Career Gems Archives

In Career Gems November 21, 2018 By Women of Rubies

THREE NIGERIAN WOMEN LISTED ON BBC 100 WOMEN LIST FOR 2018

The BBC has released its BBC 100 Women list for 2018, which celebrates 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world.

The list includes leaders, trailblazers and everyday heroes from over 60 countries, ranging from age 15 to 94.

Nigerians on the list include:

Abisoye Ajayi-Akinfolarin, the 33-year old Social impact entrepreneur, who is the founder of GirlsCoding, an NGO that teaches girls how to code, design and build websites that help solve problems in their communities. Abisoye is also one of the 10 finalist for the CNN Hero Award for 2018.

Amina J Mohammed, 57 – Deputy secretary general, United Nations, Nigeria.

Amina is a former minister of environment in Nigeria and has previously been a special adviser to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

Bola Tinubu, 51 – Lawyer, Nigeria.

Bola is a corporate lawyer who established the first free children’s helpline in Nigeria – Cece Yara Foundation

Chidera Eggerue, 23, The UK-based blogger – ‘Slumflower’ is a best-selling author and activist behind the social media movement #saggyboobsmatter, driving new conversations about perceptions of women’s bodies.

Other Africans on the list include:

Fatma Samoura, 56 – Fifa secretary general, Senegal.

Fatma is the first woman and the first African to hold the position of secretary general of Fifa.

Nimco Ali, 35 – Writer and activist, Somaliland

Nimco is an award-winning FGM (female genital mutilation) activist.

Noma Dumezweni, 49 – Actor, eSwatini (formerly known as Swaziland).

Noma is the first woman to play the adult version of Hermione Granger in Harry Potter and The Cursed Child, playing in London’s West End and Broadway, New York.

Shrouk El-Attar, 26 – Electronic design engineer, Egypt. Shrouk is a refugee and full-time engineer, who uses belly dancing to raise awareness and campaign for the rights of the LGBT+ community in Egypt.

Raghda Ezzeldin, 26 – Free-diver, Egypt.

Raghda is a record-breaking free-diver, who descends to extreme depths without breathing apparatus.

Mamitu Gashe, 72 – Senior nurse aide/fistula surgeon, Ethiopia.

Mamitu is now an internationally certified fistula surgeon, after being treated for fistula (an injury which can occur in childbirth) herself.

Thando Hopa, 29 – Model, lawyer, activist, South Africa.

Thando is a diversity and inclusion advocate. Cast in the Pirelli calendar 2018, she is the first person of colour in South Africa to have featured in the publication.

Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, 35 – Environmentalist and advocate for indigenous people and women, Chad.

Hindou is an indigenous woman of Chad, advocating for the protection of the environment and for the rights of indigenous peoples on an international scale.

Helena Ndume, 58 – Ophthalmologist, Namibia.

Helena has performed sight-restoring surgeries upon 35,000 Namibians, free of charge – many of her patients now call her “Namibia’s miracle doctor”.

Olivette Otele, 48 – Professor in History at Bath Spa University, Cameroon.

Olivette is a historian and memory scholar who works on European colonial history and post-colonial legacies.

Brigitte Sossou Perenyi, 28 – Documentary producer, Ghana.

Brigitte is an award-winning documentary producer, who told her story of being a Trokosi – a practice that sends girls to serve priests in shrines as payment for the “sins” of their family – and being trafficked from Togo to Ghana.

Juliet Sargeant, 53 – Garden designer, Tanzania.

Juliet is a doctor-turned-garden designer working to make “places that feel as good as they look”.

Ruth Medufia, 27 – Metal worker, Ghana.

Ruth is a female welder who lives in an urban slum community and aspires to be a role model for young women in the construction industry.

See other names on the list below:

Esraa al-Shafei, 32 – Executive director of not for profit Majal.org., Bahrain.

Esraa has founded a diverse number of digital platforms to give a voice to those under-represented in the Middle East and North Africa.

Svetlana Alekseeva, 18 – Model, Russia.

Svetlana survived a fire that burned almost half her body and now works to help people with scars feel positive about their bodies.

Lizt Alfonso, 51 – Director and choreographer, Cuba.

