self development Archives

In self development January 23, 2018 By Women of Rubies

“DO NOT MEASURE YOUR SUCCESS BY THE SUCCESS OF OTHERS” -BETTY IRABOR

Publisher/TV host, Betty Irabor, has taken to her Instagram page to share a deep, inspiring message. She said;

Listen ehn! We all came into this world at different times and with different destinies and for different purposes. Once you understand that then you find inner peace. While it is easy to look at your friends, competitors and colleagues and wonder why they seem to be ahead of you and living the life you crave so badly, remember that our journeys in life are different. Each of us has to walk the path our creator has carved out for us. Never forget that we are all unique! We cannot Rush God and at the same time We cannot Limit His ability to take us places beyond our capabilities. Do not measure your success by the success of others because God’s plan for you could even be Bigger. Focus on your goals, don’t allow yourself to be distracted by what is going on in the lives of others you perceive as “having it all”. Focus on your growth. Sharpen your Saw; a blunt Saw can’t cut a tree. The more you focus on what others are up to instead of focusing on how you can be a better person than you were yesterday, the more you lose focus of what really counts. Don’t let negativity dominate your senses. Take time to celebrate even your bitesize achievements!! Your best is yet to come. Live each day in Abundance and with a grateful heart.

In Interviews&profile January 23, 2018 By Women of Rubies

MEET INSPECTOR JOSEPHINE OKEME, NIGERIA’S MOST POPULAR FEMALE WARDEN

Inspector Josephine Okeme is perhaps the most popular cop manning a traffic post in Nigeria. It is very obvious that she is warm and dedicated to her duty as many people have sworn that she takes her job seriously and always has a smile for everyone.

A mother of five, her service point is along Sabo police station, Yaba, Lagoswhere she is attached. Despite some harsh situations of life she has gone through, she daily finds reasons to remain happy and joyful.

To her credit, she has won several awards which includes JCI-Lagos Awa da, Metropolitan-2017 Toppa Award and GTBank Nominate A Champ 2017 award.

Below are some things you probably didn’t know about her which she revealed:

1. She hails from Ukwala, Delta state but was born in Apapa Lagos.

2. Her primary education was in Ladylac primary school and her secondary education in United Christian secondary school both in Apapa.

3. She furthered her education by attending a computer institute.

4. She has been nicknamed Grace Jones because of her hairstyle, tomboyish look and character.

5. She and her husband were childhood friends who grew up, liked each other and got married.

6. The Inspector is blessed with 5 children- 2 girls and 3 boys.

7. She started out as a sportswoman before joining the police force.

8. She has been controlling traffic since 2011.

9. She was enlisted into the police force through sports at National Stadium when MKO Abiola was alive.

10. She won a competition and earned a gold and silver medal after which she was enlisted into the police force.

11. She was hit by a bullion van in September 2017.

12. Inspector Josephine spends 6 hours at work daily.

13. The mother of five lives in Ogun State and goes to her workplace in Yaba daily from there.

Source: Fab Woman

In Interviews&profile January 23, 2018 By Women of Rubies

#PROFILE| MEET JESSICA COX, THE FIRST LICENCED ARMLESS PILOT

First licensed armless pilot, Jessica Cox, has the unique ability to fly planes with her legs and she is certified to fly an ERCO 415-C Ercoupe which the Federal Aviation Administration has designated a light sport aircraft.

Read these awesome facts about Jessica Cox.

1. Jessica was born February 2, 1983.

2. She lost her arms as a result of a rare child defect and has not used prosthetic arms since she was 14.

3. Jessica Cox graduated from the University of Arizona in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in communications.

4. Jessica Cox flew in a single engine airplane for the first time via Wright Flight in 2005. Cox earned her pilot’s certificate on October 10, 2008, after three years of training, and is qualified to fly a light-sport aircraft to altitudes of 10,000 feet. She received her flight training through an Able Flight scholarship and soloed under the instruction of Parrish Traweek

5. She can drive a car, fly a plane and play piano – all with her feet.

6. In 2012 Jessica married Patrick Chamberlain, her former Taekwondo instructor.

7. In 2014 Cox competed in the 40 mile segment of El Tour de Tucson.

8. In 2015 Cox published an autobiographical self-help book, Disarm Your Limits. in order to inspire people to overcome their own challenges through the lessons she has learned in her life.

9. Jessica Cox, 34, now travels around the world as a motivational speaker, using her life as an example of what one can achieve if one wants it enough.

