Growing up in Lagos, Nigeria, my mother’s hair salon housed many vivid memories. I recall how my eyes would tear up from the sting of menthol as I greased scalps. I remember my arms cramping from prepping hair extensions, or worse, undoing micro braids. (This was the 1990s. These days, we are more into Peruvian weaves, wigs, and crochet braids.)
I also remember eavesdropping on women swapping recommendations for skin lightening products. Some women gave directions to beauticians who were known for mixing special creams. Others would exchange homemade concoctions, like how combining certain products with moisturizer could mitigate the harshness of the chemicals, or how a certain egg-based shampoo made for effective lightening results. Sometimes code words like skin toning, brightening, or glowing would be used in place of the pejorative “bleaching.”
Thinking back, the question “what are you using?” was a common refrain in my youth.
Personally, I didn’t feel like I needed to be lighter, but I certainly didn’t want to get darker. Like so many Nigerian girls and women, I found myself avoiding the sun as much as I could, a habit that continued into my early adulthood. My older sister is very light skinned, and growing up, it was palpable how both men and women fawned over her. Somewhere in the depths of my subconscious, I too had equated lighter skin tone with beauty.
As I entered my early 20s, I began to interrogate beauty standards and those ideals started to lose their power. But still, despite all the work I’ve done to accept my natural color, when I walk into a salon to get my eyebrows waxed, someone inevitably recommends a product to, as they put it, “heighten my glow.”
Today, the global skin lightening industry is estimated to be in the multibillion dollar range. In Africa, Nigeria is the largest consumer of skin lightening products. While there is no substantial data on the use of skin lightening products around the world, a World Health Organization report claims that 77 percent of Nigerian women use them on a regular basis. Countries like Togo, South Africa, and Senegal are not lagging too far behind.
Skin lightening, however, is not limited to Africa. In 2017, according to Future Market Insights, Asia-Pacific made up more than half of the global market for skin lightening products, with China accounting for about 40 percent of sales, Japan 21 percent, and Korea 18 percent.
In Africa, there is no documented history of when skin lightening took off, but Yaba Blay, who teaches black body politics and gender politics at North Carolina Central University, believes that it began as African countries gained their independence.
In a 2018 interview with the online publication Byrdie, Blay says that white women have historically used their whiteness as a way to communicate purity. This belief was exported to Africa, and around the time of independence, skin lightening began “exploding.”
Television host and actress Folu Ogunkeye has experienced her share of rejection when auditioning for film and television roles as a dark-skinned woman. “What I have found in Nigeria is that leading roles are not readily available for dark-skinned actresses,” she explains. “Initially I had simply assumed that I wasn’t suited for the particular role for which I had auditioned, but then each time, the role was given to a lighter-skinned contemporary. After discussions behind the scenes with industry experts, it has been said outright that certain leading roles are simply not given to darker-skinned actresses because executives do not believe that audiences [want to] see darker women in romantic or leading lady roles.”
One of the seemingly oxymoronic aspects of skin lightening in Nigeria is the sense of shame and denial attached to using these products, particularly among elite women.
A few African countries, like Kenya and Ghana, have attempted a crackdown on the importation and sale of certain skin lightening products, especially those containing chemicals like hydroquinone and mercury. More recently, Rwanda enforced a nationwide ban on skin bleaching products, leading to authorities removing creams and soaps from shelves across the country.
Colorism is a complexand loaded notion that requires re-examining our cultural norms of beauty. This sort of long-term educational approach will take a lot of time and effort. But I think there is hope.
Just in the same way that the natural hair movement caused a decline in the sale of chemical hair relaxers, forcing beauty companies to create products for natural hair, or how black YouTubers forced the makeup industry to rethink its products and marketing, the same can happen to the skin lightening industry.
With education and awareness campaigns and a deliberate move to broaden the spectrum of the skin tones that we see on our television screens and billboards, the needle on colorism will eventually shift. However, while we wait for that change to happen, we need strict regulations to ensure the safety of skin products being sold in stores across the continent.
Now in my 30s, I am surprisingly asked about my skin regimen despite sporting a heavy tan from taking on swimming as a new hobby. I think this is because Nigerian’s perception of what it considered beautiful skin is becoming more expansive, and there is an increased awareness that beauty isn’t monolithic.
