womenofrubies - Women of Rubies

In Career Gems April 10, 2018 By Editor

18-YEAR-OLD NIGERIAN BECOMES THE WINNER OF THE VOICE UK 2018

18-year-old Ruti Olajugbagbe has been crowned the winner of The Voice UK.

Fending off competition from Donel Mangena, Belle Voci and Lauren Bannon in the series finale, she eventually was named the winner as was announced by the programme’s host Emma Willis.

Olajugbagbe, who has won a record deal, thanked Sir Tom, her coach and mentor, for his support and for believing in her.

Her version of Dreams by The Cranberries will be her debut single, to be released immediately after the ITV programme’s finale.

Some of the songs she sang beautifully during the show were “If You’re Not The One by Daniel Bedingfield and Dreams, her “song of the series” , after she and Mangena were revealed to be in the final two.

She will get a £100,000 cash prize and a record deal with Polydor Records. Her first single has also been made available as soon as the Voice final finished on Saturday night.

In self development April 10, 2018 By Editor

MERCY AIGBE TALKS ABOUT THE DANGER OF STAYING IN AN ABUSIVE MARRIAGE

Actress, Mercy Aigbe who was shaken by the news of the death of upcoming Nigerian singer, Alizee, has taken to her Instagram page to kick against domestic violence.

In her emotional and educating post, she advised women not to be comfortable staying in abusive relationships but to run for dear life.

She wrote:

“It’s a Shame how people allow the society to dictate for them!!!! It is your life! And trust me your life matters!….. Pls flee from an abusive relationship/marriage, no one has the right to physically abuse their partner regardless!!!!!….

Talkless of taking another person’s life 😡…. I am so pained with this story I saw online, Jesus!!!! Why will someone take the life of his wife and beautiful innocent child! Why 😥😥😥😥😥……
Pls if are reading this and you are in an abusive relationship/marriage pls run for your dear life before it’s too late! Let people say whatever they want to say, na dem get their mouth!!!!”

In Career Gems April 10, 2018 By Editor

17-YEAR OLD NIGERIAN GIRL GETS ACCEPTED INTO 19 TOP UNIVERSITIES IN THE WORLD

The Brighton College student says in an interview with CNN, that her passions include music and she is still a bit undecided about what she’ll study in university.

See the video below

https://youtu.be/JD0u8RSXQfo

In self development April 9, 2018 By Editor

THERE IS A NEW INSTAGRAM MOVEMENT RAISING WOMEN’S AWARENESS OF THEIR WORTH

British actress and TV presenter Jameela Jamil has launched a heart-warming Instagram account (followed by more than 11,000 subscribers): ‘I Weigh‘.

To promote women’s worth and encourage men and the media to take an interest in more than just women’s bodies, Jameela is calling on women to post selfies showing that “they’re worth more than what they weigh”.

On March 16th, Jameel posted a picture of herself in which she described her “I Weigh”. Following a positive response to the post from the women following her, she decided to open a dedicated Instagram account that same day:

“This post of mine started a mad wave of amazing women posting their own back to me in our revolution against shame and self-hatred over our looks, perpetuated by the media. I have received thousands and they are too beautiful to not celebrate. I have started an account called @I_Weigh to post them all. Send me yours to that account!

I’m tired of seeing women just ignore what’s amazing about them and their lives and their achievements, just because they don’t have a bloody thigh gap. The link is in my bio but please follow the account so we can start this revolution properly and make the fashion and media industry see how many of us are done with this sh*t.”

Since creating the account, the star posts daily. In her own “I Weigh”, Jameela wrote: “I weigh: Lovely relationship. Great friends. I laugh every day. I love my job. I make an honest living. I’m financially independent. I speak out for women’s rights. I like my bingo wings. I like myself in spite of EVERYTHING I’ve been told by the media to hate myself about.”

Far from posting kilos, scales and perfect photos of models, women are daring to bare themselves on Instagram and to publicize both their positive and negative traits.

traits.

Credit: konbini.com

In Career Gems April 9, 2018 By Editor

ACTRESS OMONI OBOLI HAS BEEN SELECTED FOR DESMOND TUTU LEADERSHIP FELLOWSHIP 2018

The participants, numbering 27, were selected from among 300 nominees from over 30 African countries, including those nominated by sponsoring organisations – Allen & Overy, Barclays Africa Group, Centum, GlaxoSmithKline, Investec, Rio Tinto, and ThomsonReuters. They represent 10 African countries and various industries and are aged between 30 and 39.

The fellowship provides participants with intensive learning and broad experience on the principles and application of leadership, an opportunity to explore the issues and specific characteristics of leadership in Africa, including the global challenges and dimensions of an African leader.

