Interviews&profile Archives

In Interviews&profile November 9, 2017 By Women of Rubies

#INTERVIEW: ”DO NOT DEFILE YOURSELF FOR WHAT YOU CANNOT DEFEND” -QUEEN ENIOLA CHRISTABEL, MISS IDEAL NIGERIA ECOWAS 2017

Eniola Christabel Amuzat is a model, make up artist, philanthropist, and a student. She is the current Miss Ideal Nigeria ECOWAS 2017, and she will also be representing Nigeria in Miss West Africa 2018 in Ghana.

Read her exclusive interview with Women Of Rubies, below:

Childhood

My childhood influenced what I do today. I didn’t wish to go into modelling but I have always wished to be a beauty queen. Right from primary school, I loved fashion and always wanted to be outstanding. I remember that I used to cry to be the Queen of my House during inter house sport. Getting to this stage now is more like a manifestation of what I have craved for.

Meet Me

Eniola Christabel is a model, a student & a make up artist. I was born on December 17 in the 90s. I am the first child of a family of 3. My parents are Mr and Mrs Folaseye Amuzat. I derive joy in photo shoots, inspiring young girls and children, meeting new faces and make overs. I like honesty, humility, trustworthiness , I so much hate lies, disappointment and deceit.

I started modelling in 2011, because of my huge passion for modelling and love of being in front of the camera. I am charismatic, bold and courageous.

Achievement so far:
– Miss Ascom in 2013,
– Top 10 miss charismatic Nigeria 2015,
– Top 5 Miss Oyo state 2015,
– Face Of Fashion Africa Culture 2016,
– ANUCA awards; Campus choice student model of the year 2017,
– Cover page of Travelscope Magazine South Africa,
– Africa Icon awards; Most Famous queen of the year 2017,
– Brand face for luxe and elan,
– Presently The Miss Ideal Nigeria ECOWAS 2017

As a make up artist : i can transform you to look exceptionally beautiful.

Miss Ideal Nigeria

Miss Ideal Nigeria is a pageant that is always in search of A QUEEN WITH A BIG HEART. My role is to champion charity and empowerment programmes throughout my reign. I will represent Nigeria in Miss West Africa 2018 in Ghana.

Challenges

None.

Project and activities

I am working on a project centered on Women and girl child. It will entail seminar, medical check up, charity and vocational training.

Greatest reward

Winning African Icon Award Most Famous Queen Of The Year 2017 in July.

Who inspires me

My Mum inspires to be accomplished far beyond my previous heights.

I Am A Woman Of Rubies

I am a Woman of Rubies because I am an ambitious, independent, and enterprising lady. Also, my ability to make great impact in my society and engage in humanitarian projects, makes me a Woman of Rubies.

Juggling schooling and modeling

Mostly, I try to go about my modelling and make-up business on weekends when school is in session.
During holidays, I fix media tours, events, shoots during the holiday. I make sure I use my holidays judiciously.

Words of advice for aspiring models

Put God first in anything you do.Always get your parent’s support. Never allow anyone to intimidate you. Don’t defile yourself for what you can’t defend.

Facebook : Queen Eniola Christabel

Twitter : iamlilposh

Instagram: missidealnigeriaecowas2017

For jobs, special appearance, contact House Of Twitch 08096630454, 0803 579 8746

In Interviews&profile November 6, 2017 By Esther Ijewere

MEET MARY AWOH, THE YOUNG UNDERGRADUATE WHO IS THE CEO OF SWEET INDULGENCE

While a lot of youths out there are getting involved in criminal activities and rebellious acts, blaming the society for their shortcomings, a 20-year-old Mass Communication student of Babcock University, Awoh Rosemary, whose father passed on at age six, leaving her with single parenting, has become the CEO of Sweet Indulgence, an organic skincare enterprise. She has become an entrepreneur today.

During a press briefing in Lagos recently, Rosemary said she started making skincare products in December last year and decided to do something unique by using cup cakes to mold soap with crested flower designs to get something attractive that would get people to indulge in it, and that was where the name Sweet Indulgence emanated.

She said: “I make soap, body waters, body lotion, body scrub, olive balm and facial oil and they are all organic with natural products like honey, Shea butter and other natural contents with no preservatives.”

Business-minded Rosemary who hails from Delta state now juggles between working and schooling with ease as she is already accustomed to hard work from her childhood, when she would help her mother, a senior lecturer in the Department of Industrial Design at YABATECH, with keen interest in her baking workshop and decorating event centers.

Her life as an entrepreneur started from primary school: “I would buy things from stores and take it to class to sell, and my class teacher encouraged me by mandating my classmates to buy everything they needed from me. While in high school I stringed simple beads and sold to my friends,” she said.

She added that she got inspired to make natural skincare products from compliments about her glowing skin on her TV show on Arcadia mobile TV- The DIY Slab With Awoh Rosemary.

“I was using natural products from the market and I would spend a lot of money buying them, so I decided I could make something as nice and tell people I use my own product.

“I searched for the recipe online but the first time I tried it out, it turned out bad because I did not get the right chemical measurement, but with time I got it right and improved immensely” she said.

She got her friends to experiment her first liquid black soap and bar soap by selling to them. “They were basically my first clients; I would sell to them and they would complain about mild reactions, but in no time it became perfect with no reactions.

“I started receiving positive feedbacks from customers and now I have a good number of customers with frequent orders home and abroad and in less than five months the turnout have been impressive”.