Recent shifts in how we see beauty such as the body positivity and natural hair movements as well as dark-skinned, Oscar-winning Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o becoming ambassador for French luxury cosmetics house Lancôme, are contributing to our gradual redefining of beauty. My hope is that one day in the near future, no woman in Nigeria will feel she has to lighten her skin to feel beautiful or improve her odds of success in life.
Mary Abye Ombugadu is the very first female pilot from Nasarawa State, North-Central Nigeria.
In a chat with Vanguard, Mary speaks on her life as a pilot, working in a male-dominated field, among other issues.
“I like to say flying chose or found me. Growing up and watching my father have a remarkable career as an engineer, all I wanted to be was an engineer”, she said.
She got trained at the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria, Kaduna State. She also had further training in the Finnish Aviation Academy, Finland; Flight Safety in the USA; South Africa and CAE in the UK.
“I had wanted to apply for an engineering course when my mother picked up my form from the Aviation College but because there was no engineering course selection exercise scheduled at the time, I was advised to try the Standard Pilot Course exam and I did.”
Interestingly, she had an exciting training “I was going into something I hadn’t dreamed of but the opportunity availed itself and I caught the flying dream right after resuming as a flying student. I made up my mind to give it my all and excel.”
“There was no bias whatsoever. We all wore the same uniform, black pants, white shirts, black ties, and the school provided the same schoolbags. We were given equal opportunity and I didn’t feel less simply because I am female as much as there were more males than females. Coming into the industry fresh from school.
” I didn’t know what to expect but all the men I have come across so far are encouraging, supportive and I am grateful. I see everyone at work first as a colleague whom I need to work with to achieve a common goal, irrespective of gender. There may be conflict of interest at some point and that comes with living and sharing the world with other humans.
“Although, Mary experienced a low point like most graduate when she needed employment but never gave up. “Low point I remember was after I graduated, and was told at a job interview that I didn’t have the minimum experience required for their kind of operation, and I wondered “how do I get any experience if you do not employ me?” That did not deter me, I kept applying to airlines and general aviation flyers until I got my first job.
A typical day of work for her involve showing up ready and fit for the day. “You show up ready and fit, report at the operations control center where your flight dispatcher gives you all relevant information pertaining your flight, from weather to serviceability of your aircraft, to any route changes, and gives you a briefing pack containing all the paperwork.”
“The captain briefs the entire team also. You then proceed to your aircraft, do your external and internal checks; set up the aircraft and ensure the cabin is comfortable and ready. Checks are done by professional cabin crew.
You call for boarding of your esteemed passengers, fly the aircraft safely and efficiently from point A to point B, and repeat again until you have completed your assigned flights for the day,” said Mary.
To quit flying is something she wouldn’t do because, she loves it so much.
“Since the first day I started line flying in school, I told myself there is no going back. Some of the flight training exercises were tougher than others but we had a chance to repeat before moving onto the next.
I have never felt like quitting. Thankfully, my instructor, Instructor Shettima Abba Jato, was very kind and patient.”
“I have come to love and enjoy flying, it is not just a job but a way of life for me. I intend flying until retirement. I suppose my ever-growing passion for what I do has kept me going.”
Mary believes every young woman has a world full of opportunities before them and can achieve whatever they want because they really can.
“There are different career opportunities in the aviation industry for pilots, from airline to general aviation. After your initial flight training, you decide early what you want out of it and go on to have a rewarding and fulfilling career,” she added.
Perpetua and her slave girl Felicitas including four others, were in jail in Carthage in North Africa. The charge against them: They were Christians.
It was around the year 200 AD The Roman emperor Septimus Severus was out against traitors. These Christians showed a dangerous lack of loyalty. They wouldn’t offer incense to the Roman gods even under threat of death.
Historians like Eusebius and Tertullian who lived centuries later helped this ladies to be known.
Perpetua began writing her diary when she and Felicity, along with three others, were arrested for apostasy.
Perpetua is probably the first known female chronicler of Christianity. She was about 22 years old and had recently given birth to a son, and likely new Christian, too–she was actually baptized while in prison. Felicitas, her slave girl, was like a sister to her. And she too was a new mother, giving birth shortly after her arrest.