Lizt has created an internationally recognised fusion dance company which has performed in hundreds of cities across the world.

Isabel Allende, 76 – Author, Peru.

Isabel, who was born in Peru to Chilean parents, is the world’s most widely read Spanish-language author and has sold more than 70 million books in 42 languages.

Boushra Yahya Almutawakel, 49 – Artist, photographer and activist, Yemen.

Boushra is the first female Yemeni professional photographer, whose work has been featured in international publications and acquired by the British Museum.

Alina Anisimova, 19 – Student programmer, Kyrgyzstan.

Alina leads the Kyrgyz Girls’ Space School, which aims to send the country’s first satellite into space.

Frances Arnold, 62 – Professor of chemical engineering, bioengineering and biochemistry, US.

Frances is the recipient of the 2018 Nobel Prize for Chemistry, and her work on enzymes is used in laboratories, making everything from advanced medicines to biofuels and laundry detergents.

Continue reading at https://www.bellanaija.com/2018/11/abisoye-ajayi-akinfolarin-amina-mohammed-bola-tinubu-named-in-bbc-100-women-for-2018-see-full-list/

Credit: Bella Naija

In Career Gems November 20, 2018 By Women of Rubies

IBUKUN AWOSIKA REACTS TO CONTROVERSIAL INTERVIEW HEADLINE, SAYS “I DIDN’T GRANT THAT INTERVIEW”

Founder and CEO of The Chair Centre and first female chairman of First Bank, Ibukun Awosika has reacted to a media report published on Sunday.

“I did not grant any such interview” – Ibukun Awosika reacts to Media Report

The now deleted interview report, with the headline “Ibukun Awosika: I still kneel for my husband,” was not granted, Awosika said in her tweet.

Awosika said:

My attention has been drawn to an interview that was supposedly held with me by a reporter from one of the local dailies in Nigeria. I can confirm to you authoritatively that I did not grant any such interview.

The whole interview was cooked up. It’s unimaginable that someone will engage in such unethical practices by cooking up questions and answers as if they actually had an interview with me.

Credit: Bella Naija

In Career Gems November 20, 2018 By Women of Rubies

MEL B REVEALS SHE ATTEMPTED SUICIDE WITH 200 ASPIRIN PILLS TO ESCAPE HER MARRIAGE

According to pop star, Mel B, she once attempted suicide in 2014 to escape her marriage to Stephen Belafonte.

Mel B reveals all this and more in her upcoming memoir titled ‘Brutally Honest’ which she shared excerpts with The Sun.

In the memoir, she writes that the suicide attempt happened as she took nearly 200 aspirin pills on December 11, 2014, while she was in the midst of shooting the live shows for The X Factor in the U.K.

As each pill goes into my mouth, I ask myself: ‘Are you sure?’ And I take another one. Ten, 20, 50, 100. ‘Are you sure?’ One hundred and 20. ‘Are you sure?’ 150. Are you sure?’

Behind the glitter of fame, I felt emotionally battered, estranged from my family. I felt ugly and detested by the very man who once promised to love and protect me, my husband and manager Stephen.

When she got to the 200th pill, however, she stopped saying

I knew I didn’t want to go anywhere. … Suicide was not the answer. I had to make my life count. I had to get to a hospital. I had to get those pills out of my stomach before anything happened.

The Spice Girl and Stephen are now officially divorced.

Credit: Bella Naija

In Career Gems November 20, 2018 By Women of Rubies

INDONESIAN WOMAN GETS JAILED FOR EXPOSING HER BOSS’ SEXUAL HARASSMENT

Indonesia’s Supreme Court has sentenced a school administrator to 6 months in jail after she exposed her boss’s sexual harassment.

According to Reuters, Baiq Nuril Maknun, 37, recorded a telephone conversation with the head teacher of the school who she accused of making repeated unwanted sexual advances towards her.

She was convicted of recording and spreading “indecent” material under the country’s electronic information and transactions law, her lawyer Joko Jumadisaid.

She was also fined 500 million rupiah ($34,000).

In the recording, the principal shared very graphic details about his affair with the school’s treasurer. Maknun’s co-workers later convinced her to release the recording in a bid to expose the man.