Credit: fabwoman.ng

In Career Gems January 20, 2018 By Women of Rubies

LUPITA NYONG’O TO PUBLISH A BOOK TO INSPIRE YOUNG ONES

Oscar winning actor Lupita Nyong’o has announced that she will be publishing a children’s book titled “Sulwe.”

Lupita shared the news on her Instagram, writing that Sulwe is dark skinned girl who goes on a starry-eyed adventure.

Sulwe will be published in January 2019. She wrote:

I am pleased to reveal that I have written a children’s book! It’s called “Sulwe”! Sulwe is a dark skinned girl who goes on a starry-eyed adventure, and awakens with a reimagined sense of beauty. She encounters lessons that we learn as children and spend our lives unlearning. This is a story for little ones, but no matter the age I hope it serves as an inspiration for everyone to walk with joy in their own skin. Coming January 2019!!

Sulwe, according to New York Times, means star in Lupita’s language Luo.

Sulwe is a story of a 5-year-old girl growing up in Kenya, New York Times wrote, who has the darkest skin color in her family and is looking for a way to lighten her skin.

Sulwe’s search leads her to an adventure, which changes her perception of what beauty is.

Lupita says she hopes the story will inspire young ones to walk with joy in their own skin.

In self development January 18, 2018 By Women of Rubies

FEW FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT SANDIE OKORO, THE SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF WORLD BANK

Appointed as the Senior Vice-President and General Counsel for the World Bank Group in February 2017, Sandie Okoro has made her mark as a Nigerian with goals and on a mission in the world. Sandie Okoro serves as the head of the legal council and and adviser to the World Bank Group.

These are eleven interesting facts about the British-Nigerian trailblazer:

1. Sandie Okoro was born in Fulham, London, in 1964.

2. Her father is a teacher from Nigeria and her mother is a nurse from Trinidad.

3. She studied law and politics at the University of Birmingham, after she studied at the Inns of Court School of Law, now part of City University of London, qualifying as a barrister in 1988.

4. She has worked in global corporations like Baring, serving as the General Council, and also as the head of Global General Counsel at HSBC Global Asset Management.

5. Sandie was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Law by City University London in 2014 in recognition of her career in business and law, and her voluntary work.

6. She is named in the Powerlist 2015 as the fourth most influential black person in Britain.

7. She was named in the Autumn 2015 edition of Brummell Magazine, as one of the top Inspirational Women in the City who are Champions of Diversity.

8. In July 2016, she was named as one of the 100 Women to Watch by the Female FTSE Board 2016.

9.Sandie was made an Honorary Bencher of Middle Temple in the United Kingdom in 2017.

10. She is passionate about gender equality, diversity & inclusion.

11. Sandie Okoro has two children, a son and a daughter.

Credit: fabwoman.ng

In Career Gems January 18, 2018 By Women of Rubies

SHADE OKOYA REVEALS KEYS TO HER SUCCESSFUL MARRIAGE

40 year old Shade Okoya was only 21 when she got married to 59 year old business guru, Rasaq Okoya. The couple have been married for 19 years and making a success of it.

Shade, who is the Deputy Managing Director of the Eleganza Industrial City, has revealed some amazing keys to the success of her marriage to the billionaire businessman.

You have been married for 19 years, how does it make you feel that you are in it and still counting?

I give God the glory. Just as children, marriage is not about having a special power. The success of any marriage lies in the fact that I am married to a good man. My marriage success is about God. I am thankful to Him. As you said, it going to be 19 years soon.

What has sustained Dr. Shade Okoya?

My family has sustained me. Most especially my husband. I want him to be happy and the fact that what he has going on in Eleganza is what he lives for. The passion and drive that my husband has for the manufacturing industries in Nigeria. I just love to make my husband happy in all ways.

I love my job. I think God did a total package for me. Loving your job and marriage. I thank my God for that. It is not by my doing. Loving my husband and my job has kept me going.

What is that thing that people don’t know about Dr. Sade Okoya?

Perhaps, many don’t know that despite being fashionable, I am a Laywoman when I get to the factory. When I go out, people see me as a celebrity. They need to see me when I am at the factory. You know, sometimes in life, we don’t get to choose what we want to be.

Though, I am not complaining. I love what I am doing and that alone is fulfilling for me. Some people will ask me, why do you manufacture? Why don’t you do other things that are less stressful? But I tell them, I love what I am doing and it makes my husband happy. This is me and it’s my priority.

What is the secret of a successful woman?

I think for anybody to be successful, one needs to be focused. You have to be determined. Being focused and being an achiever do not mean that you have any special thing you are doing that makes you different from others.

