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Meet Udeme Mfon-okon, the woman who quit banking for pig farming 

Mrs. Udeme Mfon-Okon is a pig farmer who recently emerged as the winner of the Diamond Bank Building Entrepreneur Today (BET) Award, the bank’s initiative to ensure that entrepreneurs in the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are properly trained and equipped with business knowledge and capital to stimulate sustainable economic growth and development in Nigeria. In this interview, Mfon-Okon talks about her experience as a pig farmer before and after BET. Enjoy.

Tell us about your educational and career background
I had my first degree from the University of Uyo where I studied accounting and did my MBA at the University of Calabar. I am also an alumnus of Lagos Business School (LBS), where I did a Senior Management Programme. I was in the banking industry for 13 years and I left Stanbic IBTC as a manager.

At what point did you decide to quit banking for piggery farming?
I left the bank in 2012 and went into exporting charcoal and Shea butter. Though the returns were good but the rigours was too much for me and I couldn’t cope with it, so I decided to go into farming because I had always loved it and I decided to try my hands on it. I had a piece of land somewhere, I thought of doing poultry because I have a sister-in-law who does poultry. But when I ran into a friend of mine, he said that he had gone into poultry business and got his fingers burnt. He introduced me into piggery since that was what he was doing and I followed him to his farm. I loved it the moment I saw it and I decided to go into piggery farming in that instant.

It was interesting when I saw my friend’s pig farm, I never knew much about pigs, I just knew there was puck and I used to eat it, but never knew anything about its rearing.

How did you start in terms of funding?
I started with my savings and got 60 animals, then I rented five rooms initially, but when I realised that the business was something I loved and would like to continue, I then got my first Pen. However, I usually fall back to my husband for money when mine finishes and I had a lot of support from family and a lot of friends.

Has it been a very lucrative business? What are the challenges of doing piggery and livestock farming in general?
Yes, the business has really been lucrative. One thing about pig farming is that you have to stay in it for you to get your returns. It is not something that you give yourself a timeline saying ‘within six months or a year, if I don’t make my money, I am leaving it.’ You will not reap the benefit of the whole thing. You have to stay in it to reap the benefit.

One of the major issues of livestock farming is getting quality feed for them, what happens is one day you’re able to buy corn at a certain price and by the time you go back it is a higher price. And if you’re doing it as a business, you’re watching your bottom line also, so what we do is, we try to find different alternatives that you can feed them with, so if there’s no corn what can you use alternatively? If corn is not in season, if it is too expensive, what else can you use to feed? You have to have a wide range of things to feed your animals.

Feeding and taking care of livestock is not a child’s play, how did you get the funding to expand in a short time?
I got the help of Diamond Bank eventually but before then, I had grown. The secret is you have to remain focused and know what you are doing. You have to plan, that is how I was able to grow like you have said. You need to have proper plans financially for you to be able to expand. So, at the beginning of the year I do a budget; this is what I am thinking I should be able to do. I know the number of animals I have, I know the number of sows (female pigs) I have, so I am expecting that this females should provide a certain number of animals for me within a given time. At the same time, I have an average idea of how much I spend on feeding every month, so I ensure that I have that money available and that was why I said when I use my money, I fall back to my husband’s money, family and friends. I actually took loans but they weren’t expensive loans, they were interest free so I could actually keep and run for as long as possible.

Tell us about your Experience at the Diamond Bank BET
Initially when I applied for the Diamond Bank BET grant, it was all about the money for me, I was just interested in collecting N3million and coming to expand my business. I didn’t even know we were going to go for training at the Entrepreneur Development Centre (EDC), but on getting there, I realised that there was so much I did not know. Initially, I thought I was doing really well and I knew a whole lot, because I did so much to get my business to where it was at that time. But from the first day of my training, my mind just shifted and I realised that, if I take with me what I have learnt from the training, my business will get better.

I learnt so many things like strategy and branding. I never thought branding was important in pig farming because I had my customers walking in without so much effort to source for customers, so I didn’t think that branding would be important. But it turned out that branding is a strategy you can just tweak in your business and there would be an amazing transformation. The first month I attended the training and I implemented one of those things, I made a savings of N270, 000 just that first month.

So it is something that Diamond Bank has provided and we all need to key into it, but unfortunately, they might not be able to extend it beyond 50 people but so long as they implement whatever they learnt, it would be a wonderful experience for them, because their businesses will definitely change for the better.