“I won an Entrepreneur Of The Year Award in school this year and that got me publicity from Radio station. My department did a biography on me and people were surprised that an undergraduate has the time and passion for creativity and business. My picture is in my VC’s office and this attracted interviews from the media,” she said.

Rosemary concluded that she looks forward to exporting her products to more countries and advised Nigerian youths to get creative with distinctiveness, as that would go a long way to make them useful to themselves and the society at large.

Credit: Guardian Woman, interview by Maria Diamond

In Inspiration April 3, 2021 By Esther Ijewere

Hawking At Age 10 Made Me More Determined- Adeola Olubamiji

Adeola Deborah Olubamiji was born oin Ibadan to the family of Mr. & Mrs. Isaac & Juliana Olubamiji. She attended Alafia Public Primary School and St. Gabriel’s Secondary Commercial School in Mokola, Ibadan, Nigeria. Despite her humble beginning as a child hawker, she surmounted all odds to become the senior prefect girl of her secondary school. She obtained a Bachelor of Science in Physics (with Electronics) from Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Nigeria in 2008 and a Masters of Science in Biomedical Engineering from Tampere University of Technology, Tampere, Finland in 2011. In June 2017, Adeola received her PhD in Biomedical Engineering from University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada and made history as the first black person to have received this PhD from the university. Dr. Adeola is currently the Lead Metallurgist / Material Engineer at Burloak Technologies (The Advanced Additive Manufacturing Division of Samuel Sons & Co) in Ontario, Canada.

Dr. Adeola is a consultant and the founder of 3D-Tech Centrix, Ontario, Canada: A consulting firm specializing in development of 3D-printing technology and related manufacturing solutions for use in different industries. In July 2017, Dr. Adeola was chosen and celebrated as one the top 5 of 150 black women making Canada better for her contributions in Science and Technology by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. She was also recently presented a prestigious award as the Woman of Outstanding Achievement in Education by the Nigerian-Canadian Community in a ceremony held in Toronto, Canada. Dr. Adeola’s passion for community building through volunteering is limitless and unquantifiable. Dr. Adeola is an “ardent” STEM advocate and she has continued to serve as a positive role model to the inner-city black youths in her Canadian community and around the world. From her savings, Dr. Adeola organizes regular STEM events and industrial tours for black youths in Ontario’s black communities to help youths discover what engineers do, and to expose them to STEM career opportunities available to them. Adeola whose story went viral two weeks ago shares her inspiring story with me in this mind-blowing interview.

Growing Up

I have 3 brothers and my only sister is late. I was born in Mokola Ibadan and attended Alafia Primary School and St Gabriel’s Secondary Commercial School in Mokola, Ibadan. We didn’t have much, so my siblings and myself learned to share and work together as a team quickly. My parents worked hard to ensure that we had food to eat, clothes to wear and made it a point of duty to get us to our schools on time. My mom is a workhorse and she woke up at 3 am daily to go to “Shasha Market” in Ibadan to conduct her pepper buying business.

Although my dad was unable to attain tertiary education, he is from a well-educated extended family. A few of my dad’s family members had PhDs, so my dad hung their photographs on the wall in our living room. At every opportunity my dad got, he regaled us with their success stories and explained how education took them abroad. Therefore, I ended up following the footpath of one of my uncles, Professor Abiodun Francis Oluwole who is a Professor of Nuclear Physics, to obtain a BSc in Physics with Electronics from Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye.

Hawking at age 10 made me more determined

Looking at my parent’s life, they both worked hard to care for us but we didn’t have any form of luxury. So, I learned quickly as a child that “to earn more, you must learn more.” In addition, the daily reminder was on the wall of our living room and it was clear that I needed to be “EDUCATED” to make valuable contribution to a knowledge-based society, to earn respect and to earn more money than my parents. As such, I promised myself to strive to know more critical facts, gather more information than the average person and be the best and nothing but the best.

First black person to bag a PhD in Biomedical Engineering at the university of Saskatchewan

Biomedical Engineering is a recently added branch of Engineering with capability to bring us closer to huge healthcare-related innovations and inventions. However, Nigerians and the black population in general are slowly just breaking into the field. In fact, it is almost impossible to find journal papers or conference proceedings authored by Africans (at least from the last names or first names) in the field of Biomedical Engineering. The shortage of blacks in this thriving field and shortage of women in engineering makes me feel “lonely” sometimes among my peers. Therefore, I will to continue to advocate for the introduction of the branches of Biomedical Engineering to Nigerian Universities, encourage and advocate for admission of more women into engineering disciplines, and to continue to encourage other engineers who are willing to transition to come and join me in this limitless, exciting and innovative field.

Choice to study biomedical engineering

Several health impairments and issues of failed diagnosis that could benefit from Biomedical Engineering technologies face Nigeria and Nigerians. With a BSc in Physics with Electronics, the Biomedical Engineering career path paved way for me to acquire the knowledge needed to help develop solutions to tackle the above-mentioned issues. Some of the areas that I am currently vast on are medical physics and clinical engineering, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, material development and 3D-printing, and e-health and telemedicine.

What and who inspires me

What Inspires me: As a Scientist, I am challenged and inspired by the possibilities and potentials of technology, and the fulfillment I get from solving difficult problems. As an engineer, I am inspired by industry 4.0 (e.g. 3D-printing) and its design and manufacturing capabilities. As a Nigerian, the complicated problems that I faced or my people in Nigeria face inspire me. On a daily basis, I go to work knowing that I am paying the price to acquire the knowledge and the skill-sets required to help bring back innovative manufacturing solutions to fix, improve, and tweak Nigeria’s mostly dead metal and plastic manufacturing industries.

