Category: Feminique

DEAR Ma, I started reading your column when I was in S.S.2. Your words and warnings always boomed in my ears throughout my undergraduate study! I was able to connect with God and serve Him wholeheartedly. Not only did I graduate as a virgin, I also passed out with a second class upper division from the University of Ibadan. Looking back now, I can’t help but be grateful for the seed you sowed in my life that was further nurtured by God. You’re a gift to our generation ma!

Kenny

Dear Mother of a million girls,

I don’t know how to thank you enough, I am here to thank you. Truely you have changed my life! I was someone who once believed in virginity and I still envy and admire those who are . I am 23 years old and what I want to tell you happened when I was 20. On April 21 2019, a day I can’t forget and I pray God gives me the grace to completely forget and give me a good man as a husband so that I can feel no guilty anymore, I went to a man’s house and without any intention of sleeping with him! I told him and he said no problems however I didn’t know he had plans to steal one of my three covenants with God which are as follows:

1. The man that will deflower me must be my husband
2. I would never date or marry any woman’s husband
3. I would never commit the sin of abortion

I cried deeply the day I broke my first covenant with God out of stupidity and I felt empty. I immediately started disconnecting myself from the guy that lured me to it yet I was still empty. To worsen matters, I ended up with another guy- this time craving for sex always and feeling guilty afterwards! Until I saw your article on secondary virginity. I began following you since then and I decided I was going to be that. To the glory of God, for 1 year now and counting I have started filling myself with a lot of God’s words and I have made a promise to him that I will keep myself until marriage. By his sufficient grace I graduated last December. Mummy million girls/angels, thanks and God bless you massively for turning lives with your positive words.

Ronke

My Darling, precious, glorious, dignified, world-famous and heavenly-celebrated Nigerian daughters,

Can you imagine knowing all the questions you have to attempt during your examinations even before the time-table is set? Can you imagine knowing the pitfalls the devil has designed to make you fail in life or stop you in your tracks from going forward? Can you imagine knowing the trouble awaiting you as a result of the next action you want to take? Can you imagine knowing what someone really thinks about you? Can you imagine receiving instructions all the world’s G.O.’s put together cannot give you to conquer a battle that has made you wish you were never born? I am writing from experience!

Girls…girls…girls, take it or leave it, if you want to stand out among your peers, if you want to be extra-ordinarily intelligent and be super-successful in life, your greatest weapon yet is your sexual purity now! It can fetch you just about anything! It is what you need to lay a solid foundation for a most beautiful future! BUT WHY THE HURRY TO HAVE SEX? In the first instance, when you have no time for boyfriends in your teens, you are not distracted and you have all the time and all your energy focused on your studies/getting good grades not wondering if your boyfriend is dating another girl, not worrying about the effects of contraceptives on your body, STDs, getting pregnant etc. On the other hand, I can tell you for a fact and from experience that sexual purity sharpens your spiritual perception! It makes you spiritually intelligent and gives so much unsolicited information.

By being sexually-pure and living a life of holiness, the Holy Spirit submerges your life and YOU KNOW ALL THINGS, YOU KNOW ALL THINGS, YOU KNOW ALL THINGS my sweeties! 1 John 2:20 KJV And by the time God is done with you you’d be smoking hot, you’d have fire in your bones and on your heels even your swag will be different. The best of eligible bachelors won’t be able to take their eyes or mind off you! Your aura will magnetize the best people and the best things in life. May you experience all of these and much more in Jesus name!

• I invite you to follow me on Facebook –TEMILOLU OKEOWO Instagram @ Okeowo Temilolu.

FINAL WORD

Chastity does not belong to the past. It saves you a lot of trouble, preserves your beautiful destiny and stands you out from the crowd. You are better off not engaging in pre-marital and extra-marital sex. Stay chaste!