So I would encourage people, even if they are not going to for the Diamond Bank EDC 1, get some kind of entrepreneur training because it would turn your business for the better. That training alone has impacted my business and up till now, I still go back to my notes once in a while to get information to stream my business processes and work on my human resources. I even advice friends around to take a course in the EDC on human resources just for their staffs and I give advice from what I have learnt because it is a very exciting and mind-blowing experience and Diamond Bank do not know the gravity of positive impact they are having on people’s lives with the BET.

Kindly tell us how they can access the BET fund 
Right now the portal is opened for BET 7, you just log in, you upload your 1minute video stating what your business is about. The video has to be concise and captivating, so that when they are selecting people for the process, hopefully you would get selected. Once you get selected, you go for training at the EDC and you just might get picked.

What are the EDC selection criteria?
I really did not know the criteria EDC used to make selections, I am sure they have their guidelines. What you just need to do is put out your best footage and with that I am sure you will get picked.

Is piggery business very time-consuming? How do you handle diseases? 
Initially it was time-consuming because you have to be there to set your structures properly but after a while, once you have proper business operations, it is no longer time-consuming.

As per diseases, what we do is more preventive, because once you have an outbreak, you lose your animals and you don’t want to get into that. So we do preventives by making sure our pen is always clean, make sure you treat your animals, give them their vitamins when giving them their food. Also, on a monthly basis, there are some medicines we give them and once you are giving them healthy food, the idea is that your pigs will be fine. I actually had an outbreak last year but it was quickly contained, we were able to quickly contain it

Who are your customers? Tell us your supply chain? 

We have a lot of customers right now but my major customers come in from Benin Republic to buy. We have customers that come in from Warri to buy and we also have customers that supply restaurants.

What advise would you give anyone who wants to go into this business?
Well, I would say you should plan properly, because initially when I started, I didn’t plan well and I ran into financial hitch. I had a little extra money so I just boomed and started expanding, forgetting that I am going to feed this animals for a couple of months before they get to maturity for me to sell them out and because of that, I had cash flow problem and that was when I had to run to family and friends to borrow.

If you were not doing this, what would you be doing? 
Right now I don’t know, I have given it a thought many times and nothing has come to mind but perhaps teaching. I could be a teacher.

Interview by: Maria Diamond for Guardian Woman. 

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Chukwuneta Obi: A note to every woman

I thought this message necessary after hearing a young lady’s account of how her supposed boyfriend’s sick fantasy made a mince meat of her self-esteem. Unfortunately, that is what seems to obtain with a lot of ladies out there. Ladies who are consistently allowing someone’s ‘sick fantasy’ destroy any semblance of self-esteem left in them.

When it is not his obsession with an oversize backside, it’s the mountainous ‘front side’. The unfortunate ‘ish’ is…ladies who should know better are letting themselves feel unworthy, even with their ‘modest endowments’.

Isn’t it for the sole purpose of fulfilling some of these sick fantasises of the menfolk that the beauty industries are flooding the markets with ‘add-ons’ like Silicone brassieres, bum and hip wears- meant to add size to a woman’s backside and hips.

Anyway…back to the gist. They had just started going out and prior to their first ‘real meeting’ (you know what I mean?), he had always told her that he fancies women with extra backside. She felt lucky because her friends have always told her that her protruding backside is enviable. Come the day they made love, she asked if he liked what he saw (especially her back side). Guess what his response was? It was with a bored expression (she said she will never forget that expression he had on his face-so fast) on his face, that he shrugged and said, “it’s okay. It just doesn’t shake.’’

This statement made her self-esteem come crashing so hard, such that whenever she sees fellow women with similar endowment, she begins to wonder if hers measures up-in the ‘shaking department’-even when her friends commend her natural endowment –she still says to herself ‘’but it does not shake.’’

How did she come out of this? The very thing her first guy didn’t appreciate in her was one of the things that sent some other person over the moon –in her physical attributes. It was then that she finally said to herself, ‘’wait a minute, I am actually beautiful the way I am and anyone who thinks I must be in a certain way to be appreciated/accepted-obviously does not deserve me.’’

This singular realisation was the beginning of the end of that affair with the first guy. She said that the funny thing about this character is that she liked him enough not to dwell on his ‘barely larger than a giant groundnut’ sized balls. Now that the door of her feelings has been firmly shut in his face, she wonders why he has not hurried after those with ‘shaky behinds’.