Who inspires me: The humble background and huge historic contributions of Jesus Christ made Him my first inspiration. My middle name is Deborah and the realization of Deborah’s role as the First Female Judge in Israel, a Warrior, a Wife and a Mother made me choose her my second role model/inspiration. Furthermore, one of the men on the wall of our living room, Prof. Abiodun Francis Oluwole, inspired me to study Physics. At the moment, I have chosen Dr. Ndubuisi Ekekwe as one of my inspirations for his ability to combine successful academic credentials, technology and entrepreneurship.

Greatest Reward

There are a few of them, after many years of research and development; the ultimate reward is receiving the PhD honour itself. Seeing my narrative go viral to touch lives around the world provided me with the re-assurance that Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) careers, hard work and prayers are not old school and they in fact can make you a superstar. Then, securing a job as a lead engineer after my PhD and starting my career in a company that allows me utilize most of my acquired knowledge and skills made the whole process well worth it. Lastly, the smiles and tears of joy that rolled down my father’s face when he heard that I successfully defended my thesis was rewarding and very satisfying.

Recognition

In terms of recognition, I was recognized as 5^thof 150 black women making Canada better during the celebration of Canada at 150 (link:http://cbc.ca.mevn.net/radio/upclose. I was also recognised by the Nigerian Canadian Association as a “Woman of Outstanding Achievement in Education” in celebration of Canada at 150 and the award was presented to me at a Gala attended by Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Bar. Ahmed Hussen, the Ooni of Ife HRM Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Mama Nike Davies-Okundaye of Nike Art Gallery and so on.

Challenges

My PhD was not plain sailing; there were setbacks, frustrating moments, doubts, failed relationship and several failed experiments. The isolation that comes with embedding myself in research and making it my boyfriend, family and best friend was a challenge. There were moments when I slept at the University for several days in order to collect data and only went home to shower. But the most challenging aspect of the PhD by far was the job search that comes at the end of the PhD by far was the job search that comes at the end of the PhD.

Perception of Hawking

Child street-hawking is often driven by poverty, deplorable living conditions, illiteracy and unemployment. According to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, it is an offence to involve children in child-labour practices such as child hawking. However, this is the only mean of survival for some families and its eradication will be very tough.

Has there ever been a time that you feel like giving up?

The thinking of giving up is inevitable for every PhD student. Half way through my PhD, I felt like I could do something else with my life. I felt like the PhD was standing in the way of me starting my life, buying a house, finding love and getting married. I felt like it was a shear waste of time and energy and that an MSc was already more than enough.

Unfortunately, I lost my sister to cervical cancer during that time and that gave me the motivation to carry on. I thought I would do it for my sister and my dad who already started calling me doctor and never stopped encouraging me.

Contributing to Nation building back home

In recent times, the society and social media has continued to showcase role models who make education look ‘old school’, who make science look too hard, abstract and for the exceptional ones. Africa as a continent needs to start projecting scientists are role models and investing in productive education and technology aside entertainment, fashion, and cosmetics. As a STEM advocate, I’m willing to help develop hands-on programs to help motivate these students to learn and love Sciences and get exposure to Technology in a fun way. Since kids learn by doing, these programs will provide an avenue for them to connect the theoretical science taught in schools with practical science that results from these theories.

In order to conquer the extreme dependency of Nigeria and Nigerians on China and the West for metal and plastic goods, Nigeria must invest in digitized manufacturing now. The combination of “3D-printing technology” and some other manufacturing techniques will allow achievement of faster product development and consequently enable manufacturing of polymeric and metallic products at reasonable costs. This will also foster raising of young entrepreneurs and enable creation of more jobs for our engineering graduates who are forced to work in the banking sector, wait for years to secure a position in the energy sector, or move abroad to seek greener pastures.

As a scientist who has a large network of professionals, has explored both plastics and metal 3D-printing and tried several conventional manufacturing techniques, my team is capable and able to help with the set-up of a “Manufacturing Hub for Africa” in Nigeria if given a chance. 3D-printing technology is rapidly growing across multiple industries and applications: medical applications (e.g. surgical implants, prosthesis, dental, and tissue-engineered tissues and organs), aerospace applications (OEMs for airplanes and fighter jets), automotive applications (OEMs for car engines), energy industries (customized valves, heat exchangers), tooling for plastics processing, and manufacturing of customized consumer plastic products and decorations.

I am a Woman of Rubies

My life and my journey so far have made me conclude that I am an unrepeatable miracle of God.

Final word for women who have or about to lose hope because of certain setbacks.

Dear woman, with the advent of technology, the world is at your fingertip. Do not wait to be served information on a platter of gold as your power lies in how much information you acquire. Dear woman, who are you and why are you here? My go to quote is “if you don’t stand for something, you will stand for everything or anything, and when you stand for everything or anything, you stand for nothing”. My dear women, let’s altogether renew our minds, be our own saviours, our own rescue and love ourselves enough. Finally, I beseech you to dare to be limitless, dare to start that business, dare to launch that company, dare to channel that cause, dare to be different, dare to study science and dare to be innovative
—

In Interviews&profile November 3, 2017 By Esther Ijewere

Meet Udeme Mfon-okon, the woman who quit banking for pig farming

Mrs. Udeme Mfon-Okon is a pig farmer who recently emerged as the winner of the Diamond Bank Building Entrepreneur Today (BET) Award, the bank’s initiative to ensure that entrepreneurs in the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are properly trained and equipped with business knowledge and capital to stimulate sustainable economic growth and development in Nigeria. In this interview, Mfon-Okon talks about her experience as a pig farmer before and after BET. Enjoy.