Three times Perpetua’s father was allowed in to beg her to change her mind. No decent daughter in this patriarchal society would deny her father’s pleas and cause him public disgrace.
The resolve of the two young women and their friends was unshakable. To deny Christ was worse than death. To follow Him was their first loyalty, no matter what the cost. Shortly before her trial, Perpetua received a series of visions from the Lord, reassuring her of his strength and presence.
When the fatal day came, Perpetua and Felicitas left the prison for the arena “joyfully as though they were on their way to heaven,” as the eyewitness account puts it. Before a raging crowd, the Christians were thrown to the wild beasts. A mad heifer charged the women and tossed them, but Perpetua rose and helped Felicitas to her feet. She was ready, even eager, to die for the Lord.
As the Catholic apologist site, New Advent, puts it: “The sufferings of the prison life, the attempts of Perpetua’s father to induce her to apostatize, the vicissitudes of the martyrs before their execution, the visions of Saturus and Perpetua in their dungeons, were all faithfully committed to writing by the last two.”
For their faith, the two were sentenced to death in the most cruel way. They were let into an arena, the scene of ancient bloodsport and along with others, including actual criminals, Perpetua and Felicity had wild animals released against them to battle.
The two women are now considered martyrs of the Catholic church and in commemoration of their faith, the church celebrates a feast every March 7.
Alake Olanike Pelumi is a plus-size model and fashion designer. She speaks about overcoming body-shaming and how tough it can be because the society made her feel she has to be a particular size to be beautiful. She is now in love with her body and flaunting what she’s got.
Pelumi created Curvy Pink, a platform where she inspires and motivates plus size women to love and accept their body and maximize their talents.
She wrote:
My definition of body negative is how people see their self in a negative way, when you don’t like anything about your body, unrealistic way of how you see your body. Body negativity can be from the result of body shaming, feedback about your body from peers,family members and friends etc.
Sign and symptoms of body negativity * obsessive self criticize or study in mirror *frequent comparison of your own body to our people’s body size and shape *envy : the body of a celebrity or some one else in the media.
I usually tell people that media is one the causes of body negativity, when the media portray the kind of beauty and the society feel you have to look a certain way or standard size, Women and young girls are now living in a society where their bodies define who they are. Girls are terrified to gain weight and are continually reminded by the media about various new diet products on the market, and the value in weight loss.
They are also bombarded by countless television shows on plastic surgery and the number of cosmetic surgeries in this country are increasing every year. Women today face impossible images of beauty on a daily basis when they watch television, see a movie, or view a magazine. It is estimated that young girls are exposed to 400 to 600 media images per day.
Solution to body negativity/ways to overcome body negativity
1. Fighting fatism
Learn to accept people of all sizes and shapes, this will help you appreciate your own body. Who are the people you admire, who are your mentors, do they preach body confidence create a list of people you admire that do not have “perfect” bodies. Does their appearance affect how you feel about them? Do you know in 1940’s the women that are consider beautiful women like Marilyn Monroe(size14) and Mae West were full bodied and truly plus-size women but today those beautiful women will be considered over weight, fat. Learn to fight fatism( the discrimination of fat people)
2. accept heredity
Always remember that many part of your body can not be changed, 20 percent of your body can be determine by your genes. While they are some aspect of your body you cannot Change. Learn to accept change and change start with you it is inside of you and it start with self respect, self love and body confidence. So it important to focus on your health more than your size and it is important not to compare your body with your friends, celebrities, family member or media images.
3. Think of your body as a tool. Create an inventory of all the things you can do with it, You know I usually say this all the time, learning to express your self with what you are good at,what you are best at doing it might be fashion, beauty, motivation talks, just express your self with whatever you are best at. I knew I loved fashion and I wanted to be a voice to plus-size women I combine it and created @curvypink.
5. Replace the time you spend criticizing your appearance with more positive, satisfying pursuits.
6. Be your body’s ally and advocate, not its enemy.
7. Have this positive mind that your body is perfect just the way it is.
Don’t let your size keep you from doing things you enjoy( fat is not a disease).
Dr Wendy A. Okolo is the first black woman to obtain a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington and the 2019 winner of the BEYA Global Competitiveness Conference award for the most promising engineer in the United States government.
At only 26 years old, did she became the first black woman to obtain this Ph.D, where she earned both her undergraduate and doctoral degrees.