Some people work hard but have nothing to show for it. Why this?

That is why you must appreciate God for his mercy on you. I give God the glory and adoration. I have a good home and my family is a closely knitted one. I have a successful business and a good home. It is not because I was born in a special way. So, we should also learn to appreciate God.

Then humility has also worked for me. If you want to be successful, you must be humble. You must also be very prayerful. Prayer is the key to anything we do in life.

Why do you always kneel down for people despite that you are a wife of a rich man?

You can’t say because your husband is rich and you will now wear it as a badge. My upbringing helps me much. I don’t see any big deal in it. Though, kneeling down is a Yoruba thing, but I am used to it. I also notice that people like me, and I must reciprocate the good gesture that many big wigs see in me. I am not special.

They only like me because they like my husband because he is a good man. It’s not a self appraisal, If I send text in a day, people will fly in here. I am just honoured to be surrounded by wonderful people and they just take me for who I am. I thank God for that.

What has sustained you?

It is God that has brought me this far. It is God, who has sustained me.

We were here one day for an event and we learned you were fasting, do you do that to keep in shape?

No, fasting works for me. I don’t believe in any other thing than fasting and prayer. God is my pillar. Some people think you need to have a Special person to pray for you, but the question is, if that person is capable, he should have done it for himself.

This is what sustained me. I am 19 years in my marriage already, but people think I am just married for 5 years. I will be here Insha Allah till my old age Insha Allah.

Fasting for me is what I use to communicate with God. It may amaze you that I fast Monday to Friday except when I am not forbidden to fast as a lady. It is a normal thing for me. It is the only way I communicate with my God.

Source: fabwoman.ng

In self development January 17, 2018 By Women of Rubies

#WCW: CELEBRATING GENEVIEVE NNAJI!

Hello WORriors! It’s #WomanCrushWednesday and our Woman Crush is Genevieve Nnaji!

Genevieve Nnaji (born 3 May 1979) is a Nigerian actress, director, producer, and singer. She won the Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in 2005, making her the first actress to win the award. In 2011, she was honoured as a Member of the Order of the Federal Republic by the Nigerian government for her contribution to Nollywood.

Nnaji was born in Mbaise, Imo State, Nigeria but grew up in Lagos, the fourth of eight children and was brought up in a middle class environment. Her father worked as an engineer and her mother as a nursery teacher. She attended Methodist Girls College (Yaba, Lagos), before transferring into the University of Lagos where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Arts. While at the university, she began auditioning for acting jobs in Nollywood

Nnaji started her acting career as a child actress in the then popular television soap opera Ripples at the age of 8. In 1998 at the age of 19 she was introduced into the growing Nigerian film industry with the movie “Most Wanted”. Her subsequent movies include Last Party, Mark of the Beast and Ijele. In 2010 she starred in the award-winning film Ije: The Journey. She has starred in over 80 Nollywood movies.

Nnaji is considered to be one of the best paid actresses in Nollywood. Due to her contributions to the Nigeria movie industry, she became the first actress to be awarded Best Actress at the 2001 City Peoples Awards, the award ceremony that previously had only recognized politicians and business conglomerates. She was also the first actress to be awarded as Best Actress by the Census Board of Nigeria in 2003. In 2009, she was referred to as the Julia Robert of Africa by Oprah Winfrey.

In 2004 Nnaji signed a recording contract with EKB Records, a Ghanaian record label, and released her debut album One Logologo Line, a mix of R&B, Hip Hop, and Urban Music.

In November 2015 Nnaji produced her first movie called Road to Yesterday, later winning Best Movie Overall-West Africa at the 2016 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards.

Nnaji has featured in several commercials some of which include those of Pronto beverage and Omo detergent. In 2004 she became the “Face of Lux“ in Nigeria in a highly lucrative sponsorship deal. In 2008 Nnaji launched the clothing line, “St. Genevieve”, which donates its proceeds to charity. In May 2010 Nnaji was appointed to be the official “Face of MUD“ in Nigeria.

Nnaji has received several awards and nominations for her work, including the Best Actress of the year award at the 2001 City People Awards and the Best Actress in a Leading Role award at the 2005 edition Africa Movie Academy Awards.

Women of Rubies celebrates you, Genevieve Nnaji!

In Career Gems January 17, 2018 By Women of Rubies

SHE WAS GANG RAPED AT 17, WAS ON A WHEEL CHAIR FOR A YEAR, WENT BLIND, AND YET SHE SURVIVED IT ALL!

