Women of Rubies
Category

Career Gems

Category
In Career Gems By

GIRL’S EDUCATION ACTIVIST, MALALA RETURNS TO PAKISTAN FOR FIRST TIME SINCE ATTACK 6 YEARS AGO

 Malala Yousufzai, the Pakistani activist for Girls’ Education and the World’s youngest Nobel laureate, returned to Pakistan early Thursday in her first visit since an attack by Taliban militants gravely injured her in 2012.
Her homecoming was wrapped in relative secrecy, and details of her visit have not been publicly confirmed.But Yousufzai, now 20 and studying at Oxford, is expected to stay mostly in Islamabad, the capital, during her four-day visit. She is said to be planning to meet with Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and otherhigh-ranking civil and military officials.

She is also expected to visit the picturesque Swat Valley, her childhood home and the site of the Taliban attack against her, where she is to inaugurate a large school being built with aid from the Malala Fund, an advocacy organization for girls’ education worldwide that she founded in 2013.

A military official, speaking on the condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to brief the news media, said Yousufzai was expected to be accompanied by the Pakistani army chief, Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa, on her visit to Swat. No separate confirmation of that was available.

Yousufzai and two other schoolgirls in Swat were pulled off their school bus and shot by Taliban militants in October 2012.

The attackers were specifically targeting her: Though only 15, she was already widely known for her advocacy for girls’ education, placing her in defiance of militant leaders who had banned such schooling in areas they controlled. One of the gunmen shouted “Who is Malala?” as he boarded the bus.

All three girls survived, but Yousufzai was critically injured, with a bullet grazing her brain and lodging in her neck. Doctors in Britain spent months rebuilding her skull, and she soon returned to her advocacy work — this time with a global audience of admirers. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014.

Despite that, she has been harshly criticized by some Pakistanis, particularly those on the far right who accuse her of being a dupe for the West’s agenda.

Security during her visit in Pakistan was heavy from the start, when she and her family arrived at Benazir Bhutto International Airport in the dark of the early morning.

The local news media reported that Yousufzai was brought to Islamabad with a large security contingent.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

Credit: The New York Times, Pulse News

by
Keep Reading
In Career Gems By

Mo ABUDU’S EBONY LIFE TV SIGNS CONTRACT WITH SONY PICTURES

Mo Abudu, Ceo of EbonyLife TV has now in partnership with international production company Sony Pictures Television to distribute three television series around the world.

She wrote on her Instagram page,

“Beautiful people 💕💕 I am pleased to announce to you all, the good news that I promised to share with you.
EbonyLife Limited and Sony Pictures Television has signed a 3 year deal on 3 exciting scripted TV projects set to be distributed internationally, yes!! To networks around the world👏🏾👏🏾 The 3 year project deal is the first of its kind, between Sony Pictures and a Nigerian/African company.

Our 3 projects will include a TV series inspired by The Dahomey Warriors. This action packed series inspired by true events took place in the West African kingdom of Dahomey in 1890’s.

This is an empowering story of the all-female warriors from our continent!!! I could not be more proud as we developed this story👏🏾. I thank Sony for being such visionaries, for committing huge resources to this project. The plans for these projects are massive. To include A-listers as part of our cast. I am talking: Game of Thrones, Outlanders, Marco Polo. This is the level of support being made by Sony Pictures.

But what also gladdens my heart, is that there will also be great opportunities for cast and crew from across the continent to include Nigeria, of course,🇳🇬 This is a true partnership.

Thank you Sony Pictures TV for believing in us.

I have said time and time again, “if you can think it, you can do it”. My vision for EbonyLife has always been to take our stories to the world, and to change our narrative and now we have an opportunity to do this with a world-class organization such as Sony Pictures.
My Lord and God, thank you.🙏🏾🙏🏾 I congratulate the EbonyLife team on all the hard work that has brought us this far.

To my mum, my kids, sisters, friends, thank you all so much for your love, support, and prayers.

Hollywood here we come, meet Nollywood💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽 In this picture with me are; Mark Young, Senior Vice President, Distribution & Sales UK, Ireland, Africa, Iberia at Sony Pictures and
Kunle Falodun, Vice President Distribution Africa – Sony Pictures.”

View her post below.

by
Keep Reading
In Career Gems By

GHANIAN WOMAN LAUNCHES WOMEN-ONLY RIDE SHARING PLATFORM IN TORONTO

Two weeks ago, Aisha Addo launched DriveHer, a women-only ride sharing platform. Aisha, a Ghanaian who lives in Toronto, Canada, was motivated to start DriveHer after an experience with a taxi driver left her uncomfortable.