Today, the 30-year-old is an aeronautics and space administration genius. She works as an aerospace research engineer at the Ames Research Center, a major research centre for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in Silicon Valley.
In her undergraduate she was president of the society of women engineers in the university.
Working in the Control Design and Analysis Branch of the AFRL – Wright Patterson Air Force Base – Okolo was part of the team that flew the world’s fastest manned aircraft, which flew from coast to coast in 67 minutes.
Okolo, then a graduate student, at first felt she had no place working with such a great team.
“I was like I am sure these guys are so smart, what am I going to bring in,” she said.
She found an error in the code in the systems and she fixed it and “that fixed the impostor syndrome for a while,” she was quoted by The Cable.
Wendy Okolo. Pic credit: The Cable
She received her BSc and PhD degrees in aerospace engineering from the university in 2010 and 2015 respectively.
Okolo calls her sisters all-time heroes – who gave her biology and other science lessons through their everyday realities.
She would subsequently excel in school and make tremendous moves during her undergraduate years at the University of Texas in Arlington, where she became the president of the society of women engineers in the university.
Wendy Okolo. Pic credit: NASA
During this period, she interned at Lockheed Martin working on NASA’s Orion spacecraft and first worked in the requirements management office in systems engineering before moving to the Hatch Mechanisms team in mechanical engineering.
Okolo later worked as a summer researcher at AFRL and has since taken off her career at NASA, a United States agency responsible for the civilian space program, as well as, aeronautics and aerospace research.
Having done research in the area of aircraft formation flight as a fuel-saving method of flight, Okolo has written several publications and is currently a special emphasis programs manager in the Intelligent Systems Division of NASA’s Ames Research Center.
She is working on the System-Wide Safety (SWS) project, where she has led the task of predicting GPS faults in drones, according to The Cable. The talented engineer is further working on a Space Technology Mission Directorate Early Career Initiative (STMD-ECI) project at the Ames Research Center.
Doreen Moraa Moracha, now 25-years of age but was only 13 when she got to know that she was HIV positive. This was despite her parents being aware of her status five years earlier. “My parents knew about it when I was 8. But they informed me about my status when I was 13,” she opened up in an exclusive interview with TUKO. The question is how exactly did she contract a disease that would otherwise pass as deadly among most African societies at such a tender age?
Apparently, Doreen was born with the virus to an HIV discordant couple whereby she is the only child among her siblings to have been diagnosed of HIV. Owing to the stigma that surrounds HIV and the horror of getting rejected by her peers, she was asked to remain silent about her condition through her teenage years.
However, she could not remain silent forever. In 2015, Doreen resolved to go public about her status in a move aimed at offering encouragement and hope for a full life with adherence to treatment to others living with HIV. She also wanted to use her story to raise awareness about the virus and to help the fight against the stigma HIV still has in her community. This was amid protestation and censure from her father who is HIV negative. “I was doing my attachment at TSC and most of the times we would go out to learning institutions for outreaches and HIV testing and while at the field, that is when I learnt that there was need for more information about HIV out there. My boss then, also pushed me that I should come out and try make a change with my story,” she recalls.
, however, acknowledges that this was certainly not an easy process and that disclosure took a lot of courage. “I was afraid considering the stigma associated with HIV. The first time my story came out and NTV shared it on their Facebook page and my friends were commenting how they know me and all that, I got scared and deactivated my Facebook account temporarily,” she remarks. Emboldened, Doreen has been unstoppable ever since. She has been able to share her story at countless conferences, talk shows, and the very latest – the internet. Like many in her generation, she has turned to Facebook to share her 25-year journey with HIV. In one profound Facebook post, Doreen uncovers how she, alongside her mother traveled over 500km from Kenya to the remote village of Loliondo in Arusha, Tanzania to get a cure for the virus.
At the time, the village had shot to fame with thousands of people flocking the area to get a herbal concoction purported to cure HIV/Aids, cancer, diabetes, epilepsy, asthma, hypertension and any other ailment. “I wanted to get well so bad that I convinced my mum that we head to Loliondo for a cup of the herbal medicine. She agreed, but I didn’t get better and this led me to defaulting from taking my ARVs for 2 years which most definitely affected my health,” she narrates. “The journey has not been easy but I finally accepted my status and i’m using my story to end stigma related to HIV and to encourage people infected that they shouldn’t let a small virus that cant talk to control their lives,” she contends.
