Ogechi Ofurum-Omeike is an alumna of Upper Iowa University, Cardiff Metropolitan University and Afe Babalola University where she was awarded a Bachelor of Science
in Communication, Masters in Business Administration (MBA) and Masters of Science in Communication (Distinction) degrees respectively. She is the founder of Techie and Savvy, the convener of the Future Business Leaders Conference and the author of Raising Smarter Kids. Before founding Techie and Savvy, she has worked in various organizations in the Education Sector, rising from the position of a class as Teacher and Sectional Head Teacher in Silversands Hall School to a short stint at Mindscapes Children’s Museum as the Program Coordinator. Also, she worked at ActivEdge Technologies Limited as the Marketing and Communication Manager where she collaborated with international brands
The beautiful and Teacher shares her inspiring story with me in this interview.
Childhood Influence
Growing up was very interesting and exciting. Most likely because of the special bond I shared with my late dad. Also, I was pampered and loved by my brothers beyond measures. My mum was the disciplinarian of the house and as such, she was always quick to the address my excesses. I had a balanced childhood, one filled with love, care, attention and just the right amount of discipline.
That said, my childhood definitely played a role in preparing me for what I am currently doing. Growing up in a neighbourhood where the rate of illiteracy was strikingly high with domestic violence, substance abuse and teenage pregnancies being acceptable norms, I knew I wanted something different for my life. I recognized I was made for more.In a bid to be more, create and offer value, I chose to follow a path that was less travelled by people in that environment: I pursued education. Little or no wonder even though I started my tertiary education with an OND I proceeded to bag an HND, BSc, MBA, MSC and I am still counting.
Inspiration behind Techie and Savvy
Techie & Savvy is a Social Enterprise in Nigeria; primarily focused on capacity building for children aged 5 to 16years (Primary and Secondary School Pupils). We are committed to developing and empowering young minds to become Entrepreneurial by positioning the younger generation to become problem solvers, value creators and consequently, future business leaders. To achieve the aforementioned we have established the following platforms: School Entrepreneurship Club, Future Business Leaders Conference and, One on One session and Open Trainings.To give meaning to our essence, we collaborate with Parents, Schools, Companies, NGOs, Governments, and Individuals to empower the younger generation.
My book “Raising Smarter Kids”
With the current innovations in the technological space and the role of artificial intelligence in making the world smarter, it becomes unsustainable to raise our kids with moribund principles that do not adequately prepare children for the future. It is therefore vital to review these out-dated parental principles and come up with new strategies in raising our kids to become indispensable in a smart world.
These thoughts birthed the need to write the book ‘Raising Smarter Kids’. In reality, no child is born unintelligent; therefore, raising a smarter kid is totally dependent on the strategies deployed by parents, guardians and teachers in engaging their children. A solid foundation is essential to the growth and development of a child. Hence, in the book ‘Raising Smarter Kids’, I clearly spelt out the roles parents may play from the womb and preschool days of a child in creating a safe haven for the child. Articulately stating the key principles parents, guardians, teachers and the school management may implement in raising smarter kids.
Being a motivational speaker, author and entrepreneur
God has blessed humans with several inherent potential, abilities and he expects us to create value with each of them. The parable of the talents in the bible buttresses this. However, to make the best use of our talents, there is need for good understanding of time management and the ability to pay attention to those things that truly matter.
My Inspiration
I am usually inspired by women that thrive in male dominated industries. I am also greatly motivated by the likes of Afe Babalola who didn’t allow his age to hinder him from pursuing his passion and establishing Afe Babalola University at the age he did; and, by those that have deliberately and consistently turned the stones thrown at them into stepping stones towards the path of greatness.
Challenges
Regardless of the type of business, there are usually unique challenges at every stage of business growth. For instance, when we started Techie and savvy, it was challenging convincing some school owners about the essence of the program and our expertise. However, I guess I can say we are gradually making substantial progress in sensitizing the relevant stakeholders. Also, building structures and getting the right crop of people to work with are major challenges. This is why we are deliberate about recruiting graduates, committed to the training and development of our people and most importantly, ensuring that our team members are passionate about developing and empowering young minds to become Entrepreneurs.
On giving up
Like David in the bible, I have consistently encouraged myself to keep pursing my dream even in the face of challenges because the essence of Techie and Savvy is core to the fulfilment of my purpose.
Being a Woman of Rubies
In all humility, I am a woman that has endured the challenges of life in a bid to achieve and create value. That is what makes me the woman that I am.
Dear Parents….
To a very large extent, you may not have physical control over the sex, structures, features and other genetic compositions of your offsprings but as parents, we can consciously play a role towards the outcome of our kids in life.
There are specific processes and actions we can deploy as parents to ensure our kids have a secured future in a world that is getting smarter by the day. Some of these principles are stated in my recently published book ‘Raising Smarter Kids’. I would advise every parent interested in the future of their children to get a copy of the book.
Someone once said the happiest people don’t have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything, This is what Lamidi Opeyemi’s life journey is all about. When you meet her you would think she has it all going well for her till you hear her story. Her zeal and optimism seems to be her secret weapon.
At the age of 10, she sold pepper alongside her mum in their small community in Osun state, Nigeria, this in no little way set her entrepreneurial life journey; from washing clothes for people to making coconut oil, starting a mini importation business and selling Newspaper on Sundays. Opeyemi has refused to stay down, she rose from the ashes of adversity to take responsibility of her life.
In this interview, she reveals how she is balancing her role as an entrepreneur, wife and mother to a brilliant cerebral palsy child and still keep her head above water.
Growing up
My childhood prepared me for what I do, I was born and brought up in Kuta Ayedire local government in Osun state. My late mother was a pepper seller, she introduced me to the business when I was 10 years old i did it till i finish secondary school.