Tell us about your educational and career background
I had my first degree from the University of Uyo where I studied accounting and did my MBA at the University of Calabar. I am also an alumnus of Lagos Business School (LBS), where I did a Senior Management Programme. I was in the banking industry for 13 years and I left Stanbic IBTC as a manager.

At what point did you decide to quit banking for piggery farming?
I left the bank in 2012 and went into exporting charcoal and Shea butter. Though the returns were good but the rigours was too much for me and I couldn’t cope with it, so I decided to go into farming because I had always loved it and I decided to try my hands on it. I had a piece of land somewhere, I thought of doing poultry because I have a sister-in-law who does poultry. But when I ran into a friend of mine, he said that he had gone into poultry business and got his fingers burnt. He introduced me into piggery since that was what he was doing and I followed him to his farm. I loved it the moment I saw it and I decided to go into piggery farming in that instant.

It was interesting when I saw my friend’s pig farm, I never knew much about pigs, I just knew there was puck and I used to eat it, but never knew anything about its rearing.

How did you start in terms of funding?
I started with my savings and got 60 animals, then I rented five rooms initially, but when I realised that the business was something I loved and would like to continue, I then got my first Pen. However, I usually fall back to my husband for money when mine finishes and I had a lot of support from family and a lot of friends.

Has it been a very lucrative business? What are the challenges of doing piggery and livestock farming in general?
Yes, the business has really been lucrative. One thing about pig farming is that you have to stay in it for you to get your returns. It is not something that you give yourself a timeline saying ‘within six months or a year, if I don’t make my money, I am leaving it.’ You will not reap the benefit of the whole thing. You have to stay in it to reap the benefit.

One of the major issues of livestock farming is getting quality feed for them, what happens is one day you’re able to buy corn at a certain price and by the time you go back it is a higher price. And if you’re doing it as a business, you’re watching your bottom line also, so what we do is, we try to find different alternatives that you can feed them with, so if there’s no corn what can you use alternatively? If corn is not in season, if it is too expensive, what else can you use to feed? You have to have a wide range of things to feed your animals.

Feeding and taking care of livestock is not a child’s play, how did you get the funding to expand in a short time?
I got the help of Diamond Bank eventually but before then, I had grown. The secret is you have to remain focused and know what you are doing. You have to plan, that is how I was able to grow like you have said. You need to have proper plans financially for you to be able to expand. So, at the beginning of the year I do a budget; this is what I am thinking I should be able to do. I know the number of animals I have, I know the number of sows (female pigs) I have, so I am expecting that this females should provide a certain number of animals for me within a given time. At the same time, I have an average idea of how much I spend on feeding every month, so I ensure that I have that money available and that was why I said when I use my money, I fall back to my husband’s money, family and friends. I actually took loans but they weren’t expensive loans, they were interest free so I could actually keep and run for as long as possible.

Tell us about your Experience at the Diamond Bank BET
Initially when I applied for the Diamond Bank BET grant, it was all about the money for me, I was just interested in collecting N3million and coming to expand my business. I didn’t even know we were going to go for training at the Entrepreneur Development Centre (EDC), but on getting there, I realised that there was so much I did not know. Initially, I thought I was doing really well and I knew a whole lot, because I did so much to get my business to where it was at that time. But from the first day of my training, my mind just shifted and I realised that, if I take with me what I have learnt from the training, my business will get better.

I learnt so many things like strategy and branding. I never thought branding was important in pig farming because I had my customers walking in without so much effort to source for customers, so I didn’t think that branding would be important. But it turned out that branding is a strategy you can just tweak in your business and there would be an amazing transformation. The first month I attended the training and I implemented one of those things, I made a savings of N270, 000 just that first month.

So it is something that Diamond Bank has provided and we all need to key into it, but unfortunately, they might not be able to extend it beyond 50 people but so long as they implement whatever they learnt, it would be a wonderful experience for them, because their businesses will definitely change for the better.

So I would encourage people, even if they are not going to for the Diamond Bank EDC 1, get some kind of entrepreneur training because it would turn your business for the better. That training alone has impacted my business and up till now, I still go back to my notes once in a while to get information to stream my business processes and work on my human resources. I even advice friends around to take a course in the EDC on human resources just for their staffs and I give advice from what I have learnt because it is a very exciting and mind-blowing experience and Diamond Bank do not know the gravity of positive impact they are having on people’s lives with the BET.

Kindly tell us how they can access the BET fund
Right now the portal is opened for BET 7, you just log in, you upload your 1minute video stating what your business is about. The video has to be concise and captivating, so that when they are selecting people for the process, hopefully you would get selected. Once you get selected, you go for training at the EDC and you just might get picked.

What are the EDC selection criteria?
I really did not know the criteria EDC used to make selections, I am sure they have their guidelines. What you just need to do is put out your best footage and with that I am sure you will get picked.

Is piggery business very time-consuming? How do you handle diseases?
Initially it was time-consuming because you have to be there to set your structures properly but after a while, once you have proper business operations, it is no longer time-consuming.