Her posts have since been gaining so much traction, with many social media users commending her for being bold enough to share her story. Despite her condition, her beautiful and sassy photos have still attracted potential suitors who would love to get into a relationship with her. “I use my social media mostly Facebook for advocacy and motivational purposes and yes, I do get men sliding into my inbox, some even promising to take Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) dr*gs as long as I agree to date them,” she recounts. Her greatest piece of advice to the young people is the very same one that most have likely heard time without number: abstaining or use of protection.
Adebola Kupoluyi is a seasoned professional with over nine (9) years of valuable experience garnered in diverse challenging roles. She possesses general management experience overseeing key functions of Finance Operations, Quality Assurance, Health& Safety, and Network Operations.
Burdened by the number of street kids, she started Mantle of Mordecai (MOM) foundation many years ago, a registered non-profit organization with the mission to reduce the population of out-of-school children in Nigeria and by extension Africa. Adebola Kupoluyi also champions the Culture Preservation Initiative with the mandate of ensuring that the culture of her home country Nigeria is preserved all over the world. As part of impacting her world she is a volunteer mentor of The Tony Elumelu Foundation tasked with empowering young entrepreneurs in Africa.
Adebola Kupoluyi was recently appointed Country Ambassador, Nigeria for Rise & Lead Netherlands; a global knowledge sharing, education and advocacy platform that connects leaders, emerging leaders, NGOs and change-makers to promote the inclusion of women in leadership in the workplace, marketplace and society to foster peace and prosperity in society. Adebola’s mandate in life is to impact all lives she encounters; she shares her Inspiring journey with me in this Interview.
Growing Up
I had a relatively tough childhood because I was diagnosed of chronic asthma before I turned five. I lived most of my life on admission in the hospital and sometimes I wrote my exams in the confines of my hospital bed. I was a very frail child and all I found comfort in was my books, so I guess that made me appreciate the importance of education.
However, I know that seed of what I do now was sown at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camp of Yobe state in Fika town in April 2009. While in camp I had two “adopted” sons Musa and Mohammed whom I connected to immediately I met them. They were part of the group of kids that came to camp for menial jobs daily. Once they came into the camp it was always straight to my hostel; my roommates knew them already so they would call out to me that my kids were outside. Off we would go to the canteen together once it was time for any meal to eat.
During our last week, my friends and I put funds together and we bought necessities such as slippers (they were always bare footed) and clothes. Seeing the way their faces lit up because of this seemingly insignificant gesture made me realize there was so much more that could be done. Although, I did not know how to go about it then but the desire to help kids had been sown in my heart and it kept germinating.
Mantle of Mordecai Foundation and Its impact since Inception
Mantle of Mordecai foundation popularly known as MOM foundation is an inspiration from God and our mandate is simply to reduce the number of out -of -school children in Nigeria and by extension Africa . Every time I see a kid that should be in school hawking during school hours my heart breaks knowing the kind of potential that is being wasted.
MOM is a registered non-profit organisation in Nigeria and our primary aim is to seek funds to enable out- of -school children have access to quality education. MOM has children from different parts of Nigeria, but currently focuses on the children in Dustbin Estate, a slum in Lagos State, Nigeria where families literally live on refuse dump.
Our success stories have been what has kept us going. As at December 2019, we had our first university graduate Olatunji Benedict from Ondo State University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa. He studied B.Tech Applied Geophysics . I met Latunji Korede about 5 years ago petty trading on Lagos streets, because his father lost his only source of income and became bed ridden, hence Korede had to step up to cater for the family. Another beneficiary Solomon Aare, who is currently in his final year at the university, after graduating from the polytechnic with a distinction, has also become a serial entrepreneur even while still in school. He runs Point of Sales (POS) agency shops in three different locations in Lagos. This is a boy that lived in dustbin estate prior to MOM sponsorship.