Evangelist Temilolu O. Okeowo is the founder and Head girl of The Girls Apostolic Ministry of All Nations, an apostolic ministry for girls in their teens and twenties, and Girls Club of Nigeria, an NGO for Nigerian girls aimed at influencing a positive change. She published her debut-book for girls – THE BEAUTY OF LIFE – as an undergraduate and has other books and publications. She was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2003 and is a Certified Forensics Examiner.

Weyinmi Eribo is a geologist with experience in the extractive industry. She is also a member of the ministerial focal group that designed the Nigerian Youth Investment Fund. In this interview with Yetunde Oladeinde she shares her experiences in the sector, lessons learnt and moving into development work.

YOU have shown interest in issues around gender inclusion.  What are some of the experiences in the sector?

Issues around gender inclusion are very broad and cross cutting. However from experience, I have seen that to be able to support women adequately we cannot continue to use a one-size-fits-all approach in the solutions that we provide to empower women. There are some unique horizontal and vertical levels to these issues and if we continue to do things the same way that we have done over the years, we will leave more women behind than those we support. There is therefore a great need to design and deploy interventions that target and reach women where they are taking into consideration their actual realities and economic strengths amongst other things.

What are some of the changes that you would like to see in relation to the 2022 IWD theme #BreakTheBias?

The 2022 IWD theme really speaks to the core of most of the issues women face and I am truly grateful for a lot of the conversations that have come out of it. Bias is a really strong thing and a lot of us carry these biases without even knowing and it unconsciously affects the way we react and respond to issues that concern us and other people. These biases continue to limit women’s potential to dream and achieve their goals. I would like to see us challenge ourselves around the stereotypes and stigma we continue to propagate in our societies and take exception to them, so that we do not continue to stifle ourselves. Biases around divorce, women’s career advancement and economic status and so much more.

You were also inspired by WEVVO, what are some of the things that you do here?

Wevvo is one of the assignments God has placed in my hands and I like to call it my baby because it is very dear to my heart. Wevvo is community-based platform that supports female breadwinners with access to financial products and services, capacity development, mentoring and mental wellness, and community to thrive in their careers and businesses. Wevvo has members spread across the country and the community has been a blessing to me and the women who have now become sisters and continue to look out for one another. One of the things we are very passionate about is fighting the stereotypes that female breadwinners face in Nigeria and so everything we do is geared at giving these women back their voices in the society, helping them find themselves and giving them the will to dream again and make better choices for themselves and their families.

As a development expert, how can the government help to make things better?

The government can support firstly with ensuring that existing policies that support and protect women are implemented, people continue to abuse the rights of women across the country and some of them are not made to face the consequences of their actions. We also need the government to introduce new policies and interventions that empower women in the society especially single mothers who are tasked with the responsibilities of raising children on their own. A lot of women don’t start out with the decision to be single mothers, life happens but beyond these women, there are the lives of the children who will be affected. So we need targeted policies and interventions that support with education, health, housing, and other areas that can improve the general livelihood of these women.

What are some of your achievements as a trained geologist?

I started my career in the Nigeria Sao-Tome & Principe joint development authority in Abuja and it was a blessing because I was part of a huge project that could improve the economic opportunities for Nigeria and Sao- Tome & Principe. I was also the first female in-house geologist who was employed in that role, and I think till date it has not changed.

What would you describe as the turning point in your career as a geologist?

I had the privilege to volunteer my skills with an organization that worked with host mining communities, Global Rights. In this role, I was given the opportunity to visit a community in Kogi State where mining activities where ongoing. I saw firsthand the negative impacts of these explorative activities; the roads to their farmlands, streams, homes were being washed away by erosion and this was affecting their livelihoods, in addition to the pollution that was spreading. The community was also not getting their due compensation and it was just heartbreaking to see all that was going on. It was the first time in my life I saw data come to life. So when you see these statistics and numbers in reports and researches, they are actual people, people with names, faces, families, dreams. That was when I knew that I had to do more for humanity, and I decided that I would leave oil and gas and found my way into the development sector.