As per diseases, what we do is more preventive, because once you have an outbreak, you lose your animals and you don’t want to get into that. So we do preventives by making sure our pen is always clean, make sure you treat your animals, give them their vitamins when giving them their food. Also, on a monthly basis, there are some medicines we give them and once you are giving them healthy food, the idea is that your pigs will be fine. I actually had an outbreak last year but it was quickly contained, we were able to quickly contain it

Who are your customers? Tell us your supply chain?

We have a lot of customers right now but my major customers come in from Benin Republic to buy. We have customers that come in from Warri to buy and we also have customers that supply restaurants.

What advise would you give anyone who wants to go into this business?
Well, I would say you should plan properly, because initially when I started, I didn’t plan well and I ran into financial hitch. I had a little extra money so I just boomed and started expanding, forgetting that I am going to feed this animals for a couple of months before they get to maturity for me to sell them out and because of that, I had cash flow problem and that was when I had to run to family and friends to borrow.

If you were not doing this, what would you be doing?
Right now I don’t know, I have given it a thought many times and nothing has come to mind but perhaps teaching. I could be a teacher.

Interview by: Maria Diamond for Guardian Woman.

In Interviews&profile November 2, 2017 By Esther Ijewere

Invest in yourself and increase your value so you can be valued – Uzoamaka Okorie

Uzoamaka Letticia Okorie serves as the Managing Director of the bespoke cleaning servicing company, Nikolasjay Global Services Limited. Uzoamaka is a result driven, self-motivated and resourceful MD with a proven ability to strengthen management teams in order to maximise company profitability and efficiency. Possessing excellent communication skills and able to establish sustainable and profitable relationships with customers and stakeholders. With her Human Resources Background she has served in various executive management roles from Fine and Country (International) West Africa, MTN Nigeria Communication where she was the Human Resource Advisory Executive to three departments in one and two Divisions within the Business. Her more than 15 year career spans from HR Management with Lotus Capital Limited and Quantum Communications Limited, Program/Administrative coordinator with FATE Foundation to her Customer Service skill delivery in the Airline Industry.

Uzoamaka holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Botany from the University of Lagos and certified HR courses with Cornell University, USA. She is Happily married with kids. She shares her story in this interview.

Childhood Influence

I would say yes. I grew up watching my Dad excel in the corporate world even as he sought ways to make a difference, add value and give back to his community. He did not just talk the talk but he walked the walk. He started successful multiple entrepreneurial ventures and had a balanced family life.

Meet Uzoamaka

If I have to describe myself, I’d say, dynamic, relentless, and unapologetically a lover of the most High..

Nikolasjay Global Services Limited

Nikolasjay Global services ltd was born out of a need to add value and impact my generation. We are a multi faceted boutique company catering to the environmental services industry. We offer a wide range of services, from janitorial and cleaning services to the manufacture and retail of consumer products.

Challenges

line of work? – A constant challenge in the industry is Human Resources. Sourcing and retaining competent staff is a continuous balancing act.

Other project and activities

At NikolasJay, we have many projects in the pipeline that we are very excited about. We just launched a line of Multipurpose liquid soap that comes in different fragrances. We also have other projects that would be ready by next year God willing. Truly exciting times for us.

Greatest Reward

There is an old saying that referrals are the best complement. It is truly rewarding when I get referrals from a satisfied client.

Where do you see your brand in the next five years?

In the next 5 years, by His grace we plan to establish ourselves in the industry as the one stop shop service provider for everything related to janitorial, environmental and Dry cleaning services.

Was there ever a time you felt like giving up?

Oh yes… dare I say every other month lol, however, it’s a feeling that lasts but a moment. Giving up is NEVER an option.

Who and what inspire you to be better

My children inspire me to be better. I want them to see that through hard work and perseverance, they can achieve and accomplish their hearts desire.

What makes you a woman of Rubies

My desire to see other women grow and flourish in their respective fields, supporting each other and making a generational impact.

Any final word for young women all over the world?

Invest in yourself and increase your value so you can be valued…

In Interviews&profile November 1, 2017 By Esther Ijewere

The Hollywood reporter lists Mo Abudu among 25 most powerful women in global television

The Hollywood Reporter has released its annual list of the 25 Most Powerful Women in Global Television and Mo Abudu is the only African woman listed, amongst those from North America, Europe, Asia, South America and Australasia. The Founder and CEO of EbonyLife TV is being recognised as an influential woman in the media industry for the second time.

The category recognises female executives from around the globe who are rewriting the rules of TV, during a time when “women have to work twice as hard for the same recognition” as men. The article describes Abudu as a woman who “has been at the forefront of media innovation on the continent and whose goal for the coming year is to successfully produce Africa’s first sci-fi TV series.” The first time she was included in this list was in 2013, immediately after the launch of EbonyLife TV.

Since those early days, EbonyLife TV has created over 4,000 hours of original, high-quality content, including landmark drama series The Governor, Sons of the Caliphate and Fifty (the series), along with the first pan-African talk show, Moments, with different versions hosted in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa. EbonyLife Films made its debut in 2015 at the 59th BFI London Film Festival with Fifty, the highest-grossing Nollywood movie that year. In 2016, EbonyLife co-produced The Wedding Party, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and went on to become the biggest movie in the history of Nigerian cinema.

Ms. Abudu does not take the recognition from the renowned entertainment magazine for granted. “It’s an honour and privilege to be acknowledged again by The Hollywood Reporter. I am proud to represent Nigeria and the thousands of women in Africa, striving to make their mark in a male-dominated industry,” she said.