How my Strong Background in the Corporate World Impacted me
I will say I have been privileged to have an interesting and positively challenging career that has spanned over nine years now. Valuable experience has been garnered in diverse roles and sectors. I am currently the Senior Manager, Finance Operations at American Towers, a New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) quoted company. This is a general management capacity role which sees me managing key functions and team members working within the Finance Operations, Health & Safety and Network Operations. At the early stage of my career I gained four(4) years consulting experience in KPMG with specialty in Enterprise Risk Management (ERM). I have also had the privilege of mentoring at the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme (TEEP), coaching four promising women in their chosen field of entrepreneurship. I am also a New Leader for tomorrow at the Crans Montana forum, Monaco. Advancing in my career despite all odds shaped my thought process; made me realise that I am here for a time such as now and that beyond my success in career there is more I should be doing to impact my world.
My appointment as Country Ambassador for Nigeria rise and Leads Netherlands
The Rise and Lead is an education and social impact organization founded in the Netherlands in 2018, providing skills, knowledge and thought leadership to individuals, entrepreneurs and
organizations. Our mission is to support women to achieve their personal and professional goals while leading the change towards closing the gender leadership gap.
As Country Ambassador that is leading a new Country Forum from scratch, I have the opportunity to grow my leadership and impact and develop more leaders in my circle of influence. Some of the expectations are to create, manage and lead all local events, meetups and training programs as well as planning and execution of all major summits and local meetups.
Challenges of being an Advocate
The major challenge I face as an advocate is the resistant to change on all fronts. As human beings, we seem to be quite set in our ways and find it difficult to embrace another way of doing things.
An example is changing the mindsets of the parents of our beneficiaries at the MOM Foundation. Specifically, some parents do not believe that education should be prioritised therefore they are not usually very supportive of the beneficiaries. Asides, providing funds to the beneficiaries, there is usually a need for an orientation of the other stakeholders involved in the process. This ensures that the entire programme is not frustrated and our mission is accomplished.
Our International Women’s Day Summit
Rise and Lead team decided it is the best time for us to have the inaugural African summit, after two successful summits in the Hague, Netherlands in 2018 and 2019.
The summit is called the Rising Leaders’ African Summit, taking place on 27th March 2020 at Four Points by Sheraton, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria.
Theme is: Leadership. Women. Inclusion
The Summit will host progressive panel conversations, keynote speeches and impact workshops which will focus on Digital Transformation, Entrepreneurship, and advancing more women into leadership positions”. High-level business leaders, policymakers and international keynote speakers will attend to share their experience and best practices in innovation and leadership while addressing the significant potential of Women and Youth to transform the African Societies.
As part of the summit we are also gifting 25 women with free entrepreneurial training under our Inclusive Founders program to enable them grow and expand their businesses.
Registration is currently ongoing at https://riseandleadsummit.com/summit-african/ and we have discounts for corporate bodies and group registrations. Attendance of the summit is a perfect gift organizations can give their women in celebration of the International Women’s month.
The Nigerian Government and it’s impact on Women and Children
According to Edmund Burke, “the only condition necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing”. This is my summation of the way the Nigerian government has prioritized issues regarding women and children. I do not see any visible or targeted effort to alleviate the peculiar issues faced by women and children.
To buttress my point, according to UNICEF data in 2014 Nigeria had the highest number of out of school children in the world ( 10.5 million). Despite all the promise made by the Nigerian government to correct this anomaly, UNICEF declared that the number had gone up by 25% to 13.2 million in 2018. This shows a complete neglect for the cause of children and lack of focus on the future of the country. My question is if education is a priority for developed countries why isn’t it a priority for a country like Nigeria contributing the highest quota to the pool of uneducated kids?
Same concerns are valid for women, in a country with such diverse and talented women, it shouldn’t be out of place to have a quota system that ensures that women are able to compete on the same levelled playing field as their male counterparts.
Adebola
Being a Woman of Rubies
I have decided to dedicate my lifetime to impacting my world in every sphere I find myself. When others see problems, I search for solutions to fix the problem. I will love to die empty one day, knowing that the world knew I was here because of the lives I would have touched just like the lyrics of the song “ I was here”
I want to nurture kids, put as many of them in school, I want to mentor teenagers especially the ones that have gone through some form of molestation because I am also a sexual abuse survivor. I want to coach young women in career and also empower the currently disempowered women. I just want to give my ALL to my world, because I have realised that waking up every morning is actually a gift that should be maximized and not taken for granted.