You have practiced across oil and gas as well as extractives, what are some of the memorable moments?

There are quite a number of memorable moments through the course of my career, but it all comes back to full circle moments for me when I am able to use my skills and expertise to help bring justice for people and communities to make their lives a little easier and just put smiles on people’s faces.

Tell us your experience as part of the focal group that worked on the design of the Nigerian Youth Investment Fund?

I think the best part of the experience for me was working alongside credible Nigerians who truly have the hearts for people. Everyone was willing to share and bring in their knowledge, expertise, experience, and time to design something that was targeted at improving the lives of the youth in the country.

What are some of the other things that occupy your time?

When I am not working, I spend time reading. I also love to travel, create memories with my daughter and share time with my friends and mentees. I watch TV too, I have a few Nigerian series that I love and I watch movies as well.

If you had to advise young people, what would you tell them?

My advice to young people would be pace yourselves. Don’t get caught up in society’s timelines and rush into making decisions that you are not ready for. Everyone’s time on earth, everyone’s journey and purpose are different, so live your life the way God wants you to.

What are some of the principles that guide what you do?

I have several principles that have guided my life, especially as an adult, most of which I picked from both my parents but my top four are kindness, character, hard work and competence.

What are some of the things that you would like to do in future?

One major lesson I have learned in my life is that life is in phases and every phase should express God’s purpose for it. Outside of visiting all the countries in the world and maybe doing something in media, I live ready and excited to see what next God will send me into.

What type of books do you like to read?

Reading is my happy place and I honestly read almost anything but at top of my list will be self-motivating books, autobiographies, and fiction especially by African authors.

What lessons has life taught you?

It will all make sense in the end. Every failure, success, heartbreak, joy, pain, disappointment, happy moments, all our life’s experiences are all dots that will connect eventually and make sense.

IN recent times, I was invited to speak with the teenagers at a Methodist Church in Lagos and a girl asked me why even a teenager could get addicted sex! My response was as follows:

1. Lack of intentional parenting.
2. Lack of sex education
3. Childhood Abuse
4. Physical neglect and trauma
5. Satanic manipulation
6. Spiritual attacks and more!

I joyfully gave each of the girls, a copy of one of my new books- “Wisdom for Girls,” to reset their confused and possibly distorted souls!

A few days later, a music artiste, Temmie Ovwasa whom I had always suspected was reacting to a childhood trauma with her sexual orientation and the mournful spirit she exudes told the world she was abused by her stepfather between the ages of 11-17 and her mother refused to believe her. Asides being a lesbian, she wears a sorrowful look and speaks against God! Her life was stolen from her before her mother’s very eyes and her mother chooses not to believe her! How cruel!!! Barely 48 hours after her story went viral, another story of minors of a prominent school engaging in a sex orgy when they went for a competition in Dubai last month rented the air and the video of the evil act has since gone viral! And as usual, the girl-child is the one bearing the brunt!

Before we blame the school for negligence and irresponsibility- leaving minors alone in a hotel room outside the country, what type of parent allows a 10-year-old go for a competition or excursion outside the country without accompanying the child? How can any mother sleep well knowing her baby is with strangers outside the country??? What type of child would be so daring as to leave her hotel room and go to another room 7 floors away from hers and go and engage in sex? What type of parent raised such a child? What spirit is she possessed with? Which spirit is controlling her life because she’s certainly not herself? I have never in my life heard of any child described contemptuously as the little girl was described on social media! Her picture has since gone viral and people are not sparing her parents especially her mother! A lot of adults i must say with with questionable characters who watched the video said she wasn’t raped as her mother cried that she in fact was the one who was harassing the boy or boys she was engaging in sex with and with different styles. It was later discovered that she has a social media account where she posts erotic dances she records in her home and tells you to download for daily madness and cringe and has gathered over 24,000 likes at that age! Can you imagine how creative and intelligent this girl really is and how best she could have channeled her energy if her parents had intentionally raised her in godliness? But how can a 10-year-old be talking about entertaining you with madness and cringe? Isn’t this also as a result of her exposure on her smartphone? Do some parents think at all? Even if she needs a smart gadget for school work, can’t she be given an iPad or tablet that’s child-friendly?

