Nigeria Archives - Page 5 of 10

In Career Gems July 27, 2020 By Esther Ijewere

Why Amazon Delivery Is Catering To The Needs Of Widows – Mercy Makinde

In the last few years, the Amazing Amazon Initiative has empowered over 20, 000 Nigerian women and school children through collaborations with corporate and government entities.

The Lagos-based women-centric organisation has been providing financial literacy, empowerment and child protection expertise to women in different states in Nigeria.

It recently launched a logistic and delivery arm, Amazon Delivery, with proceeds from the business aimed at providing help for women and children in need.

“Proceeds from our Amazon Delivery help our NGO to look after and empower victims of abuse and violence,” the founder of the Amazing Amazon Initiative and chief executive officer of the Amazon Delivery Mercy Makinde said.

“We cannot always rely on donors to give us all the money that we need every time. Of course, we need donations, but starting Amazon Delivery also offers a practical way of helping our women see how they can start their businesses. There are a lot of women out there who need our help.”

Amazon Delivery initially started with delivery in Lagos and its environs. It, however, scaled its operations to include nationwide and international deliveries.

“We realised that there are a lot of people in Nigeria who want to send different items to their friends, families and associates outside Nigeria. We plugged ourselves into that space even though there are big players there,” Makinde said.

“But we offer our customers competitive rates and excellent services by leveraging on technology. We ship to UAE, Australia, China, the United Kingdom and the US.”

The business is not without its challenges. Makinde, a seasoned entrepreneur herself, said her team is motivated to see that whatever success the delivery service has enjoyed since it started operations in May is not eroded.

“We owe that to the women and children that Amazing Amazon Initiative provides help to directly or indirectly,” Makinde said.

In Inspiration July 23, 2020 By Esther Ijewere

#RubyGirls| “Be Concious And Intentional About Your Thought Pattern”- Oluremi TejumoJesu

Oluremi TejumoJesu, also known as TenaciousTejumoJesu is a child of God and a Mindset Fixer, she helps individuals move their minds from average and mediocre to positive and excellent.

She has a coaching academy, Discovery Point With TenaciousTejumoJesu Academy,and this offers Coaching classes on Self Esteem,Purpose Discovery, Relationship with God and fellow humans.

She is the author of the book “You Are Enough.” She is also the Lead Volunteer of Blissful Vines Network.

She is also the CEO of Emerald Empire (a catering and event planning hub).

TenaciousTejumoJesu loves meeting people, cooking, reading, inspiring the world around her and leveraging on experiences.

She shares her Ruby Girl story with Aduragbemi Akintepede

1. Let’s meet you. Who is Tejumojesu?

TejumoJesu is a child of God who loves going about His Business. She is the second child in her family and she believes in ORIGINALITY and REBRANDING oneself as an individual.

2. What is Mindset Revamp?

Mindset Revamp is one of the programs from Discovery Point With TenaciousTejumoJesu Academy, and it aims to help individuals reset their mindset and also break some mindset myths that has been naturally built over a long period of time.

3. When did you realize your gift of revamping minds?

I realized this gift last year, precisely in the month of December.

4. You published a book titled “You Are Enough” what is the story behind it?

The story behind it is that of a young girl who suffered from low self esteem which affected her sense of identity. And she was able to overcome when she realized that she is enough just the way she is.
And that young girl is ME, TenaciousTejumoJesu

5. What does your book entail?

It is a true life story of how I struggled with low self esteem and what I did to overcome that defect.
I was very vulnerable with my readers as I gave personal examples from experiences.

6. What has the Covid-19 pandemic taught you?

It has taught me to go all out to add more knowledge to myself, it has also taught me COMPLETE TRUST IN GOD.

7. As a caterer and event planner how has the pandemic affected your business?

This pandemic didn’t affect my business, as I quickly switched to digitalization as soon as I noticed that the whole world virtually went online.
And it has since then been useful.

8. How do you relax or unwind from your busy schedule?

I take out time to REST, see a movie and spend time with my family.

9. As a Mindset coach what are the major challenges young people face in Nigeria and what is the way out?

All the challenge starts from the mind, and the only way out is to be concious and intentional about your thought pattern.

10. How do you juggle coaching, event planning and other activities you’re involved in?

I try to balance everything. And when I see that everything is overwhelming, I switch into “observation mode.”

11. *Mention 3 women who inspire you and why?

My mum
Chichi Ogbonnaya
Tolulope AkinbinuThey have been able to successfully groom me, and show me that as a woman, you can attain the greatest height and still be balanced!

12. *Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?

Married with two children.
Winner of the Forbes under 30 successful women.
Established in my coaching career and own a restaurant.