To Female Change-makers who are trying to find their Voice in the World
Be the light the world is desperately looking for. Have an audacious goal that is greater than you on your journey to changing the world; divide that goal into smaller subsets, tackle it daily, celebrate small wins and learn from your failures. Never forget to thank God for the doors that are being shut currently, because not every opportunity is a good opportunity. Be very deliberate about self-leadership and self-development, be yourself always and never doubt your ability to change the world. Although your sphere of influence may look small, you are actually a critical and crucial part of a greater battalion of army whose common goal is to make the world a better place; however, the tasks have been apportioned to us all in different dimensions .
You can and you will change the world in your own sphere of influence. Keep at it!!
Mention 5 women who inspire me and why
Olajumoke Adenowo – we fondly call her Mrs A. She has been of huge influence in my life since I started listening to her and eventually getting to know her. One thing she stands for which unfortunately has taken the back burner these days is excellence in the marketplace. She has shown in all her endeavors that she is on earth for a purpose and has taught us that; purpose should be fulfilled on any pillar of life we stand on.
Ibukun Awosika– she epitomizes integrity as a woman in business. I have learnt from her that though taking an ethical stand may be unpopular at the time you are taking that decision, it speaks for you behind closed doors years later and takes you to places your certificate or experience couldn’t have.
Debola Deji- Kurunmi – we fondly call her General DDK! Meeting her healed me of a small mindset. She is my Coach and one thing she has done for me is open my eyes to see that I can be multi-influential and productive at it. She debunked the “jack of all trade and master of none” theory. This has brought me to where I am today and all I am doing and the more that is still coming.
My Mum– Mrs. Bolanle Salako- seeing her struggles and limitation as a woman who innately had it in her to be successful, who did all the hard work but just couldn’t break even. toughened me up. Unknowingly, I just wanted to be a way better version of her. I decided that apart from no one stealing my joy; I was going to be the light that is desperately needed in this world.
My late Grandma -we fondly called her “Abby”. I say to myself that I am who I am because I had a praying grandmother. She was a warrior who fought wars on her knees for us. She took care of me as a sickly child and nurtured me for year(s). I am eternally grateful I got to spend time with her before she passed on 8 yeas ago.
Please reach out to the Rise and Lead team and Adebola Kupoluyi on adebola@riseandleadwomen.com or support@riseandleadwomen.com
You can also follow our conversations on social media with the hashtags #RiseandLeadWomen #RisingLeadersSummit, #RLSummit2020 #drivethechange #leadtheconversation #togetherweriseandle
Omokehinde Elufioye is a graduate of Linguistics at Ekiti State University currently running her second degree in Law at Joseph Ayo Babalola University (JABU.) She is a professional makeup artist and CEO of Mokehinde brushes makeovers.
Omokehinde popularly called Mokenny runs a program on WhatsApp, ‘LoveTalk with Mo’ a platform where Love, it’s action and consequences are discussed. She is a gospel music minister set to release her first single.
Omokehinde recently launched her cooking business in JABU “Just Pasta and Spice by Mo’s Kitchen.”
1.Let’s meet you. Who is Omokehinde….?
Well, Omokehinde is a Lover of God, a goal getter and a strong Faith walker.
2. Who and what is your inspiration?
My Dad inspires me a lot on becoming a better version of myself, seeing him and how he pours out so much into his work and never expecting anything in return and scarcely receiving this “Earthly” reward drives me so much to telling myself I will achieve all I want and I don’t need anyone’s reward for it to keep me at it so long as it blesses God and humanity.
3. One accessory you can’t leave home without?
Pen and Jotter! You would always find it in my bag or my hand… And if I don’t want to carry anything, I have my phone notepad to the rescue.
4. You are a professional makeup artist and CEO of Mokehinde Brushes makeover where you’re into makeup, gele tying, sales of products and training. How did MB start and how has it been so far?
Hmm. Mokehinde brushes makeovers started with a heavy inspiration and passion in 2015 when I quit my job as a teacher after few months of so much work and stress and I knew I wasn’t made to work for anybody. I started out with experimenting on my friends’ faces, I’d call them over, cook for them and work on their faces for hours because I didn’t have the money to go for training and I taught myself.
5. What do you do in your darkest moments?
I sing my heart out to God and I write.