Being a newspaper vendor
After my son treatment in 2015, my husband business crashed, he became a full-time newspaper vendor, I was also forced to stay at home because my first son is living with a medical condition called cerebral palsy (a neurological disorder that affects movement, muscles tone, motor skills, and posture caused by brain damage that occurs during childbirth or early years of life) he’s fully depending on us to do everything, my husband doesn’t earn much and we have a lot of bills to pay. I started the mini importation business but noticed that I need a business that can bring money every day, I added shea butter business to it, I told my husband that I also want to start selling paper at Ppl bus stop on Sunday since the owner of the paper stand doesn’t sell on Sunday. My mother in law, sister in law and neighbors daughters are always at home on Sunday and help with my special need child while I go and make ends meet.
Managing my business and motherhood
It is very tough i spent most of my time in my mother in law house since she is the only one i can trust with my special needs son, i also make sure my business doesn’t affect my Kids and marriage in any way.
Being a mom to an amazing special needs child.
Yes, I have a 4 years old son(DEMILADE) Living with cerebral palsy fully depending on others to do simple things. Alhamdulillah, I thank God for His mercy upon us, I wouldn’t have been able to do it alone , Thanks to my ever supportive mother in law, who often times take care of him when I go about my business.
My Inspiration
My special needs kid and Mothers of special needs kids who are thriving in their chosen career Inspire me .I am most Inspired by several philanthropist whom I’ve never met but play important roles in my life from a distance, it has also encouraged me to give back In my own little way.
Challenges
Lack of funding for my business is my biggest challenge as my I need good capital to be successful in all my business ventures, not to mention epileptic power supply and the challenge of moving my coconut products.
Giving up
I have felt like giving up countless times because I feel I’m too young for what I’m facing . However, I always encourage myself that giving up is not the best option.
Being a woman of rubies
I am a Woman of rubies because against all odds, I am making something out of my life regardless of the balls life has thrown at me. I joggling so many business to be a good mom and support system for my husband, whom I respect and honour so much. I am not ashamed of my hustle, i thank God for “nothing can stop me spirit in me” i refused to be a burden to someone else. I am someone’s role model.
Word of advice to who want to go into the coconut oil business
My advice to them is to value their integrity more than money, if you value your integrity you won’t dilute your oil, be resilient and love what you do.
Advice for special needs parents
I will advise them not to be so desperate in looking for a miracle, love your child, focus on his or her ability, talk to your child’s doctor on how you can help you, child. Remember you are not alone in this journey, social media could be helpful if you use it wisely search for support groups for your child diagnosis, seek for help when you need it most, empowerment is important to have a legit source of income. Take care of yourself take a break when you need it most.
The society and reception of Special needs kids
Our society is not well sensitized about special needs children. We need an inclusive society where people with disabilities will have access to what people without disability have access too, some people still believe that disability is contagious which is not true, we need wheelchair accessible motors in our roads, school owners need to learn more about disability so the can give chance for our children with disabilities to have quality education, our leaders need to intervene in our children well being,
Cerebral Palsy
October 6 is World cerebral palsy day, wear green in honor of children and adult living with cerebral palsy , remember cerebral palsy is a neurological disorder that affects muscle tone, movement, motor skills and posture as a result of brain-damaged that occurred at birth or the first 3 years of life. Cerebral Palsy has no cure but therapies such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy e.t.c. could improve their lives. There are so many people living with cerebral palsy who are lawyers, doctors, and serial entrepreneur.
Determined to help women realise their God-given potentials and live a purpose-driven life, Onyebuchi Madiebo-Solomon, the founder of Ordinary Women Doing Extraordinary Things (OWDET) is touching lives through her non-governmental organisation. With degrees in Law, and International Business and Marketing from Lagos and London respectively, this trained marriage counsellor is also the CEO of BC Madiebo & Company Limited. She sat down with GuardianWoman to talk about what led her into starting a non-profit fighting female mortality in Nigeria, gender equality and how marriages can last in today’s world amongst other issues.
Give us an insight into your background; what led you to start OWDET?
I studied law at the University of Lagos before going on to read international business and marketing at the American Intercontinental University, London. I am the CEO of BC Madiebo & Company Limited, an insurance brokerage firm which I inherited from my father and I run that alongside Ordinary Women Doing Extraordinary Things (OWDET). OWDET, which I started when I was looking for clarity in my own life is basically an organisation dedicated to teaching women to live a life of purpose and one of the things OWDET is focused on doing is building free maternity clinic at grassroots level because Nigeria has the second highest mortality rate in the world. Everyday, babies and mothers die for very trivial reasons like malaria, fake drugs and bad drinking water. We are starting our first clinic, we already have the land to build, which was donated to us and we would soon start the building for the first free maternity clinic.
Why free maternity clinics, what was the inspiration?
It was the Holy Spirit that spoke to me. Initially, when the Holy Spirit spoke about starting something for women, I was going to prisons, doing a prison ministry but the Spirit told me, “this is not what I called you to do. I need you to reach out to women because women do not understand that they have a purpose. I am not calling you to preach or be an evangelist, I am calling you to get women together and help them understand that each of them, whether Christian or Muslim has a purpose.” After this revelation, I started OWDET. We meet four times yearly and talk about living a life of purpose. We also have a book club to encourage women to read as well, we read one book a month and talk about it extensively just to encourage one another.
What type of women do you look out for, who is an OWDET woman?
Every single woman. It doesn’t matter your colour, state, race, tribe or financial standing. Picture a mansion that houses a family with several daughters, amongst them a senator, hairdresser, doctor, teacher and a truant but at the end of every three months, they all come together into this house. As soon as they walk through the doors, the senator sister and the truant are on the same level, calling each other by name and relating freely because they are sisters. I tell all the women, we may not know each other but the moment you walk into our doors, we are all sisters.
Tell us about your growing up years?
I am the last of six children and I think this made me a little stubborn. I grew up as a “single child” because all my siblings were abroad when I arrived and there’s a bit of age difference so I was at home alone with my parents and sort of got away with most things my older siblings would never have dreamt of. Still, my mom was very strict and all I remember is whenever she says “don’t do that,” I would still go ahead and do it and so I was always getting a beating for being mischievous but that didn’t deter me. When I felt I was old enough, I travelled to London on my own and started fending for myself. My parents told me they were going to cut me off if I didn’t come back, but I didn’t mind and insisted on standing on my own feet. I was working on any job that came my way to keep body and soul together. I wasn’t discriminating and was quite hardworking. One time, my friend and I started a car cleaning company; we didn’t have a car to carry our hoover, water and all so we put everything in a bag and drag it to where we need to be. My dad didn’t spoil us and then, the only sure way to get money out of him is to tell him you wanted to buy a book or for your education.