The Hollywood Reporter publishes its list of Most Powerful Women in Global Television annually, with luminaries deemed by its editors to have made a significant impact on what audiences are watching worldwide and how women are represented on TV.

To see the complete list, click here: https://goo.gl/Xghfas

In this article:

In Interviews&profile October 30, 2017 By Women of Rubies

PROFILE| MEET SANDRA AGUEBOR, THE FIRST FEMALE MECHANIC IN NIGERIA

Sandra Aguebor is the founder of the Lady Mechanic Initiative (LMI) and the CEO of Sandex Car Care Garage. She is the first female mechanic in Nigeria.

A native of Benin city, Edo state, The first lady mechanic in Nigeria was born in the 70s into the family of late Mr. & Mrs. R.A Aguebor. She is a graduate from Auchi Polythenic and she also has a degree from The Goethe Institute, a German school based in Lagos State.

Sandra who has been a mechanic for 32 years started her own garage, Sandex Care Care Garage 22 years ago.

Against the will of her mother, who thought it shameful for a woman to be a mechanic, Sandra started training to be a mechanic at the age of 14 with the support of her father. He had been out of the country a couple of times and had seen female aeronautic engineers, hence he didn’t see why his daughter couldn’t be an automobile mechanic if she wanted to. So he took her to the workshop where he fixed his car and, according to Sandra, once they arrived the workshop, she immediately fell in love with a dismantled car engine and refused to leave. Thus began her training. And although she was still in secondary school, everyday she would leave for her mechanic training after school hours.

In an interview with Aljazeera, she said;

“When I opened my shop, my name was all over town, “If you go to the Lady Mechanic, your car will be well taken care of …” I started getting [so many] jobs, I could not cope anymore, I had to employ somebody. That birthed the idea of an empowerment programme, I thought why not start empowering women to be mechanics so that they can open up their own shops”.

Sandra started her empowerment programme training 7 girls and a boy; and overtime, successfully built a network of female mechanics that is fast spreading from city to city in Nigeria.

Her lady mechanic Initiative is dedicated to training orphans, former sex workers, school dropouts, single mothers and victims of trafficking to become mechanics. According to her, “Lady Mechanic focuses on the poor.”

Sandra and her trainees usually embark on campaign drives where they spread the gospel of the initiative, speaking to young women and encouraging them to become Lady Mechanics.

Just recently, the executive Governor of Lagos state, Akinwunmi Ambode announced Sandra as the inspirational woman award recipient, for her continuous effort in empowering many young ladies.

Several international organizations like BBC World News, The New York Times, The South Africa Broadcasting Cooperation, The CNN World News, the Voice of Africa, etc have shown quite a number of documentaries on her.

In Interviews&profile October 28, 2017 By Esther Ijewere

The ability to communicate in sign language has drawn the deaf naturally to me and made me share their world – Ayodele Eizabeth

Ayodele Funmilayo Elizabeth is a Nigerian born and a Lagos based practicing entrepreneur. She attended Yaba college of Technology where she obtained O. N. D in Science Laboratory Technology and H.N.D. in Chemistry, which gave her a share in the manufacturing industry of which she runs a venture that manufactures industrial and domestic products. She also possesses a diploma certificate in Desktop publishing among other skills.

Elizabeth is a problem-solving, highly intellectual and innovative individual motivated by compassion and love. Elizabeth’s entrepreneurial strength has been a source of inspiration to many.

Having gone through various vocational and leadership trainings of which she became an alumni member of the Advanced Daystar Leadership Academy. She started occupying the leadership role at the age of 17 when she became the managing director of an I.T/ computer institution. She had since then been engaging in the business world. Her desire for knowledge and her versatility nature led her into learning sign language which she has since been utilizing to lessen the isolation of the deaf. Elizabeth love for humanity and equality led her into advocating for inclusion of deaf persons and encouraging people to embrace the use of sign language.

Elizabeth love for humanity and equality brought her to advocating/proposing for the inclusion of deaf persons into every sector including programs/conference which was honored and led to having deaf people in attendance at mega and prestigious conference like ‘Live Your Dream Africa’ and ‘Dynamic Youth Assembly’ . She and her team also organize monthly program to empower the deaf intellectually and socially. She was recently interviewed at the Ambassador Radio show ,Unilag F.M

She is the founder of Beyond Limitation Initiative, an initiative that is passionate about bridging the gap between the deaf and the hearing. She shares her story in this interview.

Childhood Influence

Yes, I remember during my childhood how my mother and everyone around will repeatedly say the wisdom and creative qualities I demonstrated were uncommon for children my age. I grew up seeing my mother defending the cause of others and her stand against any form of injustice and oppression despite her widowhood.

Meet Ayodele

Ayodele Funmilayo Elizabeth is a transformation catalyst, passionate about humanity (especially equality and justice), entrepreneurship and innovation. She has featured on various media platforms too

Inspiration behind Beyond Limitation Initiative

Beyond Limitation Initiative is passionate and burdened with bridging the gap between the deaf and the hearing, kicking against the deprivation of the rights of the deaf (in rents, entrepreneurship, services, education, health, social life etc).

One experience stands out. After I had developed my ability to relate and connect with the deaf, at one time I saw three deaf persons communicating with one another in front of my office. I got excited and approached them. We became good friends till date. However one of them named Tunji ( not a real name) became so close to me that he will visit my residence almost everyday.

