Esther Ijewere, Founder of Rubies Ink Initiative for Women and Children, has been recognised by Woman.ng list of 51 Influential Nigerian Women Writers Under 40, for her book Breaking the Silence, which she wrote in 2013 to inform about rape and its scourges.

Her Initiative, Rubies Ink Initiative, is an umbrella organization which covers several women  and girl child-related projects including Walk Against Raoe, Women Of Rubies, Project Capable, Rubies Ink Media and the College Acquaintance Rape Education Workshop.

While acknowledging the recogniton, she said:

”Thanks so much @woman.ng for this recognition. I truly appreciate it . I am humbled to be mentioned among great female writers in Nigeria. 

My book #Breakingthesilence still breaking records, three years after. Consistency pays, Keep doing that you are good at and you will stand before Kings. 

Grateful and thankful. 

#Lifeofawriter #Mediagirl #activist

Media personality and author, Toke Makinwa has taken to her Twitter page to talk about how people rarely take note of the emotional abuse that happens between parents and their children.

See her tweets below;

Actress and business woman, Iyabo Ojo, recently opened an Amala joint, called ‘Abula Spot‘, and a lounge, called Fespris Lounge. In an interview with The Punch newspaper, she said;

“I am a local chic. I made a name for myself by acting in my local dialect which is the Yoruba language and in our culture; amala is the in-thing. I am proud to be selling amala because that is my culture. A Chinese man cannot be ashamed of owning a Chinese restaurant. What I did was that I brought something perceived to be local to the Island and I made it look posh. When something is local, it does not mean that it is dirty. People really long to eat amala and I am not ashamed to be selling it,” she told Punch.

“I did not collect a loan to open my business, I saved. I had been planning to open this place for a very long time, so I had been saving. When I wanted to get my new office building, I sold some of my property. I sold almost all my gold if not everything. During that time, I sold one batch and when I needed more money, I sold the rest. I told myself to forget about gold for now because I know that I can make the money back later. With the support of good people as well, I was able to get my office building. The first lady of Kwara State who came to inaugurate the building supported me. Some of my godparents also supported me because I told them that I wanted to sell amala.” 

Foodstock Farmers Market, a startup founded by Omolere Omotayo, in April 2016, is an online marketplace that connects farmers to consumers in Nigeria.

The platform basically serves as a more convenient means to access cheap food products directly from farmers. They claim to beat Mile 12 prices, and Mile 12 (in Oshodi) is Lagos’ biggest commercial market for food. Traders there sell food produce in large quantities at very cheap rates.

 

According to Omotayo, Foodstock, in a bid to foster deeper connections with the local farmers, does not just buy from them, the company also provides the farmers with whatever they need:

“We work with farmers, provide them with seeds etc. and sell their produce and more — actually everything food — to the final consumers.”

To get fresh groceries from Foodstock, a user can place an order via their website, phonecall, facebook, BBM, WhatsApp or email; a Foodstock representative then calls to confirm the order before delivery is made. They typically deliver in 1 – 3 days and there’s a minimum basket size of N5000, which is fair considering that they have to order directly from farmers and bulk is more profitable.

While they focus on fresh farm produce, the startup’s offering also expands to seafood, frozen food, household and industrial food ingredients and groceries.

culled from konbini.com

”As cliched as it may sound, my mother is my #GirlHero. She is a fiesty woman that came from a small town, who ran away from home to pursue her dream job… she was a doctor in the armed forces, has over 8 different medical certifications, is a certified pilot and she speaks 9 languages! She also used to drive around in an open top jeep (what a badass!), Whew! She’s also an amazing mother, daughter, sister, wife, business partner… She’s the one who taught me that I could be anything and everything I want to be… And that’s why she’s my #GirlHero… it’s so important to inculcate that sense of confidence in the girls around you and hopefully that’s what we do this International Day of the Girl Child.​ #DayoftheGirl@girlupcampaign @madhuchopra ”

Dove has been under fire for a while now because of its latest ad campaign which is tagged as ‘racist’ by people. The ad campaign is believed to be a harsh, rude, downgrading of the black race and people have refused to keep quiet this time around as this is not the first time Dove misrepresented the black race.

However, Lola Ogunyemi, the black model at the centre of the campaign who also happens to be a Nigerian, has come out to address the issue.

While speaking with The Guardian, she said:

“There is definitely something to be said here about how advertisers need to look beyond the surface and consider the impact their images may have, specifically when it comes to marginalised groups of women.

It is important to examine whether your content shows that your consumer’s voice is not only heard, but also valued.”

“While I agree with Dove’s response to unequivocally apologise for any offense caused, they could have also defended their creative vision, and their choice to include me, an unequivocally dark-skinned black woman, as a face of their campaign.

I am not just some silent victim of a mistaken beauty campaign. I am strong, I am beautiful, and I will not be erased.”

The original ad campaign has since been deleted off the internet.

Credit: konbini.com

When Matse Uwatse-Nnoli was sick and pregnant, she was fired from her job as a radio presenter. After battling depression, she decided to pick herself up and turn her passion for cooking into a legitimate career path.

Her first step was to launch a food blog, Matse Cooks, which she defines as “a Nigerian and African food blog with some western fusions”.

She created Matse Cooks to educate and start conversations around food and drinks from all around the continent. The positive reception her food blog received led her to launch her own spice range, Matse Cooks Spices.

Speaking with Woman.ng about why she created this spice range, Matse said:

 “I wanted to help families enjoy mealtime by cooking with my passionately made [spices] that can take their cooking to the next level. 

I have gotten great feedback and this gives me happiness and fulfillment that I am making families out there happy in my own little way.”

News credit: Konbini.com

Photos credit: matsecooks.com