Believe me, with the permissiveness of today’s parents, we might end up having more “yahoo boys” and porn stars than professors, scientists, lawyers and engineers in future! Yes! This is because those who are to birth the future generation are daily being messed up by those who brought them to the world who can’t ensure they follow the right path! But can they even raise their children in godliness when they have no iota of godliness in them? I’m talking about parents who would watch BBN and idolize the house mates and unconsciously carve a role model out of them for their children who are listening, parents who would wear indecent clothing and dance to crazy, indecent lyrics which turn the female to sexual objects! Or parents who themselves are serial adulterers oozing the spirit of lust and transmitting same to their offsprings…I could go on and on!

The thought that the children could engage in such an act is so heartbreaking and painful because they certainly don’t know what they’ve been doing! I would say the devil stole their souls out of their parents’ negligence!!! My business here at Girls Club is the girl hoping someone else is looking out for the boys and i must say someone perhaps in the family must have abused her at a very young age and set her on the ruinous path that she is.  Indeed a lot of parents are responsible for their children’s sexual immorality and pervasiveness and a lot of youth aren’t happy they’re addicted to sex either and have to wear their hearts and body out!

To be continued!

I invite you to follow me on Facebook –TEMILOLU OKEOWO Instagram @ Okeowotemilolu

FINAL WORD

Chastity does not belong to the past. It saves you a lot of trouble, preserves your beautiful destiny and stands you out from the crowd. You are better off not engaging in pre-marital and extra-marital sex. Stay chaste!

Evangelist Temilolu O. Okeowo is the founder and Head girl of The Girls Apostolic Ministry of All Nations, an apostolic ministry for girls in their teens and twenties, and Girls Club of Nigeria, an NGO for Nigerian girls aimed at influencing a positive change. She published her debut-book for girls – THE BEAUTY OF LIFE – as an undergraduate and has other books and publications. She was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2003 and is a Certified Forensics Examiner.

Adejoke Taiwo Adekambi Akinseye is a researcher, with a doctorate in Mathematics. She is the founder Aderoju Ayoade Adekanbi (AA) Foundation and at the moment, she is contesting to be a member Ibadan North East\South East Constituency for the Federal House of Representatives. In this interview with Yetunde Oladeinde, she talks about what she would be bring to the table, touching lives , role of women in politics and more.

What are you bringing to the table as a politician?

As a politician, as a woman, I am bringing a lot of things. I have been doing a lot of help for the community in the past six or seven years and so whatever I am bringing now is in addition to whatever I have been doing. I have been helping women, empowering them, training women, youths and men in a lot of things like agriculture, fashion and so many things.

So, coming to the table, I am going to improve the lives of people, add value to them and make sure as much as possible that I alleviate poverty. Not only that, I have a lot of friends abroad because I have lived in the UK for 20 years. I can bring them in, investors, educationist to come and improve my state.

What constituency are you representing?

I am representing Ibadan North East and South East constituency.

How was the reception when you told them that you would be contesting?

It was awesome. I never thought that they would embrace me the way they did but they did. As a woman and that I was educated, I am an Ibadan indigene, educated to doctoral level, PhD in Mathematics. So, they embraced me and they were happy that they had a woman who could represent them in the House of Representatives.

Were there challenges?

There was a lot of challenge but with every challenge, there is always a way out. There is a challenge of funding because when you get there they would tell you, if you don’t have 100 million madam forget it.

Another aspirant would come, give them money and you don’t have that kind of fund. But the only solution that has been able to help me is that the work that I have done in the past six years. All the gifts, the businesses that I have been able to set up, the equipment that I have given to people. Now, people are coming out to say this is what this woman has done. If she was not in the government and she did this, if she gets to government, she would certainly do better. That has been what has been helping me so far.