Unknown to me, Tunji (not real name) needed a friend that hears his heart. He needed someone who could understand the language of his heart (sign language), he was apparently tired of shrinking his thoughts on paper.

The saddest part of his story was how he became deaf and the discrimination he suffered from there on. I asked myself “what if it happens to me, will I suffer same?” What would become of the deaf in the next generation? Is life becoming better for them?

My advocacy for people living with hearing disabilites

Although I didn’t have any relatives associated with hearing disabilities neither am I one, but the ability to communicate in sign language has drawn the deaf naturally to me and made me share their world.

However, other disabilities are apparent and easily assisted than the deaf while the deaf can do anything except hear, they can also be more independent than other disabilities but ironically they suffer the high side of discrimination. Also, communication plays a vital role in our daily life but a fraction of our citizens have been disconnected from their world due to communication barrier which can be minimized if the hearing could embrace sign language.

Who and What Inspire me?

My greatest inspiration comes from God in whom I draw strength. My mother and the deaf world are also sources of inspiration to me. Lately, Mrs Oginni Folusho has been inspiring me through her love for humanity and her compassionate heart.

Greatest Reward

The Joy derived from serving humanity especially when I see the desired change been effected. The smiles on the faces of the deaf and the stories of liberation of some of them are my rewards too. I believe that everyone has his/her quota to contribute in making the world a better place. Therefore, I would say my greatest reward comes from doing so.

Challenges of Running my Organisation

The present challenge is the low awareness of the plights of the deaf by the hearing communities and inadequate funding. Although an average Nigerian is emotional towards people with disabilities but there is need to do more than playing emotion. We have to take deliberate actions towards making life better for them rather than leaving them to the mercy of the government and NGOs alone.

Giving up is not an option

No, I believe that your strong WHY will determine how far you go in the pursuit of your dream. While we don’t choose dreams but dreams choose us, it is our responsibilities to live up to the size of the dreams instead of giving up. Every challenge I have encountered has given me another opportunity to learn and grow.

I am a Woman of Rubies

The God-factor, optimism, problem-solving and being purposeful makes me a Woman of Rubies

Advice to Women

There is a seed of greatness in everyone, no matter who you are, there is something in you that the world needs, so see the abilities in you rather than the disability. The only limitation you have is the one you place on yourself. Tap into the great endowments you possess and make your world proud. It is not going to be easy but with God, you will triumph. The greatest tragedy is not the inability to hear but the inability to heed. Your humanity status counts more than your hearing status.

In Career Gems October 24, 2017 By Women of Rubies

FATHIA BALOGUN TALKS ABOUT HER MOM IN NEW INTERVIEW

In a recent chat with The Sun, Yoruba Nollywood actress and producer, Fathia Balogun, the beautiful mom of two, talked about her relationship with her mother, career and more.

Read excerpts from her interview:

What are the things your mummy likes?

My mum is a reserved mother. She’s not a food person; I think I took that from her because I’m not a food person too. She is just like an English woman who likes tea. She can take tea even when it is sunny and she loves to pray. I would say she’s God’s best friend because 24/7, she’s praying.

Does it mean she doesn’t have a favorite food?

Yes, she doesn’t have a favorite food, and I don’t have a favorite food either. But you will always find her with a cup of tea in the sitting room, it is either she is drinking it or refilling it.

So what kind of tea does she drink?

She takes just Lipton. She’s not a fat person and she’s not slim too. It is not that she diets like I do but she just loves her tea. I grew up seeing her take a cup of tea every now and then.

What is the meal that she makes, which you like?

I would say ewa (beans). When I was growing up there was this ewa that she used to make. It is called ewa elemimeje. Back then, she would cook it for my dad, you would see fish, crab, periwinkle and many other things in this beans. After cooking, she would fry it, then she will add onions, palm oil and then she puts it down to cool a bit. Afterwards, she would put small vegetable oil in the frying pan, and then she would put everything, all the beans, in the frying pan; so you can imagine how nice it would be. She also cooks banga, my native soup, very well. Ha! Her banga soup is superb!

What does she do?

Right now she is not doing anything but before now she used to have a very big store when we were growing up. My mum is not really educated but she was a businesswoman. My mum is Igbo and my dad is from Delta. She sold Georgette wrappers but after a while, I told her to stop because she is already getting old and so I pay her salary. All she does now is to sit at home and help take care of my kids. She is my saving grace because if I didn’t have a mum I doubt if I would still be acting.

What are her hobbies?

She likes to sleep. My mum, she taught me about a stress-free lifestyle. I have learned through her not to worry over some unnecessary things. So, last year when she had high blood pressure I became worried and asked her if she was thinking about anything because it was unlike her. She assured me she wasn’t. My mum is a very strong woman and she has taught me to be strong too. My mum believes that if you are going to hell, you just move on and talk to God about it and he will sort it out. She doesn’t have anything negative that she thinks about, the positive things she thinks about now are her children.

What are the things that make her happy?

She loves Sunday mornings. My mum loves going to the church and I think those are her happiest moments. We are Catholics and she goes for second mass, whenever she goes you will see her singing when coming back in the car. She holds onto her rosary happily. I think Sunday is one of her favorite days. My mum is a very happy mother; even if I come again I still want her to be my mum. I have never seen my mum get upset, even with my dad. With us, she only warns us and I took that from her. She would always call you and talk to you. When talking, she can start crying and I do that too. I don’t remember my mum hitting me when I was young.

Who were you closer to, your mum or your dad?