Looking at the country today, would you say Nigerian women have achieved gender equality?
I don’t think we are quite there yet because women are still discriminated against till date in every area in Nigeria. It is a case of what a man can do here, a woman can probably not, but women need to realise that you can do whatever it is you set your mind to do. When I started building, I didn’t know anything about it, all I know was that I wanted to make money from it. So my sister encouraged me because she is good at painting; she would buy paint and paint the inside and outside of our house on her own. Initially I couldn’t read drawings, I would send them to my sister, she would read and teach me and explain; by the time we were finished, I could tell you everything involved in the building. If I can learn it, and I am not the most intelligent woman in the world, if I can then everybody else is capable.
What would you say is the major challenge women of this generation face?
Everybody wants to be somebody without having to do anything. Women today want to drive a Range Rover, go to Dubai, use expensive gadgets and things but they are not ready to put in the work. We want to live a life we can’t afford. You need to put in the work, you need to get rid of certain mindsets, you too can make money and live large, you can do anything you set your mind on doing.
If you were to mentor a woman, what would you tell her?
The first thing I would teach that woman is that she has the ability to be any person or thing she aspires to. Also, you are not better than the next person. My mom used to say you’re not better than the staff that works for you, you are just privileged. Your maid might be smarter than you but you are more privileged. The next step is to learn to believe and not look down on yourself. People look at themselves and say they are poor because their parents are poor. Tell yourself a different story, believe in yourself and start doing the work necessary to break that cycle.
Would you say women have conquered the fear of getting into male-dominated fields?
I personally believe that anything a man can do, a woman can do it better, it is not a cliché. That’s the way I see it. We have not overcome it but I think we are getting there. Women are beginning to understand that they need to make money and are doing what it takes to make it. We are still far from our goal but I think we are getting there. I think to myself, I can do what men normally do and even better than they are doing, this is how I thrive. The average Nigerian woman is a strong woman, God-fearing and takes prides in herself. People look at pride as a bad thing but you have to be proud of yourself for people to take you seriously, believe in you and respect you. African women are so strong; we go through a lot but still get up and keep going.
You have a funny story with regards to how you met your partner…?
(Laughing) Yes, I met my husband through a police officer that I met at the police station when I went to report a case there. My maid stole from me and I went there to report and was attended to by a female officer who is married to my now husband’s uncle. She introduced us and the rest as they say is history. Turns out that incidence was a blessing in disguise. Though it wasn’t love at first sight, spending time with him, doing things together, he grew on me. It also helped that he was very nice and kind and this attracted me to him eventually.
As a marriage counsellor, how can couples safeguard their marriage?
Marriage is not a bad thing. I am a very troublesome person and my husband is the complete opposite of me and I think that’s why we get on well because I’m hot-tempered and he’s not. However, marriage is not easy, it’s a union of two very different people born and raised differently and when you bring them together, there are bound to be problems. However, you need to learn to meet yourselves halfway but you must marry the right person to achieve this. A lot of people these days just get married for flimsy reasons and when they enter, they see things they can’t live it and start looking for escape routes. Before I got married, I dated some men I didn’t really like and people were saying, “marry him, later things would change,” and that’s where the problem starts from. You cannot change anything, what you see before marriage will amplify times 10 after marriage. Ask yourself if you can live with it, it’s very important. Whenever my blood is hot and I am boiling, my husband usually calms me down. There was a man I dated with a temper like mine and people told me to marry him because he is rich, but can you imagine what a union like that would have looked like? Two of us angry with nobody to calm the other down, it wouldn’t have worked. These are some of the things you have to keep in mind; it’s not rocket science.
What are the challenges you have faced and how are you overcoming?
So far, I am funding everything myself because in Nigeria, people find it difficult to give money as they believe you’re going to squander it and I don’t blame them because some crooks have given everyone a bad name. When I started, I didn’t even look for funds, whenever I have money, I simply put it in and do what I can. At the last programme we held, people told me they want to donate because they’ve come a couple of times and noticed I wasn’t asking for anything from them. This was how we got land given to us free of charge. I think until people see you’ll spend their money wisely; they won’t donate to your cause. I tell the people that work with us, if you are not going to live your life purposely, you cannot work with us. If you concentrate on the purpose for which you were created, and you’re focusing on it, you won’t spend your time doing things that you shouldn’t be doing. You need to focus on your purpose. Your purpose alone is huge, if you start honing it on time it’s a lifetime journey, you won’t have time for anything else. That is the way God created us.
Would you say women have been treated fairly in terms of political appointments?
Truth be told, I feel the president has not been fair despite all the promises and assurances given before 2015 and in this term. I don’t think it’s out of spite but what he knows and understands but he can do better.
Would you say women are doing enough to support other women?
No and I think it’s because some women can be unnecessarily selfish. I think they see men exhibiting this behaviour and they want to do the same thing. Almost like a case of if you can’t beat them, join them. I keep telling women around me to do the right thing and they are not listening because they are afraid of “losing our or not fitting in.”
What last words do you want to leave for women?
I just want to tell them to believe in themselves. If you want to dream, dream big and live a life of purpose. Whatever you can dream, you can achieve it.
Derinsola, popular known as ‘Deerin Eleran” runs a meat shop named Deerin Meat And Food Product, a business she started after her sales girl ran off with all her savings. According to Derin, alot of people felt she was crazy to think she could thrive in a male dominated field, but Derin focused on her goal.
Before venturing into the meat business, she had worked as a cabin crew, customer service officer/Account Maintenance officer in First bank, and a Para-legal in a Law firm, and she is used the experience she gained from these sectors to run her company and become a successful Entrepreneur.
In this interview with Women of Rubies, she talks about her passion for making money and the plot twist moment that changed her narrative.