See her Instagram post below

In Career Gems April 9, 2018 By Editor

FIRST LADY OF AKWA IBOM STATE, MRS MARTHA EMMANUEL BUILDS 24 HOUSES FOR WIDOWS

The First Lady of Akwa Ibom, Mrs Martha Emmanuel, has built and furnished 24 bungalow houses for widows and widowers in the state since 2015.

Mrs Emmanuel disclosed this during the maiden edition of Eket Women’s Day Celebration in Eket Local Government Area of the state on Saturday.

She said that the houses were built and furnished through the Family Empowerment and Youth Re-Orientation Initiative (FEYReP), her pet project.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mrs Emmanuel commissioned a fully furnished two-bedroom bungalow for a widow, Mrs Adiaha Udo, in Ede Obok in Eket during the occasion.

Mrs Udo was earlier living in a shack for over 10 years.

She said that FEYReP was providing shelter to the hopeless, succour to widows, restoring hopes and touching the lives of most vulnerable people across the three senatorial districts of the state.

“The aim is to create a robust economic empowerment for families and re-orientate the youths to eschew all form of moral decadence,” she said.

Mrs Emmanuel advised Eket women to form cooperative groups so as to benefit from the State Government empowerment programme.

She also inaugurated a staff canteen, office block and 10 mini buses to convey staff to work.

According to her, the gesture is to complement the developmental strides of her husband.

She also donated N3 million to support the project for Eket women, saying that women are worth celebrating because they are pace setters.

The Chairman of Eket Local Government Council, Mr Frank Archibong, said that Eket women were celebrated because of the critical role they played in the development of the area.

He said the pet project of the governor’s wife was focused on providing economic alternatives to people and families who hitherto had been injured by poverty.

“Through FEYReP, you have built and furnished 24 houses for widows and widowers in order to alleviate their poverty and suffering,” he said.

While thanking Mrs Emmanuel for extending the building of houses to Eket , Archibong described Mrs Emmanuel as a “life changer”.

“We, as Eket people, are very happy for the house you have built and furnished, through FEYReP, for one of our widows, popularly known as `Adiaha Ntiin’.

He said that Emmanuel’s commitment to the economic empowerment of Eket people had continued to manifest in the various life-touching policies and programmes of his administration.

Mrs Bright Archibong, the wife of the council chairman, said that Eket Women’s Day Celebration was important not only for Eket women but for all women who seek to establish the fact that women are pacesetters for sustainable progress.

She underscored the importance of women, saying that women are home makers and nation builders.

“The celebration is significant because it affords Eket women the opportunity to reflect on their activities and the progresses they have made so far,” she said.

Rep. Ekpoatai Uwoidighe said that she has also attracted development projects worth over N400m to Eket.

Uwoidighe donated kitchen utensils to the widow and promised to give her N10,000 every month for her upkeep.

Responding, the beneficiary expressed appreciation to God for making the governor’s wife to remember her in time of need.

Mrs Udo thanked the wife of the governor for her kind gesture, saying that the Mrs Emmanuel had put roof on her head and smile on her face.

“I am also very grateful to Mr Archibong for facilitating the building through Her Excellency’s pet project FEYReP,” she said.

News Credit: Pulse News

In Interviews&profile April 7, 2018 By Editor

#INTERVIEW: THE GREATEST REWARD I RECEIVE FOR WHAT I DO IS WHEN CHILDREN APPROACH ME AND TELL ME THAT I MADE STEM FUN FOR THEM – ADETOLA SALAU

Adetola Salau is a global educator, Engineer and the author of more than eight books, one of which has been critically acclaimed as a roadmap for transforming our educational system; “Re-engineering minds for innovation”
She is the Founder and Director of Carisma4U Educational Foundation, a social innovation enterprise that focuses on the transformation of the educational system especially STEM education in Nigeria and Africa as a whole. She has a B. Sc in Chemistry from Fordham University, New York, with a medal as the best student in Chemistry. She later went on to get a M.Sc in Chemical Engineering and another in Engineering Management from Syracuse University in New York. She is currently working on a PhD in Chemical Engineering with a specialty in Environmental Engineering.
Adetola worked for the City of New York Board of Education as well as taught in California, South Carolina and North Carolina respectively. She has taught a variety of students from pupils in the 6th grades to teaching at Fordham University as an Adjunct Lecturer. She is passionate about education (STEM education especially) and is an advocate for education reform globally most especially in Africa.
She is driven by the desire to help students in Africa become future ready and innovate for their own economic prosperity (using STEM Education-STEM stands for Science Technology Engineering Mathematics.) Tola shares her story in this motivating interview

