Interviews&profile Archives

In Interviews&profile April 30, 2019 By Esther Ijewere

I WANT TO BUILD AKWA-IBOM INTO THE NEXT NOLLYWOOD LOCATION LIKE LAGOS – ANIEBIET FRANCIS

Aniebiet Francis is a dynamic and rising Nollywood actor, script writer and a producer from Ikot Obong in Ikot Ekpene Local Government of Akwa Ibom State. She is a graduate of Genetics and Biotechnology from the prestigious University of Calabar. Her passion includes entertainment, humanitarian services, community building and youth empowerment.

She has featured in blockbuster Nollywood flicks like Hush, Hotel Majestic, Daddies Girls, Newman Street, Iquo’s journal etc. She also has also produced two movies: One Bright Morning and The List.

She is the founder of Conscience Alive Foundation and Orange Film Boot Camp. She is currently working on her next PET project U40 Eveprenuers, a platform that sets out to harvest under forty female entrepreneurs, unite and groom them into successful CEOs.

Her other projects include; #EverySecondCountsNigeria ian awareness campaign for a rapid and effective response for accident victims and other hazards, #BrideNotCommodity a campaign to save the girl child from the claws of exploitative traditions that encourages exorbitant marriage lists from bride’s family. Orange Film Boot camp is a capacity building and empowerment platform that offers free trainings for aspiring and budding nollywood practitioners in Akwa Ibom. She shares her journey and some of the challenges of being a Nollywood actress in this interview.

Growing up

I was raised by mum as a single parent, this experience opened me up to the challenges of life, womanhood etc, hence I grew up wanting to be a voice of the voiceless.

Meet Me

I am an actor by default but a circumstantial graduate of Genetics And Biotechnology. I veered into science because of lack of academic/ carrier counseling in Nigeria, but no matter how hard you try, passion will always have its way. Producing is a craft I dabbled into because I want to use movies as a tool fo buildin a better society by telling stories that matter, stories that addresses issues that plagues our society, like THE FINAL LIST, ONE BRIGHT MORNING.

Being an Actor & Entrepreneur

It is a smooth sail…Acting gives me the face and voice to speak and be heard, the fame to champion humanitarian causes, Entrepreneurship gives me funds to counter fund my humanitarian projects, while soliciting for sponsors and partners.

Reception

For someone that relocated to Lagos in 2014 and was able to feature in two MNet series and a few major series like NEW MAN STREET, DADDIES GIRLS, AKPOS AND FRIENDS etc, I would say the reception has been encouraging.

My Inspiraton

Mo Abdu, Emem Isong and Genevieve Nnaji. I am Inspired by My love for my mum, my passion to save/serve humanity, Hatred from people.

Challenges

As an actor, my location is a challenge, we have less movie/Tv productions in Akwa Ibom, but that is self inflicted challenge. I prefer to stay here and build my state into the next nollywood location like Lagos, Asaba, Enugu etc. As an entrepreneur, capital and competiting with several big brands.

Reception of the society

Though there is still that erroneous perception that every female slept her way into the industry,a good percentage of the society is very receptive.

My Movie

The final list is can campaign to save the girl child from the claws of greedy family members. It tells the story of outrageous marriage list, the effect on the girl child, the family and the society at large.

Giving up

If I say no, I would be a blatant liar….yes I do feel like giving up sometimes, but I have more reasons to succeed outnumbers reasons to give up.

Being a woman of rubies

Because I have mastered the art of making things that came break me to bless me.

Advice to women

Hone your skills, don’t be desperate, have patience, be passionate and serve God.

In Interviews&profile April 28, 2019 By Esther Ijewere

THIS HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR RECEIVED 39 COLLEGE ACCEPTANCES AND $1.6 MILLION IN SCHOLARSHIP OFFERS

Jordan Nixon hasn’t decided on where she’ll go to college yet, but she already has quite a few options to choose from.