6.You are a gospel music minister. What are the challenges you’ve faced so far, have you ever had to choose between gospel songs and other genres? Do you compose your own songs? And What does faith mean to you as a gospel musician?
No particular challenge. It’s not a competition. We’re all made differently! I’ve never had to choose, I’m sold out to God and so I’m proudly a Music Minister.
For me, Faith is trusting in God and working it out with the mind of God. You can’t have faith and just sit down, faith is activated by works!
7. You recently took your versatility and entrepreneurial spirit to a whole new level by launching “Just Pasta and Spice” by Mo’s Kitchen. How do you balance having your own kitchen with your everyday schedule?
Justpasta and Spice! I Love pastas (noodles and Spag and the likes) and my friends love me making their noodles so instead of doing it for free, I turned it to business. It’s not been so easy but I try to balance it. I take orders before 7pm so I meet up all my cookings before 8pm so I can rest too.
8. What is that one thing you’ll like to change about yourself?
Before it was my height (laughs.) This woman is short but on the bright side, it has its advantages too. I think I’ll still like to have a little more height.
9. You are a graduate of Linguistics at Ekiti State University. You went further to obtain a Diploma in Law and now you’re currently studying Law as your second degree. Why a second degree and why Law?
I had always wanted to study Law. The year I entered Eksu, Law was put on hold so I was given another course. After I finished Dad still pushed me to go on to studying Law. I lost interest and I wanted to back out but I didn’t want the future to arrive and I’d regret why I didn’t do what I wanted. So here I am.
10. If given the chance to be the President of Nigeria for a day, what will you change?
Corruption. I’ve never really thought about it though. But if I was given the chance, I will do what I promise and not do otherwise.
11. Did your upbringing in any way prepare you for everything you are into today?
Yes! I matured quickly! I saw life and things in a different perspective. Lost my mum at quite a young age and being the first child, I just had to grow.
12. Where do you see yourself/your brand in the next 5 years?
Fully fulfilling purpose and writing another vision for another next five years.
13. If you were given the opportunity to address a group of girls five years younger than you, what will be your advice to them?
Do YOU. Let no one or anything stop you. You’re not weak, don’t feed yourself with such mentality and you begin to act in that line. Rise up and be what God has called you to be, be a kingdom warrior and make your generation proud.
While sketching and crocheting is not a common skill, Akosua Asabea Obese’s passion is enabling her to build her dream through the art.
The young Ghanaian creative makes some of the most stunning pieces with unmatched quality.
Akosua Asabea Obese had her secondary education at Wesley Girls Senior High School Cape Coast where she studied Visual Arts.
Prior to having her secondary education, she had an idea of what she wanted to become.
Asabea spent her early days with her grandparents and showed signs of a talented girl while growing up at her grannies.
She recounts her grandfathed realised her potential during the early stages as a toddler.
Asabea disclosed that her granddad often told her that she drew a lot.
”Most times, I drew the pattern of the houses we lived in where I grew up,” Akosua Asabea Obese told Pulse.com.gh.
Asabea perfected her crafts when she enrolled to study Technical Drawing in Junior High School. Her teacher by then let her know her potential.
She started nurturing herself in that direction, taking up Visual Arts as her line of study during her days at Wesley Girls High School.
Having heard on many occasions from her grandfather that she was destined to be an architect, the young Ghanaian realised her dream after being accepted as an architecture student at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
”My grandfather told me I would be an architect. I realized he and my JHS teacher really had a point,” Asabea said.
Despite becoming an architect, Akosua Asabea Obese fell in love with something different after gaining her architecture degree.
She developed a stint for crocheting during her early days. With the focus of being an architect triumphing over everything else, Asabea didn’t realize that was also a passion.
The wait for national service placement turned an inspiration to channel more of her energy into crocheting.
When she started, she realised she could make money from the art and decided to take it serious.
In 2018, received an award for Female Entrepreneur of the Year at Miss Malaika.
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Asabea’s vision has moved on from being just a one-woman business. She wants to have the capacity to train more people and not just focus on the market in Ghana.
The end as an architect is not nigh for Akosua Asabea Obese. She still takes on part-time jobs in what she spent years studying at school.
Currently, she is focusing on building her dream through crocheting.
Marsai Martin’s film, Little, which is based on original ideas from the teen actress but inspired by the movie Big, helped her ink her name in the history books.