Being aware of environmental issues from childhood
I was raised by academic parents- Professors who were dedicated to giving back to the community and held education in high esteem. They believed that service was what each human owed other humans. I joined Red Cross as a pre-teen because I wanted to ease the suffering of others and when I was in college, I continued to volunteer to shelters and work as a mentor to young children. I learned that it was better to focus upon serving others than dwell upon my own life’s issues.
As a teenager, I was aware of environmental issues impacting the planet because my parents were environmentalists and also when I stared at the blackish water of Bonny as a teen. I was angry and sad at the same time at the pervasive pollution that was been inflicted upon our environment. I took it hard because I loved the land of Bonny, her people are my people (on my grandmother’s side) and from my parents dedication to environmental causes and gleaning from the materials strewn about our home, I knew that the damage was extensive.
I realized that if something wasn’t done about cleaning up the soil and rivers, cleaning up the oil spills being my motivation for desiring to study Chemical engineering.
I began to think like an advocate from an early age looking back, I have always been drawn to helping the underdog or rooting for them in stories that I read.

Meet Me
I am a Global Educator, a Speaker, Author, Social Entrepreneur, Innovator, and an Advocate of STEM Education. I am driven to push the revamping of our learning sector because of the horrible experiences I had in the STEM subjects when I was a young child in Nigeria and the opposite experience I had when my family and I relocated to America. I had a severe fear of math in my teenage years due to the horrible conditions I was taught in and how STEM subjects were made boring. Passionate educators made the difference for me which I wrote about in my book, “Re-engineering minds for innovation.” A huge part of my dedication in remaining a STEM student was due to the support of my enlightened parents; both Intellectuals- world renowned academicians of high repute who taught me to strive for excellence. My mother, Dr (Mrs) O.A. Salau is a climatologist and environmentalist who taught me to love STEM subjects fervently through application and my father, Prof A.T. Salau was an environmentalist with the United Nations, New York. He was the former Vice Chancellor of the University of Port-Harcourt.
I studied at Fordham University, New York, where I obtained a B.Sc in Chemistry with a medal as the best student in Chemistry. I went on to get a M.Sc in Chemical Engineering and another in Engineering Management from Syracuse University in New York. I am currently working on a PhD in Chemical Engineering.

Inspiration behind Carisma4U Educational Foundation
Carisma4U Educational Foundation is a social innovation enterprise that focuses on the transformation of the educational sector especially STEM education in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.
I founded Carisma4U educational foundation in 2015 to address this situation because I believe starting early in the educational system to create a lifelong love of STEM learning that will improve the probability that students will not become STEM adverse at the later stages of their tertiary education.
I am working on creating a new paradigm for the way we approach STEM education with a greater emphasis placed on practical real life application that will bridge the gap between theory and practical, so we can engage our youths in developing solutions to issues that plague us.
I am driven by the desire to help students in Africa become future ready and innovate for their own economic prosperity using STEM and I works towards the emergence of a strong vibrant Africa through the effective utilization of education.
We need to call for the promotion of STEM education in schools.

Challenges
The challenges are enormous! Raising money for our advocacy efforts can be daunting but we press on because we know how critical the work we are rooting for is essential to the economic development of Africa, especially for the future of our children. Obstacles by people in the status quo who like how things are and don’t want them to change. The biggest challenge is the reformatting the mindsets of our students, their parents and teachers from mediocrity to desiring excellence. Excellence is one of my core values because I have seen the difference it made to my life as an educator, scientist and engineer. I have seen excellence transform the destiny of nations from places that people looked down upon to being highly respected. I have written over ten books to aid in spreading the STEM revolution I desire for Nigeria and Africa as a whole.

Passion for STEM
STEM is an acronym that stands for Science Technology Engineering and Math.
Activities that are STEM-based integrate these four areas of learning. STEM is vital to our future—the future of our country, the future of our region and the future of our children. Besides, STEM is everywhere ; it shapes our everyday experiences.
Science is our natural world— sun, moon and stars…lands and oceans…weather, natural disasters, the diversity of nature, animals (large, small, microbial plants and food…the fuel that heats our homes and powers transportation…
Technology means computers and smartphones, but it goes back to television, radio, microscopes, telegraph, telescopes, the compass, and even the first wheel.
Engineering encompasses designing buildings, roads, and bridges, and tackling today’s challenges of transportation, global warming and environment friendly machines, appliances and systems.
Mathematics is everywhere at the retail store, the bank, on tax forms, in dealing with investments and the family budget. Math is the mother of all the other STEM subjects because they depend on it. STEM is critical because it permeates all aspects of our lives.
Now how does STEM affect our children; their future readiness? STEM is their future—the technological era in which they live, their best career options lie around it. STEM Education encourages and bolsters future readiness. Students learn to problem solve as they research and follow processes for investigations. Whether it’s the Engineering Design Process, the Design-Thinking Process, or the Scientific Method, our students learn to collaborate with others; asking pertinent questions; assume leadership roles periodically; and try out lots of ideas to reach a solution.