13. *If you were given the opportunity to address a group of girls five years younger than you, what will be your advice to them?

You can be whatever you put your mind to, you can be successful and no one can stop you from being the total and complete woman except you.

In Interviews&profile July 20, 2020 By Esther Ijewere

Meet Odunayo Eweniyi , The Woman Promoting Savings Culture Through Piggybank

Odunayo Eweniyi a serial tech entrepreneur and one of the forces to be reckoned with in Nigeria’s (fin)tech space.

Straight after bagging a first class degree in Computer Engineering from Covenant University, Odunayo and six of her friends – Somto Ifezue, Joshua Chibueze, Ayo Akinola, Ibukun Akinola, Terry Kanu, Nonso Chinagorom, set up Push CV, a ob site with a really large database of pre-screened candidates.

Somto, Joshua, and Odunayo then went on to set up PiggyBank.ng (now PiggyVest), in 2016, following a social media post where a woman said she kept a “kolo” (piggybank) where she was putting money into everyday.

One of Odunayo’s co-founders, Josh saw this, and decided to see if they can digitise the concept. They spoke to their Push CV users about how else they can help them, and savings was the top choice.

By this time, Push CV was already profitable and this new idea might be the next big thing.

Indeed it was! They launched that same year and the reception was impressive. By the end of that year, users had saved N26m, and when the following year (2017) was ending, users had saved close to N1bn.

Piggybank.ng moved from a savings platform, to an investment platform, promising over 13% ROI to users.

PiggyVest “helps you stop excessive spending by allowing you save and invest money you would normally be tempted to spend,” the company says on its website.

In 2018, PiggyVest (then Piggybank.ng) raised $1.1m in funding from almost exclusively Nigerian investors.

Prior to Push CV and PiggyBank, Odunayo worked on content and social media management at various tech platforms, including some of the big names – TechCabal and Techpoint, learning all she could about running a business, more importantly, a tech business.

PiggyVest now has over 200,000 users who it says, have saved over N1bn in January 2019 alone.

Odunayo made the World Women in Fintech Power List for 2017 and is a 2018 Westerwelle Young Entrepreneurs fellow. She’s also been named on YNaija’s Powerlist for Technology (2017 & 2018).

In 2019, she was one of 50 women in Tech Cabal’s Tech Women Lagos portrait series. She was also named in Forbes Africa‘s “20 New Wealth Creators” on the African continent list.

We celebrate Odunayo for her hard-work and for putting her ideas to work, delivering value to Nigerians, especially millennials like her.

In Career Gems July 20, 2020 By Esther Ijewere

Women Affairs Ministry Launches Sanitary Pads Distribution Project In Abuja

The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Women Affairs, has launched a project to distribute about one million sanitary pads to women and teenage girls in the country in order to cushion the effect of COIVD-19.

Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen, launched the project at Kado village, Abuja, in a ceremony organized by the ministry with support from Water Supply Sanitation and Collaborative Council (WSSCC) and other stakeholders to commemorate World Menstrual Health and Hygiene Day.

The Minister lamented lack of access to menstrual health and hygiene products, education and sanitation facilities by vulnerable women and teenage girls.

She disclosed that each beneficiary would receive at least four packs of sanitary towels.

According to her, the project tagged, “One Million Pads Distribution Project” targets adolescent girls in all states of the federation.

“This project is hinged on the fact that girls’ and women’s choices of menstrual hygiene materials are often limited by costs, availability and social norms. Therefore, providing access to menstrual hygiene products will go a long way to solve the problem to a great extent,” the Minister said.

She further commended development partners, especially WSSCC and others for providing technical and financial support to the Ministry for Menstrual Health and Hygiene Management (MHHM).

She also applauded the First Lady, Aisha Muhammadu Buhari for her benevolence in supporting Nigerian women and girls and thanked Procter and Gamble for providing 4000 sanitary towels to kick off the first phase of the project.

While acknowledging that COVID-19 pandemic has further worsened access to menstrual management materials, Elizabeth Jeiyol, WSSCC National Coordinator for Nigeria urged all stakeholders to team up to change the negative social norms surrounding menstruation so that women and girls can practice menstruation in dignity.

She said: “Poor knowledge and understanding of menstruation may lead to unsafe hygienic practices for women and girls noting that access to menstrual hygiene materials is – a basic human right. Together, we can empower all women and girls to realize their full potentials everywhere in the world. It is commendable to see the contribution of other development partners including Action Against Hunger (AAH), United Purpose, NEWSAN, Youth WASH and OPS-WASH and numerous other CSOs to make this day a huge success.

“There is no gainsaying the fact that effective menstrual hygiene has direct and indirect effects on the overall well-being of women and girls – in the context of education, empowerment and health.