Another lady even told me about how a particular character she was latching up to for ‘true love’ made it categorically clear (as a FORE WARNING, actually) that -if any lady that has interest in him is not endowed with a pair of CHEST PLUMS that are as FIRM as ripened oranges-such a lady should not just bother coming close.

I could not believe that a lot of women still allow themselves to listen to these trash-all in the name of FINDING ACCEPTANCE/LOVE.

For real? 
As a rule of thumb…no relationship will ever hold water with me if it’s all about fleshly desires. There must be substance. I can’t imagine finding myself in a relationship that’s defined by the pleasures that another derives from my body and related services (winks).

I won’t ever be able to get over that feeling of being JUST ANOTHER PLAY THING. I hope every woman out there begins to add VALUE to herself, if any man who claims to want a serious affair with you can’t seem to look beyond your body-please have a re-think about such a relationship. You deserve to be appreciated for the beautiful and wholesome soul that you are and not just a plaything.

Yes, after the steaming bedroom sessions…what other substantial claims can you make about that relationship you find yourself in? Does it add value to your life in any way or are you just a ‘relaxant’?

Some of us will rather be in a worthless relationship than risk being alone. Hello! If the wrong person in your life isn’t shown the exit, there may not be a ‘way in’ for the right person.

As you evaluate that relationship you are currently embroiled in, I leave you with the words of Dawn Raffel …”Letting men determine who we are is the negative hinge that turns desire into vulnerability, changes our bodies from sites of pleasure to sites of betrayal, and transforms solitude into loneliness. I think that when people say they’re lonely, what they’re really saying is that they don’t like their own company. And something should be done about that, because if you don’t like your own company, then you’re the victim of whoever passes by.’’

Source: Guardian.ng

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BILLBOARD’S 2017 WOMAN OF THE YEAR IS SELENA GOMEZ!

Award-winning singer and actress, Selena Gomez is Billboard’s 2017 Woman of the Year. The announcement was made in a statement on Tuesday by the president of The Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group, John Amato.

“Not only is Selena soaring on the charts, but she continuously inspires young women everywhere to be authentic, give back and to not be afraid to use their voice.”

“She is never afraid to speak her mind and has used her platform to advocate for the needs of others. We are thrilled to be able to honor her as our Woman of the Year,” the statement said.

The singer will be honored with the award at the Women in Music dinner at the Ray Dolby Ballroom in Hollywood on Nov. 30. The event will be held in conjunction with the release of Billboard’s Women in Music issue and also honor the most powerful female executives in the industry.

Over the years the American singer dominated the charts with Top 40 hits including “Bad Liar,” “Fetish” (featuring Gucci Mane), and “It Ain’t Me,” a collaboration with Kygo that became one of 2017’s biggest international hit songs with over half a billion streams since its release.

Selena Gomez will join an all-star cast of the previous Woman of the Year honorees including Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Pink, Katy Perry, Fergie, Beyoncé and last year’s winner, Madonna.

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Invest in yourself and increase your value so you can be valued – Uzoamaka Okorie

Uzoamaka Letticia Okorie serves as the Managing Director of the bespoke cleaning servicing company, Nikolasjay Global Services Limited. Uzoamaka is a result driven, self-motivated and resourceful MD with a proven ability to strengthen management teams in order to maximise company profitability and efficiency. Possessing excellent communication skills and able to establish sustainable and profitable relationships with customers and stakeholders. With her Human Resources Background she has served in various executive management roles from Fine and Country (International) West Africa, MTN Nigeria Communication where she was the Human Resource Advisory Executive to three departments in one and two Divisions within the Business. Her more than 15 year career spans from HR Management with Lotus Capital Limited and Quantum Communications Limited, Program/Administrative coordinator with FATE Foundation to her Customer Service skill delivery in the Airline Industry.

 Uzoamaka holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Botany from the University of Lagos and certified HR courses with Cornell University, USA. She is Happily married with kids. She shares her story in this interview.

 Childhood Influence

 I would say yes. I grew up watching my Dad excel in the corporate world even as he sought ways to make a difference, add value and give back to his community. He did not just talk the talk but he walked the walk. He started successful multiple entrepreneurial ventures and had a balanced family life. 

