Life they say has different faces and only the tough people can stand the challenges involved. It is better to fail in novelty than to succeed in imitation, a belief that makes Amb. (Dr.) Joy I. Ezeike is unique in life; she believes in her own concept of creating a different world in business and personal life.
A woman of many parts, Ezeike is an entrepreneur and business professional par excellence, a renowned certified media expert with global training experience, and an astute personality with proven managerial and administrative competencies. She retired to a private personal business after several years in the banking sector.
Her love for photography, cinematography, movie production and event management spurred her to establish a media company, Omas World of Glamour Ltd. As the Founder/CEO of the organization, she made sure that the required energy that engenders business growth was invested and the company grew to become the number media company in the city of Port Harcourt, with strong presence in Lagos and Abuja.
Her contribution to the social-economic development through the media industry earned her different awards from different reputable bodies, including religious organisations, in recognition of her role in society and capacity building. The most recent is the Garden City Advancement Award where she received a platinum honors as enterprising personality of the year in 2021. Also, the Rotary Club of Ogudu GRA honoured with an award in recognition of her service to humanity.
A honorary doctorate degree holder (Hon. Causa) in media and art from Omini Bible University Oklahoma USA, She shares her inspiring story with Esther Ijewere in this interview.
Childhood Influence
GROWING up and family life in a humble background got me ready for life. I grew up in a very peaceful, fun and loving family with parents who taught me almost all I know. Of course, I didn’t know I would be here right now doing this, but somewhere along the line, it came to me and ever since, to the glory of God, it has been a success story.
Inspiration Behind Omas Group Of Companies And Omas Mega 4 Projects
Love and Passion for humanity; the passion to create unending employment for the young ones in our society. The Holy Spirit has been the guide and anchor: He directs, and I simply follow.
The foundation for hope is an NGO set up to cater for the elderly, helpless and needy of our society. My Story is a movie about my life to give hope and belief to others who are either upcoming or think they have lost it in life. Face of Omas is a pageant brand geared towards uplifting the girl child, while Omas studios TV is an online platform.
The Journey So Far
It Wasn’t smooth at first, but the Holy Spirit kept me going, so, I Thank God for the success we enjoy today. It’s been a tough yet fun ride; I can’t wait to see what God has in store for me.
What Informed My Decision To Leave Banking Sector For Entrepreneurship
I left the bank because it was pre-planned; I left to be a mother to my children and a wife to my husband. My regional manager refused me leaving thinking there was a problem at the home front, but there wasn’t any. I didn’t just believe in people taking care of my kids, so I took a sabbatical leave from the bank. But business came calling and I answered; I can return to banking at any time.
Society And Its Support For Women In My Kind Of Business
Societal support doesn’t really count for me, because society is not the vision bearer; they won’t really understand your drive. My pulling force in life/business has been heavenly support and that is what really counts for me. But then, generally, it will be better if society will support women, especially in the media industry.
Three Women Who Inspire Me And Why
I have drawn inspiration from many Nigerian women, the likes of Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Rev Nches Iredu. Then on the international scene, you have the likes of Michelle Obama etc. These are women, who have been on various ladders of leadership, and some are leading big organisations and institutions. So, they inspire me a great deal; it makes me believe that there is no limit to what a woman can achieve.
Achieving Work-Life Balance
It has been God; He makes all things possible. He keeps giving me top-notch dedicated workers who always key into the vision. How I do it, I don’t know; God just keeps making it happen. I must tell you that it is not always very easy balancing marriage and work, as both are demanding, especially when you have children to take care of. However, marriage should not deter women from working and even giving sufficient time to work.
These days, the emphasis is no longer on the housewife; this is because to catch up with the demands of the family requires all hands to be on deck. As a matter of fact, I have provided strong support for my husband as long as the day-to-day running of our home is concerned. Over time, I have understood the home front and also my career; it takes dedication, absolute dedication, and self-sacrifice to balance the demand from the home front and career.
Truthfully speaking, I work hard and I give time to my work. I even work at night, yet I still find sufficient time for my husband and children. One thing that has helped me is my time management skill and I think people should learn the principles of time management; it will help them to balance the time they give at home and at work.
Challenges Of My Work
Lack of Government support and lack of collaboration with established firms in putting Nigerian media at the top sector. Dealing with young minds and eradicating poverty by creating unending employment requires a lot of investment. We need well to do individuals, firms, and the Government at both state and federal levels to come in and support training and equipping these young minds so we keep them off the street.
Other Projects And Activities
The Face of Omas will be coming soon with the view of uplifting the girl child. The Foundation for Hope is already catering for children in orphanage homes amidst plans to do some big charitable works and medical outreach in villages. Omas Studios TV has already started filming programmes and TV content for the general public. My story has been shot with the 1st episode already out on YouTube.
To Young Women Who Want To Go Into Business
First of all, clearly understand your vision and follow it up. Have a passion for your business. Passion is what drives you in any business, not minding how much you earn. Be a person of integrity; never be a two-sided person in business. Make the Holy spirit your everyday companion. ‘Women should be goal-oriented, women should focus on their goals and be intentional about them, the opportunities to excel in life are equal for men and women’ -alluring_jloo
Business Nugget
Do not worry about success at startup, stay dedicated and work towards being significant. With determination, success will come naturally.
Why I Am Extending My Business To Lagos
We have touched young lives in Port Harcourt and we are doing the same in Abuja, why not Lagos? We are excited to see Omas World of Glamour enter the Lagos market. We have been able to provide our clients with media production services that produce measurable results, as well as insights for future expansion and now we are here in Lagos. This will be an advantage for customers in the Southwestern part of Nigeria, as we are here to provide them with the best delivery and pricing.
The most exciting facet that we look forward to is continuous development, allowing us to achieve our vision of being the foremost media production company with a global outlook.