The Douglas County High School senior was accepted into 39 colleges and universities, plus received over $1.6 million in scholarship offers, reports FOX 5. Receiving her first acceptance from Grambling State University, the honor student is a member of the Chick-fil-A Leadership Academy and is the co-captain of her school’s cheerleading team.

After a school trip to Greece and Italy, Nixon, who is also involved in a club for young business leaders, was even more inspired to pursue a major in international business. While she applied to over 50 schools, here are the colleges and universities that she’s been accepted to so far:

1. Alabama State University
2. Berry College
3. Central State University
4. Clark University – Massachusetts
5. Coppin State University
6. Edward Waters College
7. Emmanuel College – Massachusetts
8. Florida International University
9. Florida Southern College
10. Georgetown College – Kentucky
11. Georgia State University
12. Grambling State University
13. Hampton University
14. Harris-Stowe State University
15. High Point University
16. Howard University
17. Johnson & Wales University – Rhode Island
18. LeMoyne-Owen College
19. Lincoln University – Missouri
20. Livingstone College
21. Loyola University – New Orleans
22. Mississippi Valley State University
23. Nova Southeastern University
24. Oglethorpe University
25. Queens University of Charlotte
26. Rollins College
27. Simmons University
28. St. Edwards University – Texas
29. Stetson University
30. Tuskegee University
31. University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
32. University of Maryland Eastern Shore
33. University of Tampa
34. University of Virgin Islands
35. Valparaiso University
36. Virginia Union University
37. West Virginia State University
38. Wofford College
39. Xavier University – Ohio

“I wanted to challenge myself,” said Nixon. “That was the most important thing for me, just to show others anything is possible and that anyone can accomplish it, too.”

Congratulations, Jordan! No matter what college you choose attend, we know your excellence will continue to shine.

In Interviews&profile April 23, 2019 By Esther Ijewere

PEGGY ALFORD SET TO BECOME FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMAN TO JOIN FACEBOOK’S BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Facebook recently announced that it will nominate PayPal executive Peggy Alford to join its board of directors, making her the first African-American woman to sit on the board.

The announcement comes shortly after former American Express CEO Kenneth Chenault became the first African-American to join the social media giant’s board last year.

“Peggy is one of those rare people who’s an expert across many different areas – from business management to finance operations to product development,” Black Enterprise reports Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg saying in a statement. “I know she will have great ideas that help us address both the opportunities and challenges facing our company.”

Alford, who serves as SVP of core markets at PayPal, is a Silicon Valley veteran who has held executive positions at many companies including eBay and Rent.com. Prior to stepping into her current role, she served as chief financial officer and head of operations for the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, which is the philanthropic organization founded by Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan.

“What excites me about the opportunity to join Facebook’s board is the company’s drive and desire to face hard issues head on while continuing to improve on the amazing connection experiences they have built over the years,” she said in a statement. “I look forward to working with Mark and the other directors as the company builds new and inspiring ways to help people connect and build community.”

While Facebook’s efforts to diversify its board are a step in the right direction, civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson tells USA Today that the Black board members now have a responsibility to speak up and out on the issues that impact the Black community.

“They must review its civil rights policy, social justice policy and the pathway for growth in the company,” he said.

In Interviews&profile April 1, 2019 By Esther Ijewere

CHUKWUNETA OBY: VICTIMS OF OUR EMOTIONAL DAMAGE…

Sometimes, all a lady seems to just want is a husband material, the type of man that comes with the right values, etc.

Then, when such a man seems to come her way, she realizes that he is a husband material quite alright, just that he lacks that “swag”, that sexiness, that “fine boy” edge…that excites. And he ends up being roundly abused!

Therefore, a man who has only treated a woman well ends up being paid back with ingratitude. All these and more have simply taught me that some of us are simply victims of our emotional damage. When a man is not mean to them and has not treated them badly… they don’t feel complete. Playboys seem to hold a permanent magnet of sorts on them. A decent guy is not easily appreciated by them.

Even after going through a harrowing experience in the hands of a man that has been mean to her, as soon as she catches her breath…she finds her way back to him-for more experiences.