She was in a taxi going from a friend’s house to her home in Mississauga when her cab driver started asking her uncomfortable questions.

Aisha Addo (Photo: CBC)

It’s a story many women can identify with. She says:

“He was asking me if I lived alone, and for me that was a bit triggering, because I happened to. Then he started asking if I had a boyfriend, and then [there] just started to be some really weird sexual innuendos. I became a bit guarded.

It sort of got me thinking later on, ‘What about the people whose phones are off, or they don’t really have anyone to call?'”

She then called a friend who she asked to stay on the phone with her for the rest of the ride. She made it home safe, but that taxi ride, along with nights as a designated driver for her friends and hearing multiple news of women getting assaulted and harassed, inspired her to create DriveHer.

“Funny enough, the moment we sort of brought out the concept or idea of DriveHer, I think within that week there were five or six incidents of women that have been assaulted or women that have experienced some sort of violence.”

DriveHer (Photo: DriveHer)

(Photo: DriveHer)

Aisha acknowledges that other ride-sharing services allow riders to specifically request female drivers, but she says DriveHer goes above and beyond existing options.

“There’s so many ride-sharing services, let’s not get that wrong, and that’s amazing, but then there was never really any option for women and people that identify as women. What DriveHer is, is providing an option and creating an equitable space where women and people who identify as women have that option.”

Essentially, while the platform functions like every other existing ride-sharing app, it’s unique in that the the app doesn’t allow male passengers or drivers. And, all the (female) drivers go through the police and criminal background checks that are standard for other ride-sharing services and training specific for its service.

 

 

  1. Credit: konbini.com
by
Keep Reading
In Career Gems By

BLESSING OKAGBARE BREAKS 22-YEAR AFRICAN RECORD

Nigerian Athlete, Blessing Okagbare-Ighoteghonor has ran an impressive 22.04 seconds in the 200m race at the Wes Kittley Invitational Track and Field Meet at the Abilene Christian University.

Apart from becoming the new African record, Okagbare’s winning time also becomes the new national record in the women’s 200m. Okagbare’s previous personal best in the event was 22.23secs and was set at the 2014 Eugene Diamond League.

Her feat has erased the 200m women African record held by Mary Onyali-Omagbemi since August 1996.

With her latest exploit, it means that Okagbare at the moment holds the Nigerian records in the women’s 100m (10.79secs) and 200m.

The Wes Kittley Invitational was her first competition of the season as Okagbare did not compete in the indoor season, which started in January.

The 26-year-old is one of the 37 athletes listed by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria to participate at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia, which begins on April 4.

 

 

 

Credit: fabwoman.ng

by
Keep Reading
In Career Gems By

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO SWEARS IN FIRST FEMALE PRESIDENT

Eight years after the country’s first female Prime Minister was elected, Trinidad and Tobago witnessed the swearing-in ceremony of the country’s first female President, Paula-Mae Weekes.

Following her swearing in, President Weekes said that citizens have to make the choice to fight the ‘darkness’ threatening the nation.

“Our destinies are inextricably linked. Many experts beset us with dismal stories, they tell us Trinidad and Tobago is perilously close to the point of no return….that we will soon be a failed state….so what are we to do?”

“As I see it, we have two choices; we can lament, blame, criticize and allow a miasma of despair to overwhelm us, or we can consciously choose the alternative…not dream about the alternatives but mobilize our resources to step out boldly and make Trinidad and Tobago a better place for us and our children…all the while understanding that although faith is a necessity, without action it is useless.”

“Confront the darkness and declare that it will not take over…good things are indeed possible for Trinidad and Tobago,” she said.

She urged citizens to create doable short-term plans to help assist their communities.

“I ask all of you to find ways to make a positive difference in whatever your sphere of influence…practicable, doable projects, the results of which can be seen and measures in the short term.”

“Many organizations have been asking to meet with me, but let’s not meet just for meeting sake. Come armed with your ideas, your feasible projects to improve the quality of life in our nation nothing will catch my eye faster than a man or woman with a plan,” she said.

She also urged citizens to consciously move away from violent thoughts, actions and speech.

“We speak about how violent we have become, but the climate of violence is not in overt acts, it’s embedded in everyday talk, schools, business places, rum shops, and worst of all in homes.”

She also urged citizens to join her and to help bring the country to greatness.

“Do not let me walk alone. By faith let us stand together side by side as we carry our nation to greatness.”