However, women and girls face continuous mental, physical and health traumas during their periods – as a result of discriminatory social norms, cultural taboos, supernatural beliefs, gender inequality, and limited access to basic services such as WASH facilities in private and public spaces which leads to ‘Period Poverty’ for women and girls across the world – especially in developing countries like Nigeria.”

In Editor's Choice July 17, 2020 By Esther Ijewere

Zainab Aliyu, The Nigerian Lady Who Was Rescued After Being Wrongly Jailed In Saudi Arabia, Completes NYSC

Zainab Aliyu, the Nigerian lady who was wrongly jailed in Saudi Arabia for carrying drugs she had no knowledge of, and rescued with the intervention of ?President Muhammadu Buhari, has completed the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC.

Shortly after she was released and returned to Nigeria, Zainab began the mandatory 1-year NYSC exercise and she just passed out with the latest batch.

Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, NiDCOM, celebrated Zainab after she completed her NYSC.

Dabiri-Erewa shared a picture showing Zainab flaunting her NYSC certificate and wrote: “Remember Zainab Aliyu, wrongly jailed in Saudi for carrying drugs she had no knowledge of, and rescued with the intervention of ?@MBuhari? She just completed her NYSC. We wish Zainab the best as she moves on to great success in life ?@Hajarahhh”, she tweeted.

In Inspiration July 14, 2020 By Esther Ijewere

“I Knew Right From Age 15 That I was Going To End Up As A Journalist”- Ify Onyegbule

Someone once said “Setting goals is turning the invisible into the visible”, being totally In love with your goals is one of the most beautiful things any human can do for themselves. Ify Onyegbule is one woman who loves her dream and allow her passion shine through unapologetically.

With a career spanning over 20 years, She’s become an enigma in her Industry, and a voice to reckon with.

Ify trained as an Investigative Journalist at the RNTC, she is a Presentation Coach, Social critic, Publisher, Author and Activist on Women issues. With experience spanning 20 years across different Radio and TV stations in Nigeria, she has worked with 96.9 Cool FM, Lagos, Radio Nigeria’s Metro 97.6 FM, Africa’s largest Radio Network and was extensively involved in News Reading, Programme Production and Music Presentation.

She also had stints with the Network Studio in Abuja on Treasure FM in Port Harcourt, Capital FM, Abuja all under Radio Nigeria. As she left the Government owned stations, she forayed into the private stations again, venturing into and specializing in core Presentation and News reading with Radio Continental’s 102.3FM and Television Continental in Lagos where she presented the Breakfast Shows on Radio and TVC. She created and presented Woman of Substance where she celebrated Nigerian women excelling in their various professions and vocations. She is credited with intellectual programmes like the Gameshow which she anchored to improve the reading culture amongst Nigerians. She also presented for years, Kubanji Direct, an audience participation programme where issues of National and global relevance were discussed with guests discussing the topics.

Ify branched out in 2011 and established her own outfit Trueline Productions, a Media Organization responsible for providing content for both Radio and Television. She continued with packaging content for programmes on Radio Continental and the Breakfast show on Rainbow 94.1FM, Lagos. At the same time she began publishing a magazine Woman of Substance Nigeria, a follow up to the TV programme of the same name, where she interviewed over 1000 Nigerian women professionals. Her book, “Not between my Legs” is targeted at young women, it is a book about Tenacity, Hope and Determination in the course of pursuing a career, particularly in Broadcasting.

In 2014, she was engaged by the management of Rockcity FM. the 1st Independent Radio Station in Ogun state to consult as the Station Manager and during the period, she reorganized, revamped and repositioned the station’s programmes, redefining its status amongst its peers. As Station Manager, she also anchored the Breakfast Show and the Newspaper review. This lasted for a year before she joined the consulting team of Radio Port Harcourt 91.7FM as its General Manager.

The station rebranded and took on a new name WAVE FM in October 3, 2015. As General Manager of Wave FM, she anchored the Breakfast Show and Paper Review, created other programmes, developing talent from amongst her staff who presented these programmes to the satisfaction of the teeming listeners.

Her contract with the station ended December 27th, 2016 following which she relocated to Lagos, returning to her responsibilities at the Women Awareness for Sustainable Empowerment Initiative (WASEI), WOS Magazine/TV and Truespeak Media Academy.
She devotes her spare time to discussions and analysis on Radio and Television stations, talking with young people in higher institutions, giving speeches, Compering Corporate events, attending conferences and seminars aimed at impacting lives. Ify loves spending time also with abandoned children at various orphanages and Widows, through her Yearly Widows Outreach.