Meet Uzoamaka

 If I have to describe myself, I’d say, dynamic, relentless, and unapologetically a lover of the most High.. 

 Nikolasjay Global Services Limited

Nikolasjay Global services ltd was born out of a need to add value and impact my generation. We are a multi faceted boutique company catering to the environmental services industry. We offer a wide range of services, from janitorial and cleaning services to the manufacture and retail of consumer products. 

Challenges

line of work? – A constant challenge in the industry is Human Resources. Sourcing and retaining competent staff is a continuous balancing act. 

 Other project and activities

 At NikolasJay, we have many projects in the pipeline that we are very excited about. We just launched a line of Multipurpose liquid soap that comes in different fragrances. We also have other projects that would be ready by next year God willing. Truly exciting times for us.

Greatest Reward

 There is an old saying that referrals are the best complement. It is truly rewarding when I get referrals from a satisfied client. 

 Where do you see your brand in the next five years?

In the next 5 years, by His grace we plan to establish ourselves in the industry as the one stop shop service provider for everything related to janitorial, environmental and Dry cleaning services.

 Was there ever a time you felt like giving up?

 Oh yes… dare I say every other month lol, however, it’s a feeling that lasts but a moment. Giving up is NEVER an option.

 Who and what inspire  you to be better

My children inspire me to be better. I want them to see that through hard work and perseverance, they can achieve and accomplish their hearts desire.  

 What makes you a woman of Rubies

My desire to see other women grow and flourish in their respective fields, supporting each other and making a generational impact. 

 Any final word for  young women all over the world?

Invest in yourself and increase your value so you can be valued…


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JOHN OBIDI : CHOOSE YOURSELF 

Some years ago, a gospel rapper came to perform at my church. He wasn’t a big name but I’d come across his songs somehow and I LOVED THEM.

I’m a HUGE FAN OF RAP MUSIC, so when I love a song, I memorize the lyrics. When he performed that Sunday, I didn’t rap along though, because packaging. I just nodded to the beat and smiled while he did his thing.

After church, I didn’t talk to him or anything. I went home.

Weeks later, this rapper posted a contest on his Facebook Profile. He dropped a line from one of his best singles and promised a recharge card to any fan who knew the next line.

Excitedly, I dropped the lyrics to THE ENTIRE SONG from memory.

What should have been a WOW moment soon degenerated as he began insinuating that I must’ve googled the lyrics in order to cheat at the contest.

At first I was furious and yelled (in my heart), “Dude, you’re not even big enough for any website to have your lyrics. Don’t hype yourself”

And then the still small voice that I’ve come to recognize over the years said, “Think. Why do you think he’s so adamant? What if he doesn’t think he’s good enough for his ENTIRE SONG to be memorized by a fan?”

In that instant, entitlement was replaced by understanding. And then, empathy.

Thankfully, my angry retort hadn’t yet made it from my brain to my keypad, so I sent him a DM calmly explaining how much I genuinely admired his music.

He sent me the 200 Naira recharge card, but I wasn’t the only winner that day.

Many people think that money and fame will solve their problems. But I can tell you for a fact that there are wounds and insecurities that cannot be covered by mere currency.

The billionaire you envy, secretly feels insecure about his big belly.

The runway model whose body you want, hates the way her eyes are positioned.

The public speaker you adore is pissed at his receding hairline.

That successful businesswoman and philantropist is afraid to find love because she might be taken advantage of financially.
Insecurities will always be around us, but they don’t have to be yours.
Be kind to yourself. Be your own biggest fan.

You can learn this for free. Watch Donald Trump.
Love yourself first, for you cannot pour out of an empty cup and you can only truly give (love) of your overflow.

CHOOSE YOURSELF.
– J.O.

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AWIEF 2017: MARY OLUSHOGA, FOUNDER OF AWP NETWORK WINS EMPOWERMENT AWARD

Mary Olushoga, Founder of the African Women Power (AWP) Network won the empowerment award at the recently concluded AWIEF conference, which took place in Cape Town, South Africa. AWIEF, which stands for the Africa Women Innovation & Entrepreneurship Forum is a Pan-African initiative and platform created to bring attention and focus to the innovative and entrepreneurial spirit the African woman possesses while exploring obstacles that may stop her from breaking down barriers and prevent her from reaching her maximum potential in society.