My mum, but my dad was very strict and I think he was like that because he was an ex-soldier. My dad and I were not close and we look too much alike and you know, they say; when you look too much alike, you would never be close. Although, we had a daughter-father relationship we were never close.

When you were growing up, as a teenager, what did your mum tell you about boys?

(Laughs) She told me that if a boy touches me that I would get pregnant. “If they touch you like this you go get belle oo, if man dey come just pass this place.” You know, all those kind of things. When I started to menstruate, she taught me how to go about it and many other things.

When you were growing up can you remember any major trouble you got into with her or the prank you played?

No, I didn’t get into trouble with mum. I got into trouble with my dad, you know we used to have diaries when we were growing up. In secondary school, form one, I had this diary that I wrote things in, so I wrote about my first kiss and my dad saw it. Oh! Wahala came to dine with me that day, even my mum was in trouble because he said she wasn’t talking to me. I almost died. I will always remember that day. Do you know what he did? He gave it to me to start reading. Often times after I must have finished cleaning his room, I would just pick up my homework and start doing it. Unfortunately for me, I forgot it on his table. For me, I can never forget that day. The only trouble I got into with my mum was just when I didn’t do the dishes or cleaned where I should. My mum is very lenient, all she would say to me was, “If your papa come, if you no clean this place, hian,” I love her very much. The other times I got into trouble with her was when I went to a party and didn’t come home in time. She would scold me. At a point I was scared for myself because people would come to me and ask if I was a half-caste, I was scared because I had so many people around me. But for my mum’s constant advice that kept guiding me, I was able to turn out well. If I still have the chance again, I would want her to come again as my mum.

What was the greatest sacrifice she ever made for you as you were growing up?

At a point it was just me and her and my siblings; she had to sell everything she had to send three of us to school. At that point she had nothing. I remembered then that I had to go stay with some of my cousins to go to school and everything. My mum gave up everything for us and she stood by us, I really don’t want to delve into a lot of things but she has been a fantastic mum. She did odd jobs because if she didn’t, probably I wouldn’t have gone to school and I would be regretting now. Although I wished I had done more, I am thankful that I did the little I did and if not for my education, I would have been out of the movie industry too, because these days without education you are nowhere.

Is she very fashionable?

No, she is “Iya Jesu”, she’s not. Even at my sister’s and my brother’s weddings, my mum told the makeup artist not to worry about her. She was shouting ‘I don’t want eyelash’, I no want to make up oo. We had to beg and beg her to rub just white powder. After we decided not to put eyelashes on her and she was beautiful. That was the first time in her life that she rubbed makeup, she had never done so previously. But once in a while, she does. Maybe when she is going for her monthly meeting, she would just rub powder and apply little lip gloss. Her earrings are stud earrings, and she wears a small necklace. She’s not a fashionable person.

Credit: The Sun newspaper

In Interviews&profile October 24, 2017 By Women of Rubies

#PROFILE| MEET SHONDA RHIMES, THE THIRD BLACK WOMAN TO BE INDUCTED INTO THE TV HALL OF FAME

Shonda Lynn Rhimes is an American television producer, screenwriter, and author. She is best known as the creator, head writer, executive producer, and show-runner of the television medical drama Grey’s Anatomy.

She was born on the 13th of January 1970 in Chicago, Illinois. She attended Marian Catholic High School in Chicago Heights, Illinois, before enrolling at Dartmouth College, where she majored in English and film studies and earned her bachelor’s degree in 1991. At Dartmouth, she joined the Black Underground Theater Association and divided her time between directing and performing in student productions, and fiction

She subsequently relocated to Los Angeles to attend the University of Southern California, to study screenwriting. She obtained a Master of Fine Arts degree from the USC School of Cinematic Arts.

Rhimes adopted her first daughter in June 2002 and adopted another girl in February 2012. In September 2013, she welcomed her third daughter via gestational surrogacy.

While at USC she was hired by Debra Martin Chase as an intern. After college, she relocated to San Francisco with an older sibling and worked in advertising at McCann Erickson.

Rhimes is the creator and currently executive producer and head writer of Grey’s Anatomy.

In 2011, she served as executive producer for the medical drama, Off the Map, which was created by Grey’s Anatomy writer, Jenna Bans.

In May 2011, ABC ordered her pilot script Scandal to series.

Rhimes was ranked at the top of her class and earned the Gary Rosenberg Writing Fellowship. She obtained a Master of Fine Arts degree from the USC School of Cinematic Arts.

In 2014, Shonda gave a commencement address at her alma mater, Dartmouth College, and received an honorary doctorate.

She is an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority.

In 2007, Rhimes was named one of TIME magazine’s 100 People Who Help Shape the World.

In 2015, she published a memoir, Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun, and Be Your Own Person.

According to Vanity Fair, Shonda will be inducted formally at a ceremony on the 15th of November at the Academy’s Saban Media Center.

Shonda Rhimes has won a Golden Globe award and was nominated for three Emmy Awards.

She has also won awards from the Writer’s Guild of America, Producer’s Guild of America, and Director’s Guild of America.

The actress has joined a league of inspiring women; Oprah Winfrey and singer Diahann Carroll, by being the third black woman to be inducted into the TV Hall of Fame.

When speaking about the latest inductees, TV Academy Chairman and CEO Hayma Washington, said:

”These individuals are innovators who have shaped television and left an indelible mark on the medium and our culture. We are honored to welcome the latest group of distinguished individuals and look forward to showcasing their impacts for future generations”.

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