Ify Onyegbule currently Hosts The Daily Report on Star 101.5FM, a programme she created with colleague, Charles Kalu and she also contributes to the website www.thedailyreport.ng

He new book, How Did We Get Here, was launched online this year, May 27, 2020 and it’s an Experiential/Instructional book about the 25 mistakes that every radio presenter must avoid.

She shares her Inspiring story with Esther Ijewere in this exclusive Interview.

Childhood Influence

I knew right from age 15 that I was going to end up as a Journalist and I knew that someday I was going to speak into the microphone just like those I watched and listen to while growing up in Surulere, Lagos Nigeria. I come from a family where parents encouraged you to read the newspapers, listen to radio and watch television, especially the news on TV so I got used to watching the likes of Bimbo Oloyede, (Roberts at that time) Sienne Allwell Brown, Ruth Benemasia, Julie Coker and so many others on TV, remember the days when transmission started at 4, my father will make sure that I watched the news at 9 and in my own free time I had this small radio in my room so I was always listening and wondering how these people talked from a small or big box, that piqued my interest and I started to read out to myself and mimic what they were doing and that was it. Yes I had a childhood that was influenced by the things around me and I agree it prepared me for all that I am doing today.

The Drive

I was a spontaneous kid, I was inquisitive, I had deep thinking about issues, I knew how to talk and exposure to the reading materials, radio and TV just spurred me on and ignited the passion. The rest they say is History.

The Journey so far

It’s been a wonderful ride for me even with the ups and downs of the profession. My journey stared in a place called DBN, those days on Awolowo Road as a reporter. I was very excited with this job not because I was going to earn some stipend for doing my work but because I was open to learning something new after my training at Alliance Francaise in Ikoyi and fresh from NYSC in Jos Plateau State.

I did the job for 3 months and moved on to what was then and still known as Cool FM also as a correspondent. I moved from Cool FM to Metro FM at the Broadcasting House Ikoyi, Lagos where I will say I cut my teeth in broadcasting that was the place that taught me most of what I know today on the job.

From Metro I had stints in Treasure FM Port Harcourt, Capital FM Abuja and the Network Service of Radio Nigeria also in Abuja. When I left Radio Nigeria, I pitched my tent with Radio and TV Continental where I anchored a number of A-list programmes before resigning from my job in 2011 to set up my Trueline Productions which is also into the production and packaging of content for radio and TV.

In the course of this, there were short stints with a couple of Radio and TV stations in Lagos where we provided content for the Morning show on these platforms. I got a call from to come run a Radio Station as its Station manager and the experience with Rockcity FM was a vista, away from what I had always known, so it set the stage for me in a managerial capacity and gave me an insight into the management of Human and Material resources. A higher responsibility came when I was contracted again to move over as General Manager of Wave FM in Port Harcourt, a very worthwhile experience for me because it was a different ball game altogether, working in South South Nigeria. So generally, I would say I have had a wonderful ride in Broadcast Journalism or the Media as it is.

20 Years In the Media Industry and It’s Impact on My Personal Growth

In simple terms, it’s not about the number of years but the events that characterize these years, I have grown organically from stage 1 all the way to where I am now so I have learned Patience, Perseverance, tolerance, Loyalty, Office Politics and these have positively affected my approach to life.

Inspiration behind my fast-selling book; “How did we get here”?

How Did We Get Here is simply an experiential and instructional material with Broadcast Journalists and especially Radio Presenters as the primary target. every day we are confronted with various challenges on the job as Duty Continuity Announcers, Presenters or On Air Personalities (as they are called today), sometimes we are confused about what to do in various circumstances and when we take that step or make that move, it may be that something has gone wrong with that 1 move then we find out that we have flouted a rule or the station’s regulations and we incur the wrath of our employers and sometimes it’s a SACK.

So I reckoned that young presenters of today need guidance, they need mentoring and these can only happen for those willing to seek help through reading and training. I know that mistakes are a part of learning but having a fore knowledge about something can help position these personalities for a better outing on their jobs.

The book contains some of the Mistakes I made as a regular presenter at the various places I have worked and some others mistakes I saw people make in the course of their jobs so basically it is just a guide to help presenters avoid the mines in the field as they settle into the game of Presentation or Production.

My Initiative for Widows; Women Awareness for Sustainable Empowerment Initiative (WASEI)

I recently started to focus a lot of attention on widows because I became a widow in 2018 but my NGO, Women Awareness for Sustainable Empowerment Initiative (WASEI) was born in 2008 and we were mostly about creating Awareness and providing Empowerment for women, yes we had some activities for widows but it was not a major thing for the NGO but as the years progressed, I found that this group of women were amongst the vulnerable groups so we started to pay measurable attention but things changed and became specific when I found myself in that category of persons and I felt there was the need to use my voice and my platform to project the issues and engineer change no matter how small it is.