Irene Ochem, Founder of AWIEF states,

“entrepreneurship is indispensable to the economic development of a nation and innovation is a key factor for business growth. Having an innovative approach creates more opportunities for business success. Entrepreneurship when combined with innovation creates a powerful tool for unlocking potentials that will foster the financial and economic empowerment of the African woman. We are indeed delighted and honored to present this award to Mary Olushoga for her work towards supporting and empowering the African woman.”

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16-Year-Old Mo Odegbami Creates “Childishzine” Magazine For Her Peers

Given how amazing millennials are as a generation, it should come as no surprise that the next generation are following suit. 

People are really about the ‘for us by us’ movement, and when you want something that is not made available to you, the solution these days is to just make it yourself. This is why 16-year-old, Mo Odegbami, with a team of friends – Aima Aig-Imokhuede, Molly Johnson, Tolu Faromika and Yasmin Birch – got started on Childishzine, a magazine that caters to their demographic. Childishzine is a platform created to showcase the work of different creatives from poets to photographers. On their website, they spoke about why they created the magazine:

“We created this in order to showcase the photography, poetry and the general art of young people who may not be well-known in the arts community.

We work to discover the most unique and talented people to feature in the Zine creating a fresh atmosphere to enhance the experience for our readers around the globe.”

This group of teenage girls believe very strongly in the beauty and relevance of art. Through Childishzine, they would like to help other young creatives like them get their work out there. The first issue is available foe download and purchase. 

Follow @childishzine on On Instagram for more info. 

Source : Konbini.com



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Nollywood Actress Nse Ikpe-Etim Is Taking Her Talents To Hollywood

Best known for her roles in Nollywoodblockbusters such as Fifty, The Meeting and Phone Swap, Nse Ikpe-Etim’s talents are about to be exposed to an even wider international audience.

She is set to star alongside Oscar nominee, Eric Roberts and other popular actors in upcoming political drama Lone Star Deception. Directed by Don Okolo and produced by Nkem DenChukwu, the movie tells the story of a politician, Stuart Sagle (Eric Roberts) who is leading in the race for Governor of Texas. A fling he had with a prostitute threatens to derail his campaign, which puts a second candidate, Tim Bayh (Anthony Ray Parker) into play, and Tim finds himself as the first black gubernatorial candidate in Texas’ history.

It is not typical to have Nollywood actors in Hollywood movies, and following Genevieve Nnaji’s role in Farming alongside Kate Beckinsale, this is another big win for Nollywood. We hope that this pushes the entire film industry to strive for even more growth.

The movie is set to be released in the US by August 2018. We don’t know if or when it will show in Nigeria but we will keep our ears to the ground.

Source: Kobini



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The Hollywood reporter lists Mo Abudu among 25 most powerful women in global television

The Hollywood Reporter has released its annual list of the 25 Most Powerful Women in Global Television and Mo Abudu is the only African woman listed, amongst those from North America, Europe, Asia, South America and Australasia. The Founder and CEO of EbonyLife TV is being recognised as an influential woman in the media industry for the second time.

The category recognises female executives from around the globe who are rewriting the rules of TV, during a time when “women have to work twice as hard for the same recognition” as men. The article describes Abudu as a woman who “has been at the forefront of media innovation on the continent and whose goal for the coming year is to successfully produce Africa’s first sci-fi TV series.” The first time she was included in this list was in 2013, immediately after the launch of EbonyLife TV.

Since those early days, EbonyLife TV has created over 4,000 hours of original, high-quality content, including landmark drama series The Governor, Sons of the Caliphate and Fifty (the series), along with the first pan-African talk show, Moments, with different versions hosted in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa. EbonyLife Films made its debut in 2015 at the 59th BFI London Film Festival with Fifty, the highest-grossing Nollywood movie that year. In 2016, EbonyLife co-produced The Wedding Party, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and went on to become the biggest movie in the history of Nigerian cinema.

Ms. Abudu does not take the recognition from the renowned entertainment magazine for granted. “It’s an honour and privilege to be acknowledged again by The Hollywood Reporter. I am proud to represent Nigeria and the thousands of women in Africa, striving to make their mark in a male-dominated industry,” she said.

The Hollywood Reporter publishes its list of Most Powerful Women in Global Television annually, with luminaries deemed by its editors to have made a significant impact on what audiences are watching worldwide and how women are represented on TV.

To see the complete list, click here: https://goo.gl/Xghfas

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