Childhood
I will say my childhood prepared me for what I do now. I have been surviving on my own since i was 9. I was not born with a silver spoon so I did any legitimate job in order to survive.
How I started the meat business
About two years ago, I was running a restaurant business and I usually got meat for some of my customers. One day I was at the abbatior and i told my goat meat vendor that I wanted to cut the meat by myself. He was shocked and he asked me if I had done it before and I said no but I was willing to learn, and that was it. Starting the meat business was not easy though. I just plunged into the business. My kids always inspire me also. I can’t afford to let them them to go through what I have gone through in life.
Inspiration
I can say my kids inspire me. They are very important to me. After l left my banking job, I got an offer with Access Bank but I was posted to the Head office while I was staying on the Mainland. I ended up not taking the offer because my kids would suffer for it. I chose my kids over my career. And also, the meat industry is a lucrative one, though people think it is a dirty job, but like the saying “inu egbin lowo wa”😆.
Balancing my career and home front
Managing my business and single-handedly taking care of the kids hasn’t been easy but God has been faithful. I make sure my business doesn’t affect my kids and the home front.
Inspiration
Few years back, I left the banking industry and went into plaintain chips production. I wrote a post on Greenland asking to get a cutting machine at reasonable price. Sis Olu Bunmi and Sis Defunke Adewumi might remember this. God used three women to bless me. I was able to train about 50 people on how to make plantain chips, for free in other to give back to the society.
This act of kindness by women who didn’t know me from Adam impacted my thinking and made me to want to do more. They encouraged me to be better.
Challenges
Part of the challenges I am currently experiencing as an entrepreneur is funding. The meat industry is a very big one and ROI is amazing. If there is capital for me to do this, people will be amazed by how I will turn it over. Secondly, getting trustworthy staff is very challenging. Once bitten twice shy. In terms of manpower, I am facing some challenges too.
On giving up
I have never felt like giving up. I am my greatest critics and irrespective of the situation, I have never felt like giving up.
I Am a Woman Of Rubies
I am vigorous and confident because God is behind me. Because my calling is unique. And i am also an inspiration to a lot of youth, both male and female. I have had several people mailing me for advice and guardian. I feel i have a pact to play.
Words of advice to women
My advice to young women out there is, whatever you set out to do, do it diligently. Do not pay attention to naysayers. Opinions will not pay your bills, nor feed you. Stop procrastinating, just plunge in. If you have to go dirty, go dirty! I mean dirty in accordance to God will. If it is akara (bean cake) you set out to sell, sell it with pride. But please be distinct, be unique, be different from your contemporaries who are doing same thing as you.
Be shameless about your pursuit of greatness and God will crown your efforts. So plunge in now and do not procrastinate, start NOW!!
Marsai Martin, a 14-year-old African-American actress, is now a successful entrepreneur. She has recently signed a first-look production agreement with Universal Studios, making her the youngest person to do so!
Along with her own company Genius Productions, she partnered with the film studio giant where she will develop original content and hopefully provide opportunities for other young actors.
Martin, who was known for her role on ABC’s Black-ish, will serve as a writer for scripted projects alongside Genius Productions co-founder Joshua Martin, VP Carol Martin, and head of creative Prince Baggett.
The first film they will produce under the deal is entitled Step Monster, a comedy film about a teenage girl — that will be played by her — who is adjusting to life with a new stepmother.
Universal Pictures president Peter Cramer knew it was a great decision to partner with the young entrepreneur. He said in a statement, in part, “She is not only tremendously talented in front of the camera, but offers a unique perspective as a creator and producer that will resonate with all audiences.”
Martin couldn’t help her excitement in being a part of inspiring diverse and young ideas even behind the cameras.
“I am so excited for the magic I’ll be able to create and produce with Universal,” Martin said in a statement. “My goal is to show young women and girls that our voices and ideas matter and you are never too young to dream BIG!”
“Congratulations,” said the voice at the other end of the call. It was the fifth call Nere Teriba received in less than 10 minutes. There are also messages on her phone, which she plans to read much later. They are all congratulatory messages. “Go, girl. You rock!” reads the message staring at her as she peeped at her phone for the last time, repeating the words she had read almost inaudibly. Surprised at the sudden frenzy about a gold refining license her company secured months earlier, Nere smiles as she recalls months of hard work. Kian Smith can finally start smithing.
Starting in 2019, Nere Teriba, Vice Chairman of Kain Smith Trade & Co Ltd., will become the first and youngest Nigerian to refine gold locally.
“On one hand, we can say it took a few months, on the other hand, it took seven years,” says 36-year-old Nere Teriba as she tells The Nerve Africa how long it took the company to secure the gold refining license.
It was a meeting of preparation and opportunity for Nere, who had a proposal on a gold reserve buying programme for the country ready when she was invited to join the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) focus labs. Her proposal highlighted the need for a gold policy and a framework for gold refinery license permit structure for anyone who wants to apply for one.
The proposal by Nere’s Kian Smith made a case for the establishment of a Nigerian Gold Council which will be in charge of the country’s gold policy.
“The establishment of the council will drive innovation, stimulate the economy, and generate income for government coffers,” the proposal states. “Nigeria can become a gold economy irrespective of whether it mines gold or not. India, UAE, Singapore, Italy, Switzerland, Turkey and London are renowned world gold markets without the classification of gold mining countries.”
Kian Smith raised some important questions in its proposal, some of which formed the basis of our (TheNerve Africa) discussion with Nere when we met her at an art-themed tea room in Victoria Island, Lagos in October, weeks before the groundbreaking of her refinery.
Nere paused at different intervals during our conversation, politely explaining, each time, why she had to answer her phone calls. Nere runs a multimillion-dollar minerals, commodities and mineral services company, which has grown tremendously over seven years. Sleeves always up, ready to work, Nere plays in a male-dominated industry, where women sometimes have to work twice as hard to make desired impact. To Nere, mining is a calling and she would give all it takes to help Nigeria and by extension, West Africa harness the mining economy.
How can the existing gold value chain be organized and strengthened? One of the questions posed in Kian Smith’s proposal stems from Nere’s belief that the Nigerian mining industry is not as broken as most people believe.