Challenges of being a Presenter and Philantropist

There are challenges in different professions and as a Presenter, I had my fair share of challenges and I chose to step over them and not allow these to draw me back. Our kind of job is something that takes all of you so those around you must be willing to not be a stumbling block in your career. I was out of the house most of the time, I remember there was a time I didn’t go to church for close to 4years because I was running the Sunday shift at the radio station and that was the job so I had to do it and I loved it because I could share scriptures with my audience in the course of the programme. Even when I became a manager, it had its own challenge also, working in a place that runs a 24hour schedule so I had my staff calling me at any time for one thing or the other and my husband just couldn’t understand why I couldn’t switch off my phone and I had to make him understand that there were persons who could want to reach me even when I am not at work.

I remember years ago while working with TVC, I put my phones on silent mode and went to sleep unfortunately there was a fire incident 3 streets away from me and the fire billowed I reckoned people tried reaching me cos some knew where I worked and some felt I could have the numbers of the fire service but I didn’t pick, I woke up to see so many missed calls and when I got there pushing through the crowd, lives had been lost. So our job is very peculiar with its fair share of challenges but I have been able to manage. I will not consider myself a Philanthropist per-se because I don’t even have the money to reach out to people as I would love to but from the little that I have, I try to meet a need or two from time to time but I have also found out that people reach out to me to help give money out to people who need it so yes from time to time, I raise requests on my social media handles and well meaning individuals send in their little token that is shared amongst persons in need. Through this, I have met many persons who really need help to get by in life. It gives me joy to touch the lives of those in need.

3 women who inspire you to be better and why

Reverend Dele George of the Little Saints Orphanage has always been an Inspiration for me and the admiration started from the day I went to interview her and she told me her story about how she started taking care of motherless babies, it blew me away because it simply opened my eyes to the fact that even with your own biological children, it takes nothing away from you to look after other children who don’t have a home or parents of their own so I had to follow her work and I am still following.

Another woman is Mrs. Bimbo Oloyede, the Veteran Broadcaster, there is something about her, she is very professional, calm and always ready to listen to you and act if she has to do anything about your matter or request. This is a woman I have followed over time and she has inspired me in the area of my career.

My greatest inspiration is my Mother, Kind, Tolerant, full of Wisdom, Patient, Loving and very intelligent in her thinking, sometimes I wish I was half of what my mother is and I love her to bits!

Key nuggets for aspiring OAP’s who are still trying to find their voice in the Industry

These are some of the things I share with young and aspiring Presenters just so they prepare their minds for the job.

“If you mess up, your fans may lose respect for you in a heartbeat; you may not get the roles you want anymore and someone can replace you”

“Self-branding, like fame, just doesn’t happen overnight; it is a well-calculated, well-planned effort”

“Seek knowledge because it helps you to blend-in during conversations with other people”

“If you want to grow on the job, you have to keep an open mind and remain green so that you can continue to grow”

“Mentoring is key for any young presenter who wants to go far on the job”

“As a young presenter you have to grow on the job and your station is the platform you need to carve a niche for yourself”

“To stay afloat, presenters had to be creative and come up with original content”

“Getting angry and becoming flippant or rude won’t earn you any respect”

Being a Woman of Rubies

Now this is a tricky one, I know Ruby is a very precious Gem so I am thinking it is left for people who have had dealings with you or interacted with you to determine how precious you are or why you should be a Woman of Rubies but I know I have been an inspiration to many but I always prefer that my work or actions speak for me.

How to get my Book

They can get the book by ordering copies. It is N4,000 per copy and payment can be made to 1002133134 Zenith Bank (Ify Onyegbule) thereafter they have to send a delivery address by text to 08026265478.

In self development July 14, 2020 By Esther Ijewere

Olabisi Animashuan: Pre-conceived Bias And Housing Discrimination Of Lagos Landlords Towards Single Women.

“I don’t understand why Lagos Landlords have a problem with renting out their apartments to single women” I hear the worry and frustration in my sister’s voice at the other end of the line. The prawn crackers I was munching on became tasteless in my mouth. We’ve been on this conversation for the past twenty minutes. I sigh. I understand her predicament. Our other sister had the same issue while she was apartment hunting. Ever the adventurous one, she had wanted to move out of the house as soon as she got a job after serving the fatherland in Kwara State.

