors out of 54.

You can do the maths
. With my area not being a Labour Party focus, we had less funding for our campaign compared to other political parties. This did not hold me back and I was still elected despite fewer funds to run a year-long campaign. How was that? GOD!

I was juggling a full-time job, volunteering at Capital Moments, a part of KICC Romford choir, the constituency’s youth officer and taking part in the uprising leadership programme. How did I find the time and manage? GOD!

The final Labour Party candidate selection stage was on a day I was out of the country and I had to provide a statement to be read out on my behalf. (swipe to see a vid of when I found out I was selected) I wasn’t even there yet they picked me. Tell me how? GOD spoke for me.

Close people told me I couldn’t win, others laughed at me. I begged people to support me in different ways and got nowhere. I had only a three/four-man team leafleting hundreds of houses and knocking on doors for a year plus.

Yesterday’s Election Day a stanger called me and asked if she could help me out of the blue. Where did she come from and who brought her to me when we were struggling. GOD!

I am not the typical/more favourable politician, I am not white neither am I older or male as are the majority of leaders in my area. But yet I won getting the third most votes. Compared to candidates who have been doing this for years.

How did I get more votes? Why is it that despite the trend showing us that people with foreign names were receiving fewer votes why did I get more? GOD!

This is only a snapshot of what I faced and I thank God for everything. Please go for everything you want to do and keep fighting, it truly will be worth it. ‱ ‱ I am so humbled and thankful for every single resident who voted for me and I will work so hard for you all.

My team who came out in rain and snow. Thank you so much for everything you did, without you all I wouldn’t be here!

https://twitter.com/pri_bright/status/992317746439491585/photo/1

View image on TwitterView image on Twitter

Cllr Tele Lawal@telelawalxo

Yesterday at approx. 5:00 am, at the young age of 22 I won my first political election. I am honoured to now be the youngest @uklabour party Councillor on the London Bourough of Havering council – representing residents in Heaton Ward, Harold Hill.đŸŒč❀

Credit: woman.ng

During her interview, the media personality talked about her brand and her journey so far.

African Voices is a feature series that airs on CNN and examines Africa’s fastest rising stars who are making an impact in their various industries.

Toke shared a clip of her interview on her Instagram page.

See her post below:

The likes of Waje, Tiwa Savage,  Gbubemi Fregene, Funke Akindele, to name a few, have also been featured on African Voices series.

Channels TV reported that ‘Money Marriage’ is an age-long tradition of the Becheve tribe of Obanliku in Cross River State, as almost all family in the community are involved in it.

The girls are reportedly called ‘Money Woman’ or ‘Money Wife’ and are sometimes sold out even before they were born.

The Money Marriage culture does not in any way favor the money woman or wife. The moment a man shows interest in a girl, her immediate family and other relatives are free to visit the man and collect things from him.

“Anything offered them during their visit is given monetary value and recorded by their in-law (the man who is marrying the girl). If the mother is the greedy type, she’ll often visit her ‘in-law’ to get stuff,” Channels TV reported.

Where the man has made full payment, the girl is given out in marriage.

Aji Patience, a girl whose sister was sold at four years old said, she was given out for N2, 000.

Unfortunately, when the husband dies, his next-of-kin marries the girl and if she dies without giving birth to children, her parents are mandated to bring a replacement.

Victoria Tabang is a victim of this. After the death of her husband, she was expected to remain with his people.

“Even when I went to my people, they drove me away, saying I now belong elsewhere,” she told Channels TV.

Money women or wives are sold for as low as N10,000, few goats and pigs, tubers of yam, depending on the man’s bargain power. They are also not allowed to be educated.

“Money that the man give in my head (sic) was not much. It was N20,000 and one goat,” a money wife said.

Once a girl is sold out for Money Marriage, she is considered dead by her immediate family and warned never to return irrespective of how she is treated by her husband or his relatives.

 

 

Credit: woman.ng, Channels TV

The new President of Cuba, Miguel DĂ­az-Canel BermĂșde has assumed office and three women were also voted in as vice presidents, and two of them are black (Afro-Cuban).

Cuba is becoming more progressive as the country is making moves toward diversity and away from its former white dominated legacy. The country is getting more black leadership with two Black women vice-presidents, Inés María Chapman and Beatriz Jhonson. Both women are engineers, and they, along with the third female Vice President, Gladys Maria Bejerano Portela, will help lead this new historic Cuban government.

These appointments have great historical significance, the importance may now trickle down to the people who need it most – the Afro-Cubans who have struggled since Cuba’s 1990s economic downturn. There are three other Vice Presidents – in total, three VPs are black and three are women, making it the most diverse ruling council in Cuba’s history.

Cuba’s new National Assembly is all 53.2% women, which is a major development.

Alejandro de la Fuente, a professor of Cuban Studies at Harvard University said:

“Even if this was window-dressing, it would mean they feel the need to dress the window a certain colour, and that is something one would not have said 30 years ago.”

 

 

Credit: konbini.com