“The issue is not that there is no regulation, it’s just that they are not enforced,” explains Nere, who has plans on how to help the government solve some of the major challenges faced in the mining industry, especially as it concerns artisanal and small-scale miners.
Mining in Nigeria
Organized mining in Nigeria started in 1903 when the British Secretary of State for the Colonies established the Mineral Survey of the Southern Protectorate of Nigeria. In 1904, a survey of the Northern Protectorate was also established as the exploration of mineral resources for use as raw materials in Britain began. As a result, several mineral deposits including Columbite, Bitumen, Coal, Iron Ore and Gold were discovered. However, it was not until 1913 that Gold production started, peaking in the 1930s before World War II brought about a decline.
Nigeria had no choice but to participate in the war, being a colony of Britain. With Britain’s economic, industrial and military power weakened by World War I, the kingdom fell back on its colonies, using both their human and natural resources to prosecute WWII. Colonial companies abandoned mines during the war and the gold mining industry has not recovered since then.
Although in the 1980s the Nigerian Mining Corporation (NMC) resumed gold exploration, it could not sustain it. Fast forward to the 2000s, artisanal mining has become a thing in Nigeria, from Bin Yauri in northern Nigerian’s Kebbi State, to Bagega in Zamfara State where 163 people died from lead poisoning in 2010.
Artisanal Mining
Artisanal mining had peaked in Bagega when gold prices skyrocketed during the Great Recession. Even farmers left their crops and focused on mining. During the period, the price of gold went as high as $1,000 per troy ounce, so much that even small finds by small-scale miners paid well.
Till date, most of the mining done in Nigeria is done by artisanal and small-scale miners (ASM), making regulations difficult to enforce.
“The thing is, there has been a huge gap. We abandoned the sector, went for oil and the people took up the vacuum,” Nere explains, adding that their activities, while artisanal are not necessarily illegal.
“So, illegal miners are not necessarily artisanal miners. Sometimes, there are huge companies mining illegally. Mining illegally is if you are mining off permit and not following due process,” the Kian Smith boss explains.
With a renewed commitment to developing the mining industry, the Nigerian government, like others across Africa, is beginning to recognize how important artisanal and small-scale miners are to the growth of the industry. Hence, the government ministry in charge of mining in Nigeria is trying to formalise artisanal mining to ensure some form of regulation in the space.
Kian Smith is working with small and medium scale miners to source gold for its refinery. The company is also working with artisanal miners, whose activities it is going to be an important part of formalising.
“One of the major reasons several small-scale miners are not formalised is because of royalty payments, but we have found a way around this,” Nere says, explaining how Kian Smith will ensure the ASMs it works with are formalised. “One of the incentives we want to give our suppliers is paying royalties on their behalf.”
The idea seems to be working fine, as Kian Smith has been able to sign up 200 suppliers in less than three weeks. “We will help them get registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission in January,” Nere says.
Kian Smith will also be sourcing gold for its refinery from other parts of Africa, including Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Tanzania. One supplier working across Ghana and Sierra Leone has already committed to supplying Kian Smith 100Kg of gold per month. In all, the company has signed Memoranda of Understanding with about 200 suppliers.
Although Nigeria is believed to have gold reserves of up to 200 million oz, there are no records to show exactly how much gold is mined in the country.
“But from my research, there are about 2 tonnes of gold physically in circulation each month,” says Nere. However, she admits that “we can’t quantify how much of that 2 tonnes is from neighboring African countries, and how much of that 2 tonnes is mined locally”.
Nigeria’s neighbors have been more productive, with Ghana producing 95 tonnes of gold in 2015. Mali produced 50 tonnes in the same year and Burkina Faso produced 34 tonnes, but Nigeria could only manage 4 tonnes, as records show. Nere believes this figure shows how much the country could be losing by not formalising artisanal mining which even accounted for a huge percentage of the 4 tonnes reported in 2015. Most of the countries with decent gold production records in Africa have begun to recognise artisanal mining and are looking for ways to formalise their activities.
In Ghana, artisanal, small-scale miners, popularly known as galamsey have become increasingly important. They are responsible for all diamond production in the West African country and their contribution to gold production is increasing. The government is now training small-scale miners in sustainable mining methods as part of a roadmap that seeks to address illegal mining in the country.
Nere also thinks there is a tech solution Nigeria can adopt. The Computer Engineering graduate said her company created a mobile solution — Zokia system, a mobile platform to register and bank artisanal miners.
“When we were doing our pilot in Chikun, Kaduna state, we registered 1200 artisanal miners, tagging the gold from mine, through the value chain, all the way,” she says. “We also used mobile money, as a way to eventually sensitize them, to get them off cash payment and keep their monies safe. More than 300 of the registered 1,200 use mobile money for payments.”
Nere explains that as good as the solution could be for formalising mining of all scales and reducing the incidence of illegal mining, artisanal and small-scale miners have no reason to spend money on tech, as they do not see it as essential to their business.
However, governments committed to reducing illegal mining to the barest minimum can pay for a tech solution such as Kian Smith’s and make it accessible to artisanal miners for free. That could be a huge step in formalising artisanal mining, especially in Nigeria.
Investing in Mining
There have been attempts in the past to bring the mining industry up to date to make it attractive to private investment. Beginning in 2007, the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act was introduced, setting the rules for the exploration and exploitation of solid minerals. The law stated that the government owns all the country’s mineral resources. However, in 2011, the year Kian Smith was registered in the country, the government released new mining regulations, which was believed would bring about greater accountability in the sector. This also, was reviewed, leading to the Roadmap for the Growth and Development of the Nigerian Mining Industry which was adopted in September 2016.
The country is gradually getting it right, showing an unprecedented commitment to the growth of the mining industry, with the issuance of a gold refining licence to Kian Smith one of the recent wins in the industry. The company has already started work on the site of its new refinery in Ogun State, south west Nigeria. Nigeria’s Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development Hon. Abubakar Bawa Bwari broke the ground at the site on December 13 as construction began.