Benefit of STEM to Nigerian students
STEM Education is of vital to our Nigerian students because;
There’s a shortage of STEM Job Professionals for a Rapidly increasing STEM Job Market. There is huge gap between jobs that are in high demand and the skills required to fill them – and the gap is only going to get worse grow if we keep doing nothing to stem it (excuse the pun.)
Also, Innovation will revitalize our economy. We all see the technological boom happening around us and it’s sweeping all of us in it’s wave. There are constantly new gadgets being designed every minute it seems and it’s hard to keep up with the latest trends. Yet, these trends are essential for the economy; jobs are created and money flows in circulation
STEM careers are truly “helping” professions that build communities and transform nations.

Other project and activities
We had STEM Day awareness outreaches last year and ran a STEM Bootcamp in August 2017. We are running the STEM Bootcamp again on the mainland of Lagos. We will be having a larger program in August 2018 for 100 children and it will integrate a lot of amazing, fun activities for our children in Lagos. On April 21st 2018, we will be having our first Annual conference- STEM Power where our ultimate goal is to enhance teachers’ interest and performance in teaching STEM courses while fostering STEM skills for their students that are important prerequisites for engineering, medical, science and computer science careers. The main activities of our social enterprise is i) Advocacy on STEM education ii) Training of Teachers iii) Development of STEM learning iv)STEM Kits procurement v)STEM Curriculum development vi) Educational Technology programs vii)STEM Bootcamps viii) STEM workshops/conferences ix) Carisma4U STEM Innovators Club and x) Mentoring of students

Reward
The greatest reward I receive for what I do is when children approach me and tell me that I made STEM fun for them after their teacher made it loathsome to them.
Carisma4u in five years
Carisma4U will be positioned as innovative and reliable educational resource born out of dedicated and diligent approach for shaping the future intellectual human capital; aligning to emerging global trends and aspirations.
We are working in phases; first phase will influence the system by activism and awareness for priming it to create a favorable disposition for the adoption of the concept. In the second phase the much needed support and resources for the concept is to be accumulated for the implementation of the concept. In the third phase the actors to the concept will be influenced for the adoption of the concept.

Giving up
My tag line or personal motto is “Nuquam Cede” it means Never give up in Latin. Giving up isn’t an option that I give myself. I might need a break or encouragement in whatever form that it appears, but I don’t allow myself to think of resignation.

I add value, I am a Woman of Rubies
A woman of rubies is a woman who adds value to her family, her community and nation at large. She is concerned about the wellbeing of others and works tirelessly to contribute her quota to making the world a better place. I am tenacious about this being a driving tenet in my life; to make a difference with the gifts that I have been bestowed with. To help our children have a better world than the one that we currently inhabit.

In self development April 6, 2018 By Editor

FUNKE ADESIYAN OPENS UP ON HER DEEP INSECURITY BECAUSE OF HER TRIBAL MARK WHILE GROWING UP

In a Instagram post, actress and business woman Funke Adesiyan has shared her experience with her beauty marks and how she battled with deep insecurity as a result of it.

She said,

“Growing up as a child, I was a slim, tall, leggy beauty I was the girl everyone wanted to be friends with. Most guys would lie to their friends I was their girlfriend. Cars would follow me home from the bus stop and my Grandmother (God rest her soul) would haul all the insults at me for walking provocatively on the street. I’d argue with her it’s what my job ethics called for as I was a top model with Modela Agency and the street is our runway most times. Arguments would end on a slap note for talking back at her or keeping mute on her! Parents!!! You are never right with them. How I miss you Alhaja.

“Everyone admired me and would shout “hot stepper” when I walk. But this hot stepper had one pain she nursed in her heart- my facial marks. I felt it was a hindrance to me being a beauty queen, being a supermodel, being a flawless model!

“Each year, Uncle B, Modela, would prepare me for the big stage and I’d chicken out last minute for fear of my “flaw”. The only person I shared this with was my other self when I looked in the mirror. I would spend minutes wishing I know the old man who marked my face and question my parents why it had to be me of all my siblings.