She was initially posted to the far end of Wamba in Nasarawa State, our parents, after a long series of argument, emotional blackmail, and threats had reached a compromise with her; they would agree on a state not too far from home but Ogun, Oyo, and Osun States are out of the options. Fully aware of the efforts it took her to reach a compromise; they had agreed to facilitate her redeployment to Kwara State. After service, she got a great job at a top publishing firm in Lagos and couldn’t wait to leave home; “A girl also needs her privacy” she always says. I recall the number of times she would lament to our parents and whoever cared enough to listen about how unfair society treats women. A single woman can hardly get accommodation in a decent environment without pretending to be engaged or presenting a father figure in her life to testify of responsibility and his willingness to grant her the freedom she desires. Long story short, after much persuasion, dad had gone with her to the agents of some of the apartments she was interested in.

I try persuading my sister to go through the route our other sister eventually took. I mean, if a single woman cannot gain decent accommodation because of the prejudice the society has on singleness and women in general, what else can a girl do? Lagos landlords are of the opinion that women are mostly sponsored by their parents, husbands, or the numerous men in their lives. If things go sour between the ‘small girls’ and their ‘big gods’, the rent will suffer for it. That again is another prejudice, a stereotype that women are not as hardworking and financially stable as their male counterparts. My sister still continues to rant, demanding to know why her decision should be based on her marital status or parental influence. Seeing that I was making no headway as she is already determined, I calmly listen to her rants and let her know all will be well.

After saying our goodbyes, I begin to ponder on what we had just discussed. I have never thought about leaving my parents’ house without leaving for my matrimonial home. I still have no intention to do so, except if my career demands it. Probably because I’m very attached to my parents, being the last child. I recall my brother didn’t have this kind of problem. The landlord had only insisted that the rent be paid when due, the number of occupants shouldn’t be more than three at any point since that was stated clearly in their agreement form and loud parties will not be tolerated. Those rules were fair enough. Any responsible person would easily abide by them.

I can’t help but believe these hideous beliefs and bias stem from the deeply rooted patriarchal system African countries, especially Nigeria are cursed with. Why my financial capabilities would be judged by my gender. A woman by ‘default’ is judged incapable, not because she doesn’t have a job, but because she’s a single WOMAN.

It’s funny how many people would turn a blind eye to discriminating against females wanting to be independent. Others might even validate the act. It is very understanding and acceptable if the basis of rejection is based on the premises of the individual doesn’t have a stable job hence the fear of defaulter in payment of rent or the individual has a track record of recklessness and irresponsibility. I recall reading about an interview with a property owner and landlord, Coleman Nwafor and BBC Africa, Mr. Nwafor had said that the bulk of his tenants are men because they have more than women.

Asides the financial ‘insecurity’ bias, many landlords and property developers, are driven by the belief that women cannot — or should not — live outside their father or husband’s house. Another evidence of how much damage the patriarchal belief system has done to our society.

My sister had earlier shared with me the very unnecessary and invasive questions the landlords of the apartments she had inspected had thrown at her, “Why would you want to leave alone? Don’t you know you’re a woman? Are your parents still alive? What do they think of this act of yours?

Another had said “You look old enough for marriage, why are you still unmarried? One of them had even with all sincerity told her that men do not want a woman who is already ‘settled’ getting an apartment as a single woman would reduce her chances of getting married, no man wants a woman who doesn’t need him, a woman who has it all would find difficult to be submissive to her husband. The society has made marriage the ultimate attainment of a woman and normalised policing women about. There is already established bias, that the need for a single lady to live apart from her parent is to fuel her wayward lifestyle, most definitely to live her life unsupervised. The upper-class single women seem to have it a little easier though they still endure some wagging tongues and snide remarks about their lifestyle.

If we are aware of and irritated about how tribalistic landlords can be when it comes to choosing their tenants, and then we can imagine how most women have it worse, one from discrimination against their tribe and then their gender.

Can you testify to these ridiculous and backward reasoning acts? Please share your experience with us and how you handled it.

Written by: Olabisi Animashuan

In Career Gems July 14, 2020 By Esther Ijewere

Police Arrest Couple For Brutalizing Their 12-Year-Old Daughter In Enugu (Photos)

The Enugu State Command has arrested one Effiok Umo and his wife, Nnenna Umo, both of Okwojo Ngwo, Udi LGA, for allegedly abusing and assaulting their twelve (12) years old daughter, Mercy Umo, after she fell asleep while slicing onions for the food they were preparing.

A statement from the spokesperson of the state police command, ASP Ndukwe Ekea, says the arrest is sequel to information received by the Commissioner of Police, CP Ahmad AbdurRahman, MCPSS, MCJ, MNIM from the National Human Rights Commission, Enugu on July 12. Ekea said upon receiving the information, the police commissioner immediately instructed the Divisional Police Officer, 9th Mile Police Station, to ensure the suspects are arrested and prosecuted accordingly.