“During the focus labs of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) of this administration, we discovered that a well organised gold value chain can trigger an economic revolution like it did in India, South Africa, Switzerland and others,” Hon. Bwari said at the groundbreaking ceremony. He explained that his Ministry was determined to develop the mining sector to increase its contribution to Nigeria’s GDP, improve its capacity to create jobs and engender sustainable mining.
Ongoing construction work at site of Kian Smith Gold Refinery in Nigeria’s Ogun State.
Nere says the refinery will be ready to start production by the end of the first half of 2019.
While Nere did not disclose details of investment in the new refinery, which she says include both local and international interests, she says Kian Smith is working with several banks, including Stanbic IBTC Bank and Zenith Bank Plc. According to her, Kian Smith is also in talks with the African Finance Corporation (AFC).
“The truth is, we need banks,” says Nere. “Not even so much for the setup; we need banks for the trading. To buy an unlimited amount of gold, at any time, to refine; we need the banks,” Nere says
She dismisses the widely held belief that banks are not committed to the mining industry.
“The issue with banks is ‘show me your bankable feasibility study (BFS)’, and most Nigerian miners cannot show that, because they haven’t got the investors who will do the work to produce the BFS. So, the thing is banks are looking for that; Nigerians don’t have that.”
She adds that a bank would like to see a supply contract, a buying contract; “those are the transactions that banks are considering”.
Nere believes that for every player in the mining industry who can get their acts together, banks are always ready to do business. After all, she’s working with some banks to bring her refinery to life next year. Nere says the refinery has the potential to provide more than 500,000 direct and indirect jobs. But beyond jobs, Kian Smith is interested in helping to build the gold value chain in Nigeria.
Nere is hopeful things will get better but admits the mining industry in Nigeria is a tough one to play in. She highlights policy inconsistency and the reaction of mining communities to operators as two of the major challenges the industry faces.
“The reason why the sector has struggled and even investors have issues is because the Nigerian ecosystem does not encourage long-term investment and perseverance to get anything,” Nere says. “Everybody wants money now.”
One of the issues Nere’s Kian Smith is taking up with the government is how to grant gold a VAT-free status. She explained the dynamics of VAT as it concerns gold.
“Gold should be VAT-free because it’s a financial instrument. However, even if there will be VAT on gold, it should not be too high so as to encourage export. We need the government to review VAT status on gold bars and coins,” Nere says.
According to her, the Nigerian government is working with the United Nations Industrial Development Orgasnisation (UNIDO) and other bodies to decide an efficient policy on gold products and alloys.
Kian Smith is also working on seeing import duties on gold and gold doré reduced.
Sustainability
Nere says Kian Smith is committed to maintaining high standards, from purity of gold to sustainability in production. The company’s refinery in Ogun State has the capacity to produce 3 tonnes of gold and 1 tonne of silver per month, both at a purity of 99.99 percent.
UNIDO will help Kian Smith in sustainable mining, supporting ASMs that want to supply Kian Smith and are committed to sustainable mining. Kian Smith is also working with international development organization Pact, to ensure due diligence and safety of miners, as well as curb illegal mining.
Once Kian Smith produces its ethical gold, it will be looking towards central banks, jewelers in the Middle East, Turkey, Switzerland and several parts of Africa.
Already, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has committed to buying gold from Kian Smith as it stocks up the country’s gold reserves.
“CBN has not said volume, but they are ready to buy gold in either naira or USD. We are hopeful that by the end of second quarter, their terms and conditions will be clear,” Nere says.
Kian Smith is also in talks with other central banks. The company has also met with the London Bullion Metal Association (LBMA), Responsible Jewelry Council (RJC) and World Gold COuncil (WGC) towards international certification process for Nigeria’s gold.
The Call
When TheNerve Africa first spoke with Nere in October, she was facing some challenges at her refinery site in Ogun, but she told TheNerve Africa that none of the things happening then would affect plans for the Kian Smith refinery to start working in 2019. “I’ve been here before,” Nere said, exuding the same confidence that has made her successful in a tough industry. The confidence, she says, stems from knowing that mining is her calling.
“Mining called me,” Nere declares. “It didn’t make sense when it was calling me because I was like ‘what is it about mining? This is a capital-intensive sector and am I sure this is the right sector to be calling me?’
“I wanted to meet people, so I met people in the sector and got their opinion: what do you think? Why are you in it?”
She continues: “It was interesting because they all talked about how horrible the experience is and I am like, but you are still there.
“I did some research, connected with some people in the sector here and they did their best to discourage me from getting into the sector but I still went in and I haven’t looked back.
“So I will say there is a mining bug; if it bites you, if it’s meant to be, no matter how hard it is, you will stick to it but if it is not meant to be, you will run.
“The people I talked to were all saying do not do it, it is challenging, it is rewarding, it’s amazing, but do not do it. So, I had to figure out the way to enter, because it is capital intensive and I didn’t have that kind of funds. So I entered by trading. Almost the same principles you use to trade anything else like land, supplies, and all of that. So that was how I entered. I entered by trading.”
The Kian Smith boss was in South Africa for a mining conference. There she met someone who wanted to bring his company to Nigeria. “I said I can do it for you, and that was how I did it. That was how I started trading.”
Nere says business has been good for Kian Smith despite the tough operating environment. “It is a difficult sector,” she reiterates. “It has its ups and downs. It has been challenging and there have been issues all around, but overall, if I look back, we have seen a steady progression. We see opportunities, we see challenges but we still said this is the sector we want to be in.”
Speaking on how hard Kian Smith had worked to get to its current level, Nere recalls her three months in Abuja for the ERGP focus labs. The Lab process is one of the several initiatives by the Nigerian government to fast-track the attainment of its ERGP objectives. The government had invited potential and existing investors, both foreign and Nigerian, who may be interested in investing in any of the three areas of focus — Agriculture and transportation, Power and gas, Manufacturing and processing (including solid minerals) — to attend closed-door sessions where prospective investors will have access in one location, to all the officials of government whose support, or approvals, they might need to enable them commit to an investment decision.