A colleague had used the recording to lodge a complaint against the head teacher.

Speaking to Thomas Reuters Foundation on Thursday, court spokesman Suhadi said: “The Supreme Court judges were satisfied that she has violated the law”.

The top court’s judgement, which was delivered in a closed-door deliberation in September 26, overturned a 2017 acquittal from a lower court.

The judgement was only made available this week.

Jumadi said Maknun, a mother of three, would file a judicial review to challenge the court’s ruling. Jumadi said: “She is a victim and she just wants justice.”

Amnesty International’s Indonesia executive director Usman Hamid said in a statement:

“It appears a woman was criminalised simply for taking steps to redress the abuse she experienced. It is a travesty that while the victim of the alleged abuse has been convicted… little if any action appears to have been taken by the authorities to investigate what appear to be credible claims.”

Speaking on the issue, Maidina Rahmawati from the Institute for Criminal Justice Reform, a Jakarta-based non-profit, said:

“This case is just an example of how the law, which is too vague, could be used against vulnerable women who were trying to protect themselves.”

Photo Credit: YouTube

News credit: Bella Naija

In Career Gems November 20, 2018 By Women of Rubies

GRACE LADOJA HONORED BY THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND

On Instagram, she shares a picture of herself with the Prince of Wales who recently visited Nigeria.

Grace Ladoja has been working with the UK Grime icon, Skepta since 2014. In that time, she has overseen his transition from the popular face of grime to an iconic, heavily-personified figure with a strong following outside the UK.

Grace, who is the daughter of a former Oyo State governor, Rashidi Ladoja, has built a reputation as one of the main catalysts in the emergence of the UK grime scene on the international stage.

In addition, she is also seen as one of the UK’s most promising media executives, thanks to her work with artistes like FKA Twigs and popular brands like Supreme.

Credit: pulse.ng

In Career Gems November 16, 2018 By Women of Rubies

CHIMAMANDA ADICHIE FEATURES ON THE COVER OF TELEGRAPH MAGAZINE

Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was featured on the cover of the October 27 issue of Telegraph Magazine, where she discussed Nigeria, misogyny, and the #MeToo movement.

Chimamanda talked about losing faith in Nigeria after her father was kidnapped in 2015, how she feels he was kidnapped because of her.

She said:

It was because of me. That incident affected my father – it robbed him of something; there’s a distrust that he didn’t have before. He comes from a generation with a certain kind of integrity. For a long time he didn’t understand things like bribery – it just perplexed him. My father had given his everything – he got his PhD in the US and he had job offers there in the 1960s, but he was keen to come back to Nigeria. It was post-independence, everyone was very enthusiastic and my father spent his life teaching. I felt that Nigeria had failed him – for a man of his age to be thrown into the boot of a car …That incident broke my heart and it’s the first time I started to seriously question Nigeria.

The cover story is up on the Telegraph website, and you can read it here.

Credit: Bella Naija

In Career Gems November 15, 2018 By Women of Rubies

ACTIVISTS CALLS ON GOVERNMENT TO END CHILD BOXING AS 13-YEAR-OLD BOY DIES

The death of 13-year-old Anucha Thasako has led people around Thailand to mount pressure on the government to ban child boxing.

Thasako, according to the BBC, has been fighting in the ring since he was 8 and has been in 170 bouts.

Thasako and his 14-year-old opponent had not been wearing protective headgear during the fight, and Thasako got repeated knocks to the head before falling to the floor.

Thasako’s opponent, Nitikron Sonde, wrote on Facebook that he was saddened by the death.

I regret it. But I have to do my duty to win so I can make enough money to sponsor myself through education.

Thai Boxing, known as Muay Thai, is incredibly popular in the country and children are known to get involved in the sport very early in a bid to support their families.

People in the country have been calling for a reform, with the Thai parliament currently drafting a law that would ban children under 12 from fighting in Muay Thai matches.

The draft, if passed, will require those aged 12 to 15 to be registered, have the permission of their parents. and wear protective gear for professional fights.

Photo Credit: @912CroozeFM

Credit: Bella Naija

In Career Gems November 15, 2018 By Women of Rubies

REBRANDING: DEBBIE RISE CHANGES NAME TO DEBORAH RISE

Big Brother Naija 2017 housemate Debie Rise has rebrand to Deborah Rise.