Weekes was put forward by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley for the position in January 2018 and was elected on January 19, 2018.

 

 

 

Weekes is the sixth President of Trinidad and Tobago and carries on from former president Anthony Carmona.

Weekes, a former student of Bishop Anstey High School, attended the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, from which she graduated with a Bachelor of Laws degree. She then went on to the Hugh Wooding Law School and was called to the Bar in 1982.

After graduation, she worked in the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for 11 years, before going into private practice in 1993.

She was appointed to the judiciary in 1996 and to the Court of Appeals in 2005, where she served until her retirement in 2016.

In September 2016, Weekes was appointed to the appeals court in the Turks and Caicos.

 

 

Credit: www.looptt.com

by
Keep Reading
In Career Gems By

AISHA AHMAD CONFIRMED AS DEPUTY GOVERNOR OF CBN

On Thursday, the 22nd of March, Nigerian Senate confirmed Aisha Ahmad as Deputy Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria according to a report from Vanguard.

Ahmad was nominated by President Muhammadu Buhari in October 2017 but their confirmation was delayed after it embargoed all presidential nominees.

In a statement released by Bukola Saraki about the newly elected CBN deputy governors, he said:

“I would like to thank the Committee on Banking and Finance and all our colleagues for this action today. We promised the country last week that within a week we would carry out this confirmation and we have done this. I thank you all for your cooperation. I thank the Executive for their continued cooperation.

At this point, let me congratulate the two nominees. I want to congratulate the management and Mr. President, and all those who have been involved in this entire process. Let me also commend and congratulate Aisha Ahmad for her nomination to this very competitive role.

The two new Deputy Governors of the CBN are coming at a time when the economy is a major issue. We have just come out of a recession and we need to continue with our economic growth and see the sustainability of the foreign exchange and other related challenges.

We hope that the two new Deputy Governors will work with the Governor to move the country and our economy in the right direction. We hope also, that you all will continue to work closely with the National Assembly to update us on the progress that is achieved by the Central Bank.”

by
Keep Reading
In Career Gems By

#WALK AGAINST RAPE 2018: HUNDREDS PROTEST, WALK AGAINST RAPE IN LAGOS

Renowned Nigeria social media influencers, advocates, celebrities and concerned Nigerians took to the street of Lagos sparking spontaneous protest against rape, assault and domestic violence.
They joined several concerned Nigerians from different sectors of the society to create awareness and encourage victims to speak up.

The seventh edition of the much awaited Walk Against Rape campaign was held on Thursday, March 15th 2018 in support of the ongoing war against rape in the country and in commemoration of the International Women’s Day.

The walk which is aimed at creating awareness and lending a voice to sexually abused persons (particularly women and children) in the society was a huge success as people came out enmasse to participate and speak up against rape.

The hashtag #Walkagainstrape didn’t only dominate social media conversations on Thursday, but it also trended on social media.

The National Coordinator, Walk Against Rape, Esther Ijewere said:

”We appreciate Governor Akinwunmi Ambode for his recent declaration of 25 years jail term for rapist and perpetrators of all forms of domestic violence.
However we have this one demand to make and it is for the REJUVENATION OF THE JUSTICE SYSTEM AND LAWS!, There should be a more transparent justice system to tackle sexual crimes, create and enforce existing laws that protect women from discrimination and violence, including rape, poundings, torture and all forms of verbal abuse. We call on the government to revive the justice system for people to have firm faith in it.

Project Fame Finalist, singer and actress, Immaculate Edache who was also part of the Walk Against Rape said:

” Rape is an unjustified act that is injurious to the human soul. Therefore rape is a crime that shouldn’t be taken lightly”.

The walk cum demonstration started from the Archbishop Vining Memorial church (AVMC) ground and ended at the Ministry of Women Affairs, Alausa, Ikeja.
The feedback, engagement and interaction gotten from the walk indicates that more and more awareness needs to be created in order to combat the scourge of rape.

See more photos below

by
Keep Reading
In Career Gems By

AGBANI DAREGO SETS TO LAUNCH ONLINE CLOTHING STORE

Ex-beauty queen and former Miss World, Agbani Darego is set to launch her online store on the 25th of March and she has taken to Instagram to release some photos in advance to show off some of the wears.

Talking about her store opening, she wrote:

“Join us as we celebrate the launch of our online store, and shop our new collection of refined wardrobe staples.”

See some photos below

by
Keep Reading

©2025. WomenofRubies. All Rights Reserved.