“I think after the first few days, we lost half the people because we spent several months in Abuja and you footed your own bills; the cost of your hotel, the cost of everything; this is not a government sponsored thing,” Nere explains. “For a lot of business people … like for me, I’m still recovering from putting a lot of things about the business on standstill for about 3 months.”
Nere says business owners had to ask themselves pertinent questions such as the wisdom in leaving their businesses for about 3 months at their own expense, “and at the end of the day you’re not even guaranteed that the government will even proffer a solution for you”.
She thinks Kian Smith was fortunate to be part of the focus labs and have its proposal accepted. “We were at a standstill for a major project. We were fortunate enough that we could take on that expense. It was huge because a lot of businesses that have a lot of better ideas and bigger problems did not have the opportunity to foot the expenses for three months in Abuja.”
The gold refining licence in hand, Nere has crossed another big hurdle as Kian Smith continues its growth, but again, she recalls one of the tough periods in the business’s growth and sighed.
“I have suffered,” she says. “But if you wait long enough … if you are patient long enough, things always work out fine.”
Sadly, “our generation has lost perseverance,” says Nere, who would love an opportunity to one day “genuinely talk to young people”.
“Our generation is a microwave generation,” Nere adds, stressing that social media has made success look easy so much that “young people are looking for shortcuts”.
Nere says she learnt doggedness from her father, the former Olu of Warri, who due to his Christian faith attempted to denounce a 500-year-old title Ogiame, which he said, was associated with a sea goddess. Kian Smith started before Ogiame Atuwatse II died in 2015, but Nere says she has never had a free pass using her father’s name or influence. She admits that her background played a huge role on the woman she has become but at the risk of sounding overly spiritual; Nere says her business achievements are so massive they couldn’t have been due to her background. She says they are supernatural.
“This is for the future of Nigeria; this is going to change Nigeria. It’s going to change Africa’s history. Africa will never remain the same again.”
Temiloluwa Balogun is fulfilling that dream by following her passion by changing the narrative unhealthy food consumption, She is the CEO of DawnJuice, a fast rising organic fruit juice and smoothies company in Nigeria. The young budding entrepreneur earned her degree in Microbiology from Olabisi Onabanjo University. Temi is strong advocate for healthy lifestyle. She continues to promote healthy living and lifestyle by carefully creating recipes to meet her family and clientele demands; encourages young people—especially women to choose healthy meal options.
She has supported and partnered with several organizations to drive the message of healthy lifestyle home , while she also runs her beauty and lifestyle outfit MO’s Crib Ventures on the side to further help women with their day to day lifestyle as it relates to beauty and make-up.
Temiloluwa who is happily married with children is also a certified Air hostess , In her words “ If I wasn’t into Juice business , I would have been a very successful air hostess because I commit myself to everything I do and give it my all”.
She shares her story with Esther Ijewere in this interview and shed more light on the need to eat and stay healthy.
Childhood Influence
I wouldn’t say Yes or No. But, all I can relate is that the church we attended back then fruits was always the order of the day,invariably I got introduced and exposed to fruits very early in life in varieties.
Meet Temi
A mother of three, who loves caring for her home. An entrepreneur and business woman who owns both Mo’s Crib and Dawn Juice (beauty and healthy lifestyle). I love caring for people around me, love togetherness, working with my team especially in areas of support and supervision. I’m very hardworking, humble, fun person, down to earth, takes responsibility and shares authority amongst workers accordingly. Happy to protect and serve her home, the people around her and give back to the society.
Inspiration behind Dawn Juice
I got inspired by a handful of thoughts, just to mention a few; I recall that fast foods and drinks was the order of the day for my generation while growing up. It was trendy and a breakaway from the normal home food making. Little did we know that like everything it has its own side effects. I wanted to change the narrative, and that’s where the inspiration for Dawn juice came from, I started with my immediate family and friends , moreso the society needs more awareness about living, eating and staying healthy, so since eating is one of the behavioral functions of humans for living, what goes into the esophagus should be healthy and 100% clean, organic and fresh. Our products are from natural fruit and vegetables contains no artificial preservative or additives which guarantees healthy lifestyle. To help the World in reducing sickness and diseases resulting from unhealthy eating and passing the healthy lifestyle culture to the incoming generation.
Challenges of running Dawn Juice
Dawnjuice deals with fresh, organic farm produce which are personally sorted for in a good state. The most dreadful challenge is when the fruits all get spoilt/rotten before used or when already processed and bottled up for sales and been kept in the fridge but the generator or fridge and or PHCN decides to give up at the same time and it all gets sour. It’s heart breaking and no juicing company wants to experience it. Luckily, we have been able to adjust by not relying solely on PHCN but also solar electricity
Another challenge is trying to change the narrative by breaking the cycle of unhealthy food, apparently most people are used to that, it’s also challenging that prospective buyers are always skeptical about the content of healthy drinks either because of previous experience with other brands or out of fear Thankfully, three of our products are NAFDAC approved, so quality is always guaranteed.
Another bottleneck is pricing. Most people may find it convenient to buy a N100 or N200 unhealthy drink than to buy a N600 to N1000 healthy drinks- juice or smoothies of the same Litres.
Cost of business in Lagos is quite high, ranging from electricity bills, transportation, licensing etc. this will definitely affect the price. However, we have worked so hard to keep the overhead costs so low while maintaining its quality recipe that the pricing is almost equivalent to do-it-yourself cost at home
Plans to hold a walk
Dawnjuice is working on starting up a walk campaign which will be held once every year or depending on the outcome of the first program when it commences. The campaign is a Walk against Disease, which is one of the major reasons Dawnjuice was birthed, we are also open to give support to and partner with any organization or company that gives back to the society.
Reward
Our greatest reward so far is been referred too with good and positive feedback. Our customers satisfaction is our main priority and we are also ready and happy to serve those buds with our healthy and hearty recipes.
DawnJuice in 5 years
In today’s competitive world, it’s our job to stay true to our product, quality, quantity and remain humble, stay friendly with our customers and remain consistent with them and have their satisfaction as our main goal at all times. With that been said our customers can only make it work with continuous demand from them and supply from us. I’m really excited about the future cause it takes drops of water to make an ocean, with continuous hard-work, teamwork and determination dreams do come through. Nothing is impossible if we put our minds to it, Dawnjuice moves in a steady pace, gradual is he that want to eat fat, so establishing branches in the various locations in Lagos and then other states to spread our vision throughout the country. Healthy eating is no longer expensive.