The proclivity towards bad boys has a strong hold on most women. Yet we all know that it takes stability of (attitude) for a relationship to succeed…anything contrary leaves a trail of heartbreak and tears behind.

There are men that deafen one’s hearing with “wife material requests” but the moment a decent lady comes their way-they get bored faster than fast and begin to yearn for the wild ones. People, to whom “goodness” is lost on, get their kicks from being saddled with unpleasant characters.

One of my friends had been on my neck to help find him a wife.

When it seemed to me he was serious enough, I decided to show him some pictures of a few friends that are still in the singles market.

I didn’t bother asking him too many questions about the qualities he wants in a lady because experience has taught me that some of them can tell you all you want to hear-just to impress and make you conclude they’ve got their heads properly screwed on their shoulders-even when their body language is pointing to the things (freaky in nature) that are left unsaid.

So, I decided to come to my own conclusion by watching him. I observed that CHARACTER was not in the picture (yet) for him and he bluntly confirmed my worst fears by telling me that once he is OKAY with a lady’s looks-he can easily tolerate her character…

Interestingly, his past failed relationships have a similar trend (IN YOUR FACE looks –amongst the ladies), judging from the pictures of his EX (es) that he showed me. My only worry is that he continued to let LOOKS be the sole determinant of his choice of a marriage partner.

I expected him to veer from this norm for once and see if he can get a different outcome. That is my opinion, though!

He has made his choice and I have never stopped praying for the success of that “setting” because my humble neck is seriously at stake here-should anything go awry. I am the one that’s going to receive “you are siding with him/her’’ bullets from both sides, when things get out of hand and one has to intervene.

However, if you find yourself frustrated that all your niceness has not yielded results in your love life, please don’t fall prey to the mentality that you have to give up “being good” to attract someone.

Being less than yourself won’t fulfill you. Also, perish the thought that whom you love should love you back. Actually, no one owes you their affections because you feel you are good. Everyone’s heart is theirs to give at their own discretion and it cannot be demanded.

A friend once said: “Most Nigerian ladies don’t appreciate a good or gentle man because most times 99 per cent of men and women carry the baggage of the last bad relationships to the new one. They already expect the worse even before it happens. Yes, experience is a good teacher, but we stick more to the past and destroy the present and future in our relationships. Another thing is the attitude of “I will get and take what I can immediately first and forget about tomorrow’’. A wise man once told me and I quote “life and happiness is a journey and not a destination.”

But, this concludes it for me: ‘’Nigerians take everything as a destination, our life, our job, our family and love life, all as a destination. The situation in Nigeria has also changed the dynamics of relationships, most guys see women as commodities and women see men as opportunity to get and better their lot. We should look at relationships as a selfless venture for the one we love.’’

In Interviews&profile March 26, 2019 By Women of Rubies

MEET TANZEELA QAMBRANI, PAKISTAN’S FIRST FEMALE LAWMAKER OF AFRICAN DESCENT

Pakistan went to the election voting a month ago and among the legislators selected is a lady of African plunge assigned to a women’s reserved seat at the regional parliament of southern Sindh region.

Tanzeela Qambrani originates from the Sidi, a community made up of a larger part of individuals of African descent.

Qambrani’s progenitors originated from Tanzania simply like the ancestors of numerous Sidi individuals, who are accepted to be either the descendants of slaves conveyed to Asia by the Portuguese or traders and pilgrims.

“My father told us that his grandparents had been brought to Sindh now around a century ago from Tanzania. That’s why one of my sisters is married in Tanzania,” she said.

Photo: Daily Messenger

The Sidi have managed to hold onto their roots and cultures but still face racial discrimination.

“As a tiny minority lost in the midst of local populations, we have struggled to preserve our African roots and cultural expression, but I look forward to the day when the name Sidi will evoke respect, not contempt,” Ms Qambrani, told the BBC.

Qambrani, a member of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) of Benazir Bhutto, was nominated by Bhutto’s son Bhutto Zardari, making her the first Sidi to join parliament.