Do you know the number of men that you will be contesting with, since you are the only woman in the race?

There are about twelve men in the race. For the primaries, I believe that I am going to get it, because with God on my side and with the work that I have done speaking for me. The Bible says that your gifts will make room for you. People are telling me that this people are coming now, we have never seen them but we know you in the community.

We have known you for the past six years, so you don’t have any problem.

Ibadan is known for strong politics with the likes of Baba Adedibu and amala politics. Did this have any impact on you personally?

They are very strong but I believe that with people, funding, God will help me. That is all I can say.

To be in the political process, you must have studied the trend. You are also a very scientific person, what have you been doing to get yourself to this level?

I have been studying the way politicians have been doing in that state especially in my constituency. I have studied and researched so many of the politicians that have gone to represent, especially in the house of Reps.

They go for four years and you won’t see them. Then when the time for elections comes, they would give them some bit, money and all that and people would rush there. But, I am changing that strategy. That was why for the past six years, I have been doing all this work.

Interestingly, I wasn’t looking at going into politics but my people were the ones that said why you don’t push this into politics. So, my strategy is what I am doing while I was not in government, I would do better when I get into government.

Let’s talk about the five bills rejected by the National Assembly and the women’s protest?

Following that Bill, I would have thought that with the way women came out in their thousands they would look at that bill and use it to favour us. At least 35 per cent of women in positions and all that.

But, the Bill is still not satisfactory and I believe that with the tenacity of women, we would get there. So, we should not relent in whatever it is that we are doing. We should do more to make sure that they listen to us and give us what we want.

Let’s talk about the theme for the 20222 International Women’s day celebrations, #BreakTheBias. What does this mean to you?

Breaking the bias actually sums up all that we have been saying. There is a lot of bias, women you cannot get there, women you cannot do this. Women you are only supposed to do this, you are not supposed to do that and go beyond the barrier. But there is need to break that bias and until we break that bias, Nigeria as a nation cannot experience what they should experience as a nation. That is because; women are the ones that can make the difference. Women are natural nurturers, women would go out of their way, ensure that children go to school, eat, and take care of the husband and the family. They do a lot of things. So, if you give women the chance, this nation would change and transform totally. I strongly believe that.

Mentoring has helped a lot of people. Did you have mentors in politics or in your career and how did it help you?

Mentoring is very fantastic because there are some women that I go to, to ask questions, to lead and direct me. There is also Mrs. Omowunmi Gbadamosi especially when I shared my ambition with her two years ago and she counseled me and led me through the right step to take. In my career also and in a lot of things that I do, I usually look up to mentors.

Even as a pastor, I have mentors as well. I look up to them; ask them questions so that I would not go wrong. So mentors and mentoring is very important in anything that we do.

Violence is linked to politics, has it ever cropped up at all?

Yes, that is another obstacle that affects women. This is because when it comes to violence, I have had to handle it. When you go out, you need security and protection. You need people to go out with you, when you are on the field.

But people that are going to surround you with security and prayers, and with God, I believe that would be overcome. Women make the difference. It is time for women to take their stand. The more women that come out, the better and the more change for Nigeria.

Tell us a bit about your professional background and where you are coming from?

I had my first degree in Microbiology in 1989, University of Ibadan. I went to staff school Ibadan, went to St Anne’s, Ibadan polytechnic for my A-levels and then UI. I had my first degree in Microbiology but I have always had passion for Mathematics. My father while I was growing up gave me that passion. In secondary school, he usually teaches me Maths a lot that was back in the days. In the western region my dad came second in the exams that they did. So, the western Region sent him to study Quantity Survey in UK with Chief Olunloyo. So, with that passion of Mathematics, I took that on after my first degree, I went to UK and did my BSc again in mathematics, did my masters and did my PhD and here I am today.