Instagram user, Faith Amadi has shared an inspiring post online and it is definitely worth reading.

The young lady explained how she had survived a whole lot of medical conditions despite the doctor’s negative beliefs.

She shared how she had been gang raped at age 17 and constantly molested by family members. She also talked about being on a wheel chair for a year, having liver issues and being blind due to a hike in her blood sugar.

Despite all these experiences though, she still acknowledges that God is alive and it is because of his love for her that she can call herself a survivor.

We have her Instagram post below

Source: fabwoman.ng

In self development January 16, 2018 By Women of Rubies

HOW MOE SASEGBON LANDED A ROLE IN THE MOVIE ‘WONDER WOMAN’

She made an appearance in the first act of the movie as one of the Amazons, who were called to battle the uninvited German soldiers.

A heptathlete before an actor, the British Nigerian made her sports competitive debut for Nigeria at the 11th All African Games, which took place in 2015, in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo.

So how exactly did Sasegbon end up making an appearance in one of the biggest movies of 2017?

Read her interview with Pulse Nigeria below.

How Moe Sasegbon got a role in “Wonder Woman”

“I did an audition. There were first of all scouting for just tall athletic looking women. So I went for the audition.

“I had to do three different auditions where I had to do different fight scene. I was with the sword and a shield and I got called back and got the part.”

Moe Sasegbon and other Amazons in “Wonder Woman”

Moe Sasegbon’s experience on set of “Wonder Woman”

“I can say it’s one of the most amazing things I have done till date. I was involved for about six months, that included training, like in the gym and a bit of stunt training as well.

So they were trying to create Amazon Warriors, so we had to look the part and train the part.

We had to be strong enough to look like Amazonian Warriors. And then we were in Italy working for three weeks. Being on set, watching the different scenery was an amazing experience.”

Moe Sasegbon

(Instagram/Moe Sasegbon)

On being a part of the 2017 “Justice League” movie

“Yes, we played Amazon Warriors in Justice League as well . It wasn’t as prominent as Wonder Woman because obviously Wonder Woman was about the Amazons.

We worked on that (Justice League) for about 10 days , we shot in the UK. It was the same kind of training process and I was in the background of that too.”

(Instagram/Moe Sasegbon)

Moe Sasegbon’s future plans for acting

“I think so, definitely in the future. For now the focus is obviously athletics because you have to give that your 100% focus.

In the future, yea, I can see myself going for an action role again, hopefully in Nigeria, if Nollywood goes down that direction.

If Nollywood ventures into superhero and action movies, I think that would be really fun to do. Something creative, something completely different from the norm in Nollywood so I would be interested in that.”

Moe Sasegbon

(Instagram/Moe Sasegbon)

Moe Sasegbon is currently working towards qualifying for the Commonwealth Games.

Source: Pulse

In self development January 15, 2018 By Women of Rubies

7 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT SOPE ALUKO, THE NIGERIAN IN ‘BLACK PANTHER’ MOVIE

Nigerian born actress, Sope Aluko, is part of the cast of the anticipated movie“Black Panther.”

Pulse Movies has shared seven things you should know about the actress.

1. Born in Nigeria, Sope is a multilingual, dual citizen of the Unites States of America and the United Kingdom.

2. Aluko portrays Shaman in “Black Panther,” a powerful primal leader who calls upon nature spirits for aid or guidance.

3. Her other movies include the 2011 “96 Minutes” and 2015 “Joy,” and the 2016 “Remember When.”

4. She speaks several languages, including Yoruba, French, Swahili, and Bahasa.

5. During shoot of “Black Panther,” she bonded with Chadwick Boseman, who plays the titular character in the Marvel movie.

“I call him my African Brother,” she told Popcorn Talk during an interview.

6. Sope is a wife and mom of two young boys. She lives in Los Angeles and Miami.

7. On her first day on set, the director of “Black Panther,” Ryan Coogler, made sure he got her name correct.

He also made sure the cast and crew got her name right. As an African actor used to having her name mispronounced, it made her cry and feel at home.

A scene in “Black Panther” movie (Marvel)

About “Black Panther”

“Black Panther” follows T’Challa who, after the events of “Captain America: Civil War,” returns home to the isolated, technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda to take his place as King.

However, when an old enemy reappears on the radar, T’Challa’s mettle as King and Black Panther is tested when he is drawn into a conflict that puts the entire fate of Wakanda and the world at risk.

The movie debuts February 16, 2018.

Source: Pulse