Photo: Twitter

It is not the first time the mother of three who holds a postgraduate in computer science has held political office. She has served as a local councillor in Badin, where she comes from. She, however, says the new position comes with a lot of responsibility and expectations.

“I can already feel the weight,” she said. “I’m a Sidi, and all these middle class, lower-middle class and working class Sidis know that I’m one of them. And this means there will be expectations.”

In Interviews&profile March 25, 2019 By Women of Rubies

LEADING LADIES AFRICA: NIGERIA’S 100 MOST INSPIRING WOMEN IN 2019

This week, Guardian Woman continues the list of its annual #100 Most Inspiring Women in Nigeria list for 2019. For the fifth consecutive year, the list features 100 Nigerian women drawn from a diverse range of backgrounds and sectors who are deliberately impacting their world and local communities through the power and strength of their ideas and achievements. Women who are making great strides in the world of Business, Politics, Advocacy, Governance and Enterprise. “It’s perhaps our most diverse list yet,” says Francesca Uriri, Founder, Leading Ladies Africa.

Funmi Oyatogun- A travel experience designer and founder of TVP Adventures- a one-stop-shop for exciting travel experiences across Africa. Through TVP Adventures, Funmi plans and creates bespoke trips on social media where she has a huge following. But beyond that, Funmi also creates immensely useful travel infographics and materials that are useful for travelers, tourists, and those looking to learn about new places in the world.

Gbemi Adefuye (Toni Tones) is a Nigerian actor, photographer, singer, and radio host. She recently starred in Kemi Adetiba’s ‘King of Boys,’ where she gave a stellar and critically acclaimed performance as the younger Eniola Salami. Gbemi studied Marketing and Economics at the University of Lancaster in the UK, and then returned to Nigeria in 2009 to explore her ambition for show business. She does photography work both behind and in front of the camera. She has appeared as an actor in the Web TV series “Gidi-culture” and in several films including “It’s Her Day” in 2016.

Glory Osei- Founder of Femfunds, a growing organization with a goal of providing women in Nigeria with interest free loans and free skill acquisition. She is also the CEO and Co-founder of Divergent Enterprise, Land Lagos and PorkMoney.com. Glory is also a travel blogger who chronicles her travel escapades formerly under the name Nigerian Abroad on her social media page.

Habiba Ali- Managing Director and CEO of Sosai Renewable Energies Company, one of the largest distributors of renewable energy in Nigeria. Sosai Renewable Energies provides renewable energy products like solar lamps, water purifiers and solar panels, as well as energy consulting services to help bring clean, renewable energy solutions to Nigeria’s budding communities. Habiba also co-founded the Developmental Association for Renewable Energies (DARE) and is a member of the Partnership for Clean Indoor Air and the Nigerian Energy Network.

Ibijoke Faborode – Head of Agritech and Healthcare Advisory, West Africa with UK Department for International Trade. There, she leads on International trade facilitation and investment advisory between the UK and 6 principal West African markets. She is an astute professional, gender advocate and change-maker; with a decade of cross-geographical experience spanning various fields including Agribusiness consultancy, Policy Advisory, International Trade Facilitation, Investment Promotion, Pan-African Media Management and International Business Development. In 2017, she led the very first bi-lateral agri-focused dialogue between the UK and Nigeria in London, which attracted over 100 delegates from Nigeria including the Agric Minister, eight State Governors and multilateral bodies such as the Africa Development Bank in a bid to promote opportunities in Nigeria’s growing agric space. She also currently co-chairs the Women’s Network at the High Commission. Prior to this, she worked with The Africa Report, Groupe Jeune Africa: a Paris-based pan-African media group as Regional Business Development Manager for Sub-Saharan Africa.Her passion for driving social change and touching lives led to the recent creation of The Social Change Network (TSCN), Africa – a non-partisan, non-profit civic engagement organization focused on promoting social change and inclusion across Africa.