I will keep pushing against all odds
There’s hardly anything you set to do that someone else isn’t doing and that alone can get you thinking on how you’ll start and meet market standard and the thoughts of not been capable of sustaining in the market. At the beginning not having the necessary and right machinery to make work faster, effective and efficient. I almost gave up but with great support and encouragement, I went back to drawing board evaluated what exactly I needed and wanted to do. A lot of things can discourage one from attain success but with determination, set mind and focus all will be the thing of the past sooner or later.
My husband is my Inspiration
I got inspired by My Husband as I get to prepare Juice for him like every other day, as healthy living is a long term and continuous commitment and he was very conscious of his diet with the Juice added. That birthed the dream. Continuous attempts paved way for learning, exploring and researching into the World of Juicing, the juicing in small quantities been made, started growing progressively by the day and boom DAWNJUICE here I come.
More inspiration came as I get to influence people around me to living and eating better and healthy by adjusting their diet plan by adding Juice or smoothies to their meal plan.
Being a Woman of Rubies
I believe as a woman being independent goes a long way for us, our kids and the society at large, we need to wake up from the Mentality of keeping ourselves in the wall of our homes, care for the household and not mix and mingle with the ongoing events around us and our surroundings.
We have lots of talents and things to offer to the society, starting from been supportive to our husbands in every ramification, raising our kids and instilling good habits in them, been our sisters keeper at all times and helping fellow women instead making her feel inferior.
Are Nigerians well informed on the need to eat and drink healthy
Yes! Almost everyone is into one thing or the other it’s either you hear of Exercising (fitness club) or the Keto diet, smoothies cleansing etc. Everybody wants to live long in good health and so in achieving that they fall on any of the mentioned above. Staying in shape is trendy thing now – exercising and having a good diet, everything and anything at all that can make the old look younger. Farming is also beginning to resurface as fresh and organic crop product are more save and reliable to consume.
Why we support charitable causes
Dawnjuice loves to support and promote other business the little way we can cause we all need each other to grow, it gives us more exposure and opportunities and help reach our prospective customers , giving them an insight and knowledge about DawnJuice.
Instagram influencer and comedienne, Gloria Oloruntobi popularly known as Maraji isn’t big on interviews and event appearances and she tells her fans her reason on the latest edition of Rubbin’ Minds with host, Ebuka Obi-Uchendu.
Maraji, who is popular for her comic multiple personality video clips on Instagram reveals that she began her now 2-year, million-naira business as a way to deal with boredom.
In the interview, she also talks about the challenges of creating her videos, how she makes money off content creation, and future plans.
Please hold on, I really don’t mean to scare you. However, 75% of corporate employees fail in business; be it a side business or a full time business after years in corporate employment. Have you ever wondered why it is so?
At a time, I thought it was a jinx, as I could not imagine how a high flying employee could fail woefully in a personal business. I have also had my fair share of failures but now I know better.
Let me share a bit of my failure story.
One beautiful afternoon, I got a call from a colleague and he introduced me to a wonderful health product. The interesting part was that I would get paid for using the product and get commissions from inviting people into the business. It was a networking business.
Being a sales person at work, I saw this as a walk over and I invested in the business immediately. My dear reader, I never smelled any commission as I could not introduce any one to the business. It is over six years now and I still have some of the products in my home. Let’s just say I leant how to fail honourably.
In the last three years, I have invested in three businesses and I am bold to say that I have made considerable success in each of them. This success rate did not just happen, it is because I have learnt from my previous failures and I’d love to share same with you. For the sake of this article, we will call our case study Sunshine.
Order
Sunshine works with a pre-listed job description and role assignment. For 7 years, Sunshine resumes to her job function each day, working through her duties in a breeze and she has imbibed this way of life subconsciously. She sees life in this form of stability and order. This is the mindset that Sunshine takes into the business world. Sunshine does not know that building a successful business requires a level of disruption. Things hardly work out as planned especially for start-ups. Order is her first shocker in the business arena, as there is every cause for alarm.
Research
Sunshine is a very busy hard worker and she hardly has time for social functions except family events. During one of such events, she got talking to a cousin of hers. He cousin invites her to a trending business and voila, her mind is made up. She resumes to the office and tries to contain her excitement till she shares her new found business idea with her colleague at work. Her colleague leapt for joy at the idea and Sunshine went ahead to invest in the business. Sunshine has set herself up for failure as she did not research her market and only got counsel from her busy colleague just like herself.
Capital
Sunshine once failed in a business before she started. This is because Sunshine was waiting for the big lump sum as her initial capital to start. Eventually, sunshine got her huge capital and invested all into her business. She made the huge mistake called OVER CAPITALIZATION. She invested more in finesse instead of founding values. I have been there so I know. The chilling boxes I bought when starting out in my event planning business are presently used as storage boxes in my home.
There are still other factors like Trust and Processes but I will be stopping here for today. I hope this article has helped you think things through, even as you start your business.
Do feel free to comment on other factors you know so as to help that corporate employee venturing into starting a side business.
She won the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria Universe pageant in 2008 and proceeded to represent Nigeria at the prestigious Miss Universe hosted by Donald Trump in Vietnam, as then Stephanie Oforka.
Stephanie registered her company in 2010 and launched her beauty and wellness brand in 2016. Her company was born out of a desire to help people feel confident in their bodies through an all-inclusive regime involving fitness trainings, healthy meal plans and skin rejuvenation products.
From her struggle with cystic acne, hormonal changes and weight gain after pregnancy, she was inspired to launch her venture to help other women.
Today, Stephanie has completely figured out holistic ways to tackle these issues and is sharing them via her company. Her vision is to create a space where she can help people become the best version of themselves.
A graduate of Geology from the Federal University of Technology Owerri, Nigeria, the ex-beauty queen went on to marry footballer Kalu Uche in 2011 and they are blessed with two children.