”Preliminary investigation shows that the couple are used to abusing and assaulting the child for little or no justifiable reasons by using objects, such as sticks, electric wires, heels of shoes and so on to mercilessly flog, hit and/or beat her up.

The height of it happened on 10/07/2020 at about 2230hrs when the wife, who is the child’s stepmother, abused and assaulted her to the extent of inflicting her bodily harm on the excuse that she dozed off while slicing onions required for food being prepared the said night.

This led to neighbours, who have found their act of inhuman treatment of the child unbearable, reporting the matter to the Police through National Human Rights Commission.” the statement said

Ekea said the state Commissioner of Police, while frowning at the unbecoming occurrence of acts of child abuse, assault and inflicting of grievous bodily harm on children, has vowed to prosecute the suspects to serve as a deterrent to parents/guardians, who intend or have been committing such inhuman acts that infringe upon the personality and Fundamental Human Rights of children, especially susceptible ones.

He appealed to residents of the State to promptly report any person(s) found committing acts that impinge on the well-being and fundamental Human Rights of vulnerable children to the nearest Police Station or by calling the Command’s hotlines on: 08032003702, 08075390883, 08086671202 or 08098880172.

In self development February 13, 2020 By Esther Ijewere

7 SIGNS YOUR PARTNER DOESN’T CARE ABOUT YOUR RELATIONSHIP

An ideal relationship is one of equity, where both partners give and take happily in a positive, healthy dynamic. But maybe you’re having some doubts about your own relationship. Is it really one of reciprocity? Does your partner care for you as much as you care for them?

Unfortunately, differences in commitment levels are far from unusual in relationships. But you and your partner both deserve to be with someone who they share a balanced dynamic with, so you need to make sure you’re not being taken for granted or led on.

Here are 7 Signs Your Partner Doesn’t Care About Your Relationship

1.You hardly interact

How often do you and your partner interact? If they are interested in you beyond a superficial level, they would want to spend as much time as they can with you. This doesn’t mean they won’t be busy or have their own hobbies and commitments. But it does mean that they’d make an effort to see you or at least talk to you very regularly.

Consider;

How often do you go on dates? Is it often many weeks before you see each other in person?

Do you text each other regularly? Or are there long gaps between messages, and many days that you go without speaking?

Do you call each other, especially when you can’t see each other for a while?

How quickly do they respond to your messages or attempts at interaction?

Do they often make last-minute plans, or cancel long-made ones?

If your partner doesn’t seem to want to spend that much time interacting with you, they probably only think of you as a side-fling.

2 – They Avoid Presenting You As a Partner

When you’re with someone you care for, it’s hard not to want to show them off. You proudly announce that this is your girlfriend, boyfriend, or partner. You tag them in cute pictures on social media. You tell others stories about them.

But what if your partner just thinks of you as a fling? They likely won’t want to make others think you’re their partner because they don’t see this as a long-term thing.

A partner who is in it for the long run will:

Be very excited about showing you off to others

Proudly bring you around with them

Introduce you as their partner in a positive way

Tell others about you, even just in passing

Have no problems posting social media photos or statuses that involve you

On the other hand, a partner who doesn’t care about sticking with you will:

Introduce you as a friend or refuse to use committed terms for you

Seem embarrassed by you, as though they don’t want to be seen with you

Never talk about you, ever

Refuse to be open about your relationship on social media

3 – You’ve Never Met Their Friends Or Family

Someone’s friends and family are the people they spend time with. These are the lovely people your partner cares most about. If you were an important part of your partner’s life, they would have decided to introduce you to the other people they love so that their worlds can collide in harmony.

But if your partner doesn’t want you to meet anyone he knows, there’s a good chance that’s because they don’t think it’s necessary. You won’t be around for long enough for the stress and anxiety of these meetings to be worth it, and maybe your partner doesn’t see there being much of a point, to begin with.

4 – You Initiate Everything

No matter what, it seems like you’re always initiating every interaction you have with your partner. They never take the first step, and it’s enough to make anyone wonder if the relationship is a real, committed one. Sadly, the answer is probably “no”. This goes for:

Texts

Calls

Dates

Intimacy

Gestures of affection

Gifts

Your positive thinking may spur you to continue this pattern of repeated and unreciprocated initiation, but be careful. There’s a good chance that they just don’t consider you worth that effort.

5 – Your Interactions Revolve around Physical Intimacy

Does your partner only seem to ring you up for intimate activities, as though you’re a number to casually dial for booty call services? Perhaps you’ve noticed that, no matter what you’re doing, things always slowly devolve into private, steamy exchanges.

This is even more of a red flag if you try to get your partner to do other activities with you outside of the bedroom, but they repeatedly turn you down. It definitely sounds like they’re only interested in intimate activities, and not in being with you in the long run. Sure, intimacy is important in all sexual relationships, but it shouldn’t be all that you do.