Ife Durosinmi Etti – Author, Entrepreneur and young global leader with over 10 years of management and leadership experience working in the fashion, marketing and manufacturing industries. She holds a first degree in Biochemistry and an MBA in Global Business. Prior to moving back to Nigeria in 2012, she worked with Arcadia Group Plc, a British multinational retailing company headquartered in London and Aspire Acquisitions. She later joined Nigeria Breweries (Heineken Operating Company in Nigeria) as a Young African Talent (YAT) and transitioned to their Corporate Communications Department as Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability Support Manager where she successfully managed various corporate social responsibility and sustainability projects.

Ifedayo is also an associate member of the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON). With her passion for women and children, she launched Parliamo Bambini and Philos and Zoe, startups disrupting the baby and child industry through locally manufactured furniture and clothing for children with the aim of reducing poverty, empowering the youth and promoting access to quality education in Nigeria and Africa. She is also very passionate about women and youth contributing to national development, so she launched a platform called the AGS Tribe to democratise opportunities for entrepreneurs across Africa and the AGS Enterprise Challenge, to empower female entrepreneurs through funding, mentorship and training.

Ife Diary of a Naija Girl – Editor of Diary of a Naija Girl- a personal website that houses her contemplations on various issues including lifestyle and social commentary. She is also the Executive Director and founder of DANG Network- a revolutionary storytelling company that specialises in solid content creation and media production.

Read full list here https://m.guardian.ng/guardian-woman/leading-ladies-africa-nigerias-100-most-inspiring-women-in-2019-2/

In Interviews&profile March 25, 2019 By Women of Rubies

PROFILE| MEET OYEYIMIKA ADEBOYE, CADBURY NIGERIA PLC’S FIRST FEMALE MANAGING DIRECTOR IN 50 YEARS

Oyeyimika Adeboye has been appointed as the new Managing Director of Cadbury Nigeria Plc, the first woman to clinch that position since its establishment over five decades ago.

The company made the announcement in corporate disclosure on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) on Thursday.

Adeboye takes over from Amir Shamsi, who moves on to a new role within Mondelēz International, the parent company of Cadbury Nigeria.

Meet Oyeyimika Adeboye

Oyeyimika Adeboye is a chartered accountant, who joined the Board of the Company in November 2008, as Finance and Strategy Director, West Africa.

According to Cadbury Nigeria Plc, Adeboye’s appointment attests to the Company’s commitment to promoting gender equality, diversity and inclusion.

Prior to joining Cadbury Nigeria, she was the Director of Finance and Chief Financial Officer of Nigerian Bottling Company Plc.

She previously worked for the erstwhile Accounting and Tax Practice of Arthur Andersen & Co as well as the United Kingdom Accounting practice of Midgley Snelling & Co., Chartered Accountants.

“Adeboye has an impressive track record in finance, strategy and business administration both in Nigeria and the United Kingdom,” the company said.

She is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Nigeria.

Adeboye has a Bachelor of Science honours degree in Economics and Social Studies from the University College Cardiff, Wales and executive management education certification from the Institute of Management Development (IMD), Lausanne, Switzerland.

Credit: pulse.ng

In Interviews&profile March 19, 2019 By Women of Rubies

PROFILE| MEET AFUA OSEI, THE CO-FOUNDER OF SHE LEADS AFRICA

Afua Osei is an entrepreneur, investor, and a Public Speaker. She is also the Co-founder of She Leads Africa, a media company for millennial African women.

Afua Osei was born in Washington DC. She spent her formative years in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Osei graduated cum laude from Allegheny College with degrees in Political Science and was the first student to design their own major in Black Studies. She received the Faculty Prize for the Best Interdisciplinary Senior Thesis and the Ray Smock Political Science Prize for promise in local and state politics

In 2013, she graduated from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and Harris School of Public Policy Studies with a Master of Business Administration and Master of Public Policy.