In a series of announcements on her Instagram page, the singer announced that she will now be known as Deborah Rise. She has also announced that her next project will be officially released on the 15th of November.

She says:

The 2nd Announcement!
With so much Joy and a heart full of thanksgiving,
I’ll like to announce that:
“The project that has taken me the whole year to work on will finally be out tomorrow with visuals.” Anticipate with Joy..
#DeborahRise
#StillNervous

In Career Gems November 13, 2018 By Women of Rubies

MO ABUDU AWARDED HONORARY DOCTORATE DEGREE BY THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTMINSTER

The University of Westminster has awarded Mo Abudu, founder and chief executive of EbonyLife Media, an honorary degree of Doctor of Arts, in recognition of her outstanding services to broadcasting and enterprise in Nigeria.

The presentation was made during the university’s annual graduation ceremony at the prestigious Royal Festival Hall in London.

The broadcaster and filmmaker attended Westminster in 1993 when she completed a master’s degree in Manpower Studies. After successful careers as a corporate executive and human resources entrepreneur, Mo entered the world of media as the host and producer of Moments with Mo, the first pan-African talk show. In 2012, she went on to found EbonyLife TV, which has grown into a media group, encompassing movie production and global video-on-demand (VoD).

Despite a challenging business environment, 2018 has been a landmark year for Mo Abudu, beginning in March with the announcement by Sony Pictures Television that they had struck a three-project production deal with EbonyLife. The media group celebrated its 5th anniversary in July with the launch of EbonyLife ON, its global VoD service.

In October, Mo was included in The Powerlist, the top 100 most influential people of African and Caribbean heritage in the UK, alongside Meghan Markle, Anthony Joshua and Lewis Hamilton. December marks the release of Chief Daddy, the fifth feature produced by EbonyLife Films.

In her acceptance speech at the ceremony, an impassioned Mo spoke directly to the graduates from the School of Arts and School of Media and Communication:

The most important thing in life is to find your God-given purpose and passion – I mention God because I am a strong Christian and I truly believe he directs my every step. But going back to purpose – please find that thing you are passionate about, that you feel you were born to do. Then, spend every day planning and carrying out that purpose. It’s not always easy to find – but if you persevere, it will never fail you.When things get tough – and they will – just keep forging ahead – stay focused – be tenacious – and eventually your purpose will multiply and become unstoppable!

According to the Vice-Chancellor, Dr Peter Bonfield:

Westminster University awards honorary degrees to those who have made outstanding contributions in their personal and professional lives.

Credit: Bella Naija

In Career Gems November 12, 2018 By Women of Rubies

STEPHANIE LINUS LECTURES STUDENTS OF DILLARD UNIVERSITY, NEW ORLEANS

Over the weekend, Stephanie Linus was invited to speak to the students at Dillard University

The filmmaker, human rights advocate and actress was invited to celebrate the school’s annual Ray Charles Week.

During her visit, she gave a lecture on “The Emergence of African Storytellers and Their New Narrative” and also screened her self-produced and directed movie ‘Dry’ which focuses on fistula and the practice of under-age marriage among young women.

The award-winning actress told the group of young college students at Dillard University in New Orleans:

You have the power to change the narrative of every wrong representation of who you think you are. There is so much you can achieve by telling a story. When I think of a story, I think of it as a connection between myself and my audience, an opportunity for me to take them on a journey that inspires them to learn about themselves and the world around them.

Speaking at the Ray Charles Week hosted by Dillard University Ray Charles Program, Dillard University Film and Dillard University African World Student Organization, the filmmaker encouraged the college students to tap into the power of the media and growth in technology to create a new narrative for themselves.

The media is such a powerful tool of influence that if used properly, can bring about a positive change in almost every sphere of life. It is time for you to look inside yourselves and see the gaps within your society, and find ways to fill these gaps with your narratives. I ask you here today, what is your story? What is that new narrative you desire when you think of black people and black history and what kind of impact do you want it to create?

She encouraged the students to be fearless about telling their stories, adding that by doing so, they could create a better representation of themselves and who they ought to be.