“Fast forward many years later, I realized the only person who stopped me from achieving my goals as a would-be beauty queen was myself. My self-esteem was so low I suppressed myself on many frontiers… maybe I’d have been the first beauty queen with facial mark.

“It’s ironic how people wanna be you and all you see about yourself is a chubby face or a flabby belly. Not so cool. We need to constantly see beyond our supposed flaws, they are all in our heads. If you do not feel beautiful skin deep, you can’t feel beautiful on the inside. No one can love you than you. If you like to kill yourself in the quest of looking “perfect” because of a man or a woman, you will still see yourself like a bag of shit on the inside. For true perfection is inside out and it’s a place only you can find.
Would I remove my facial marks today? Hell NO! I love how artistic they look. Moreso I need no one’s validation to feel beautiful or live life. You like me, Thank you. You don’t like me, I don’t expect everyone to.”

View her post below.

In Career Gems April 6, 2018 By Editor

VETERAN ACTRESS, JOKE SILVA TALKS ABOUT SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN THE MOVIE INDUSTRY

Veteran actress, Joke Silva has revealed that the pressure on young actresses to offer sexual favors is very high.

She revealed this while being interviewed by newsmen on Tuesday, April 3rd at the launch of ‘Disowned’, a book by Nina Anyianuka about sexual abuse and harassment, at Terra Kulture in Lagos.

She said the pressure on young actresses to offer sexual favors is very high

On actresses being harrassed for sex.

“Unfortunately, the casting couch issue is alive in Nollywood,”

“Sometimes there is this hunger to get the work. Maybe you’ve gone to several auditions and you haven’t gotten the work, then somebody tells you that it is because you are not doing what you should do that is when you are not getting the work.

“What I say to them is don’t believe it. By the time the producer, director, production manager or whoever insists on sleeping with you, it is very likely you will end up not getting the work.

“Some of the sad stories we hear is that because some people are so desperate, they end up getting passed around.”

Her advice for entrepreneurs and upcoming actresses

“There is no need for that, to compromise one’s dignity,” she said.

“As an entrepreneur, you go round looking for money and you are probably going to get several noes before you get your eyes.

“It’s the same with an audition. You must keep your dignity. Find something else to keep body and soul together.

“That is why you hear that abroad people wait tables or work in restaurants because they need something to keep body and soul together until that break happens.

“You should be proud as long as you are earning honest money. If possible train yourself in audition skills.”

On more women in positions of power and authority in Nollywood being able to stem the tide.

“We need more women producers, more women scriptwriters, and more women stories so that we can then absorb a lot of women in the industry.”

In Career Gems April 6, 2018 By Editor

DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS FIGHTS AGAINST SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN PORT HARCOURT

In June 2015, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known in English as Doctors Without Borders, in partnership with the state Ministry of Health in Port Harcourt, launched a comprehensive programme dedicated to victims of sexual violence in the city.

(Photo: Daily Post)

The programme not only provides free and confidential medical and psychological care, it also organizes local activities aimed at raising awareness among Port Harcourt communities about sexual violence, its medical consequences, and the available services in MSF clinics.

Dr Chuku Adanda, the medical doctor in the MSF clinic of Orogbum area, in Port Harcourt, expands on the MSF’s mission and why it focuses on education:

“We encourage people to seek health care as early as possible after a rape or sexual assault, ideally within three days. However there is a lot of misconceptions and sometimes it can prevent a victim from accessing these much-needed services.

In Port Harcourt as elsewhere in the world, there are many misconceptions about rape and sexual violence, their consequences and how someone can prevent them. Some people consider that rape affects children and teenagers only, whereas, in reality, it can happen to everybody.

It happens to men, to people who are in a relationship and to many other people. Whoever is forced into any kind of sexual activity is a victim of sexual violence and need medical attention as soon as possible.

Rape can happen to anyone, and it is never the victim’s fault!”.

The MSF team regularly visits universities, schools, health facilities, police stations, and local markets to encourage discussion and spread accurate information. They have been doing that through a series of online videos posted on social media, seeking to reinforce the dissemination to a larger audience.

MSF now currently operates in two clinics in Port Harcourt: Orogbum health centre and Eliozu health centre. Services are free of charge and confidential. The comprehensive healthcare package includes prophylaxis for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, vaccinations for tetanus and hepatitis B, medical first aid to treat injuries, emergency contraception, and psychological and social support.

In 2017, MSF team treated on average 75 new cases and provided 350 consultations every month. In 2018, the number of new cases treated every month increased to about 100, but many more remain ignored and do not get the urgent medical care and attention they require.

Source: konbini.com