After graduating from college, Osei participated in the Campaign Corps Fellowship, a comprehensive Democratic campaign training program, covering all aspects of running a successful political campaign sponsored by EMILY’s List. She was a Fulbright Scholar in Malaysia and also served in the Office of First Lady Michelle Obama. After business school, Osei moved to Lagos, Nigeria to serve as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company ^[8] providing strategy and operations expertise to clients in South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana and the United States.

In 2014, Osei co-founded She Leads Africa, a “community for smart ambitious young African women,” with Yasmin Belo-Osagie.

She Leads Africa provides women across more than 35 countries with business and career advice and has been featured in several international publications including The Financial Times,^[11]CNN,^[12] CNBC Africa,^[13] Huffington Post,^[14] and Black Enterprise.

On December 9, 2016, She Leads Africa rang the Closing Bell at the New York Stock Exchange.

Osei has been recognized by Forbes Africa as one of the Youngest Power Women in Africa (2014), named by Ventures Africa as one of the top 25 African innovators to watch in 2016 and one of the 30 Quartz Africa innovators in 2017. She was selected as a judge for the Chivas Venture competition, “a global search to find and empower the next generation of young entrepreneurs determined to succeed while changing the world for the better.”

She has been a featured speaker at TEDxEuston in London, G20 Africa Partnership Conference in Germany, Essence Festival Durban in South Africa, and Thomson Reuters Foundation Trust Conference in the UK.

Credit: Wikipedia

In Interviews&profile March 15, 2019 By Women of Rubies

MEET 26-YEAR-OLD WENDY OKOLO, THE FIRST BLACK WOMAN TO BAG A DOCTORATE DEGREE IN AEROSPACE ENGINEERING

Nigeria’s Wendy Okolo is the first black woman to bag a doctorate — not honorary — degree in aerospace engineering, anywhere on the planet.

Born to a family of six in southeastern Nigeria, Okolo says her number one heroes are her sisters — Jennifer and Phyllis — who taught her biology, and other sciences with their day-to-day realities.

Okolo received her B.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington in 2010 and 2015 respectively.

During her undergraduate years, she was in the African Student Society at the University of Texas at Arlington. She was also the president of the society of women engineers in the university.

Okolo’s career has taken flight at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the U.S. agency responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research.

She was only 26 years old when she became the first black woman to obtain a PhD in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington.

INTERNSHIP AT NASA — AND HER IMPOSTOR’S SYNDROME

During her undergraduate studies, she interned for two summers with Lockheed Martin working on NASA’s Orion spacecraft, first in the requirements management office in systems engineering and then with the Hatch Mechanisms team in mechanical engineering.

As a graduate student, she worked as a summer researcher from 2010 to 2012 in the Control Design & Analysis Branch at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Wright Patterson Air Force Base.

She worked with the team that flew the world fastest manned aircraft, which flew from coast to coast in 67 minutes — this normally takes over five hours for some of the fastest jets around.

Okolo said she had to battle impostor’s syndrome when she found out she would be 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 went on an error in the code in the systems and she fixed that and “that fixed the impostor syndrome for a while”.

Now, Okolo is an aerospace research engineer at the Ames Research Center, a major NASA research centre in California’s Silicon Valley.

NAMED THE MOST PROMISING ENGR. IN THE US GOVT

In 2019, she won the BEYA Global Competitiveness Conference award for the most promising engineer in the United States government.

Credit: Nairaland

In Interviews&profile March 12, 2019 By Women of Rubies

“I LOOK FORWARD TO THE DAY WHEN PEOPLE WILL PROUDLY WEAR ‘FOLUKE’ THE SAME WAY THEY WEAR GUCCI ALL OVER THE WORLD” – FOLUKE AKOSILE, CEO, HOUSE OF LAWOF

Akosile Foluke is the brain behind House Of Lawof a female fashion brand that clothes women, empower female undergraduates, coach aspiring female entrepreneurs and blog about fashion.

She studied Chemical Engineering as both first degree and masters degree.

In this interview with Women Of Rubies, she talks about her brand ‘House Of Lawof’, projects, and her goals.