6 – They Don’t do Anything for you

Relationships are about give and take, and a healthy one involves plenty of that. More importantly, a positive and committed relationship has both partners making “sacrificial” types of gestures for the betterment of their significant other’s life or happiness.

They don’t have to be big gestures, and you certainly shouldn’t expect a partner to give up everything in their life for you. But there are some common signs of commitment through small sacrifices, including:

Doing things for you that they don’t necessarily enjoy

Changing up their schedule every now and then to be with you

Helping you whittle down small things on your to-do list

Being there for you when you’re feeling down

Offering to help you out with small tasks

Buying you simple but meaningful gifts

Actively trying to make you happy

If your partner refuses to do absolutely anything at all for you, there’s a good chance that they don’t care about you or your relationship.

7 – You Only Seem To Meet at The same Place and time

Couples typically like the process of switching things up every once in a while, and doing the exact same thing can get fairly monotonous and boring. But for some reason, everything about your relationship is monotonous. You meet at the same places every time you do meet, or at the exact same time, or only at night, or even all three.

Why is this a bad sign? Well, it could indicate that your partner doesn’t want to bring you into their life – they just want you to be a regular stop in their daily routine. It sounds nice until you realize that this means you’re not a partner in this situation: you’re a convenient number on a list.

This can also indicate that:

Your partner is hiding something

Your partner doesn’t want to alter their schedule to see you

Or, your partner is meeting with you out of convenience

Of course, jumping to these conclusions quickly is a bad idea, but you should be ready for the unexpected when you bring this up to your partner.

8 – They Don’t Know Much About You (And They Don’t Ask)

Does your partner sometimes feel like a stranger? Do they buy your least favorite chocolate to give you as a gift, even after you’ve told them you dislike it countless times? Do they have no idea what you do for a living? Have they mixed up your hobbies multiple times?

A partner who doesn’t know much about you is probably not interested in finding out more about you and committing it to memory. It’s even worse if they never ask – it truly shows that they have little to no actual interest in you.

This also goes the other way around. A partner who is committed often shares more about themselves with their significant other, according to studies that examine the positive and negative links between self-disclosure and commitment readiness.

9 – They Don’t Talk About The Future

Someone who cares about your relationship and is committed to you will happily discuss the future with you. This doesn’t have to be about marriage or having kids, either (and in most newer relationships, it won’t be!). Instead, you may notice things like:

Your partner talks about his future while including you in it

Your partner seems to naturally include you in all their future plans

Or, your partner expresses a desire to be with you for a long time

Your partner makes plans months in advance with you for vacations, dates, or other events

Your partner is happy to have an open, honest conversation about the direction of your relationship

On the flip side, a partner who completely refuses to talk about the future at all, they probably are not committed to you and don’t care about the relationship nearly as much as you do.

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In Interviews&profile December 9, 2019 By Esther Ijewere

NIGERIA’S OLUTOSIN ARAROMI MADE TOP 20 LIST AT THE MISS UNIVERSE PAGEANT

MBGN Universe, Olutosin Araromi, was definitely one to watch out for at this year’s Miss Universe beauty pageant, and this she proved by placing among the top 20 out of 90 contestants.

Olutosin competed alongside 90 other ladies at the Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, at the event which saw South Africa’s Zozibini Tunzi getting crowned as the 68th Miss Universe.

Tosin’s general charisma, poise and intelligence made it possible for her to place as a finalist, which is interestingly the first time in many years a Nigerian will place at the top spot.

When it was Olutosin’s turn to say something about herself, the 25-year-old public speaker who tragically lost her mum during the 2019 MBGN pageant, mentioned that the death of her mom has taught her perseverance and she uses her story to inspire and uplift youths.

Here are the top 20 contestants below:

Nigeria – Olutosin Araromi

South Africa – Zozibini Tunzi (WINNER)

Vietnam – Hoàng Thùy

Indonesia – Frederika Alexis Cull (Top 10)

Thailand – Paweensuda Drouin (Top 5)

Albania – Cindy Marina

Colombia – Gabriela Tafur (Top 5)

Brazil – Julia Horta

India – Vartika Singh

Venezuela – Thalia Olvino

The Philippines – Gazini Ganados

USA – Cheslie Kryst (Top 10)

Mexico – Sofía Aragón (Top 3)

The Dominican Republic – Clauvid Daly

Peru – Kelin Rivera

Puerto Rico – Madison Anderson

Portugal – Sylvie Silvia

Croatia – Mia Rkman

Iceland – Birta Abiba Þórhallsdóttir

France – Maëva Coucke

Nigeria