MEET ME

My name is Foluke Akosile. My mother give birth to me after all hope was lost medically, people that know the circumstances surrounding my birth call me a miracle.

I am a very simple but principled adult. I have gone through some very rough patches in life but God sustained me.

I will say basically Foluke is just a simple next door girl.

INSPIRATION BEHIND HOUSE OF LAWOF.

Though I was referred to as being stylish during my school days at the University of Benin ( I even received an award to that effect), it never crossed my mind to go into the fashion business. I was looking forward to graduating and getting a job in the oil and gas sector.

Starting this journey was a calling, I was lying on my bed in school when God ministered to me and directed me to start female fashion business.

I started out with selling imported female wears to my flatmates, course mates, friends of friends without a thought that someday we will have a clothing line with our label.

IMPACT OF MY WORK

The part of my work where I will say I have impacted most is the scheme I started in the year 2016, House Of Lawof Female Undergraduates Fashionpreneurial Scheme (HOLFUFS).

What this scheme is all about is that we reach out to female undergraduates that are willing to start a female fashion business in school but dont have start up capital and help them to start up by giving them goods at production cost and on credit. They get goods from us at the prices we produced them, put them up for sale at their own prices and pay us after they have sold their goods.

I am happy to see female undergraduates key into this opportunity.

I started House Of Lawof as an undergraduate, making money in school made life easier, after school I didn’t need to join millions of youths waiting for white collar job. I decided to start this scheme so that several girls too will not be stranded in school financially and can also continue making money after school without waiting for someone to employ them.

We also do drop shipping, we allow women that need a side business but dont have the time to use pictures of our products to source for customers. When they get customers, the customers pay them, they remove their profit pay us and also shift the delivery to us. It’s a very convenient way of making money on the internet, all they have to do is to get clients while we do the leg work.

Aside this, we also do a yearly House Of Lawof essay competition for undergraduates, the winner goes home with a cash price.

These are the little impact of my work.

CHALLENGES

House Of Lawof in 2016 started a made in Nigeria female clothing line “Foluke by House Of Lawof “.

Our clothes are ready to wear and they come in various designs and sizes. At first the major challenge was how to convince Nigerians to wear Made in Nigeria clothes but thankfully presently more ladies are buying and wearing Foluke by House Of Lawof .

The only challenge we are facing now is publicity, with the right publicity we will conquer more grounds.

MY DRIVE

My drive is to become a Nigerian brand that will be acceptable all over the world. I look forward to the day when people will proudly wear Foluke the same way they wear Gucci all over the world.

OTHER PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES.

I have a couple of projects that I am working on, there is an aspect of fashion that fashion entrepreneurs in Nigeria are not paying attention to, myself and my team are working on bringing that aspect to light. When we unveil the project we will let you know.

Also we are working towards having a fashion show where made in Nigeria wears can be showcased for the world to see this year.

GREATEST REWARD
My greatest reward for now is when people say “if not for your name/label on the clothes, I won’t have known they are made in Nigeria, they are really beautiful”

If you see me at such moment you would think I won lottery.

MY BRAND IN FIVE YEARS

I leave that in the hands of God. Like I said earlier I never knew a business I started with N20,000 would grow this big, so I let Him lead and I follow. Though I have plans mapped out but in my life and entrepreneurial journey, God’s Will remains the ultimate.

RECOGNITION FOR WOMEN.
I am passionate about the female gender, luckily my business is female oriented. Women are getting more recognition all over the world, though it can get better but in all I will keep pushing for women’s recognition in my own little ways.

MY INSPIRATION.
My inspiration is God and my family.

BEING A WOMAN OF RUBIES

What makes me a Woman Of Rubies…my passion to make as many girls/women as possible to become financially empowered.

ADVICE FOR FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS.
Keep praying, keep pushing, be honest, don’t give Up, the sky is your starting point. For aspiring entrepreneurs I will say just start, start without capital, start with the little you have, start from somewhere, always remember that time waits for no woman.