Mentioning chief Olunloyo means that politics runs in the blood. If he was close to your father, that must have been a great influence. Did he influence in any way?

No. Not really directly. But indirectly, Yes.

Dear Mummy Temilolu, I’d like to thank you for being my rock in present times! You just brought my hope alive mummy. I have people around me who sleep with men for money but I stood my ground not to do any despicable thing to get money in spite my hardship! I must confess I’ve been seeing great results.

In fact, let me share my testimony, someone here may learn one or two.

I was raised by my mum singlehandedly and I had the opportunity to sleep around but I never did. I’m in university and in my early 20’s!  When I just got my admission, people never liked me simply because of the way I carried myself. Guys never liked me! It appears I disgusted them because I would say no to them and their ungodly relationships that includes sex and every other thing that God won’t be happy with. I kept standing my grounds and trusting God but, today I can say that I am seeing the hands of God in everything I do. People who hated me now like me, even ladies who were once sleeping with men are now coming to me to learn how to be good. By the grace of God, I have never attracted ungodly men to me. This is one advantage of being sold out to God.

Lastly, I recently unveiled my new book about what people need to know before going into a relationship to avoid mistakes that’d damage their destinies.

Thank you mummy for your continuous hopeful messages, your messages here are indeed helping me preserve myself till my wedding night. I love you mummy.

Nkechi

Wow! What a beautiful message! I dare say you’ve not seen anything yet! God is going to bombard you with great signs and wonders and showcase you as a classic example of the rewards of righteousness!

My darling, precious, glorious, dignified, world-famous and heavenly celebrated Nigerian daughters, I must let you know that almost on a daily basis, I’m inundated with messages from distressed ladies especially single mothers with tales of woe from their experience with their baby fathers! I can’t but shake my head in pity and wish they made better choices! To start with, I thank God for those who refused to abort pregnancies but I must say a lot of girls/ladies are not going to fulfil God’s wonderful plans for them because they scattered their lives settings with their own hands! Too many girls/ladies out there already have deep-seated ancestral battles to deal with and a lot to contend with because of the type of star they carry then they worsen matters by inviting strange spirits which will further sink their destinies through ungodly sex!

A lot of you have super-duper destinies such that if God opened your eyes to see the wonder He has created you to be, you probably would be out of human reach and be alone with God so as not to be desecrated. What more? The greater your star/destiny, the greater your battles! When the scriptures also tell us that in these days- the last days, evil men and seducers will wax stronger (2 Timothy 3:13) i.e. will go from bad to worse, which power do you have to confront them? Your Brazilian hair, pink pouts, sexy dress or numerous poses on snapchat, Instagram and facebook? Hmm…To worsen matters, engaging in ungodly sex which not only places too many demonic baggage on your destiny, makes you spiritually dull and could paralyze it. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS MATTER! It practically destroys your spiritual connectivity with God and opens up your life to demonic invasion. 1 Peter 2:11

Sadly, more often than not, the female folk are at the receiving end. When an unwanted pregnancy happens, the girl is at the receiving end whether she keeps it or terminates it-which is even worse. When you get married to the wrong person as a result of confusion arising from premarital sex, spiritual blindness etc. and you begin to experience hell on earth, become a punching bag and get abused in all forms when you are God’s royal diadem and meant to be the best thing that happened to a man, you bear the brunt and would be lectured by those who have no idea of what your destiny entails to fix perhaps the devil re-incarnate or a home that was never meant to be yours! Who sent you there? How can you pursue your glorious original destiny with the wrong people in your life?

What a big, big waste of time and destiny? I could go on and on on how premarital sex could throw your destiny off balance! What’s the rush anyway? Don’t be fooled by the guys out there, they don’t want leftovers! How you present yourself now would very much determine how they’d treat you- even in marriage!

Stay chaste, stay chaste, stay chaste till your wedding night!!! Stop messing around with your life! May it continue to be well with you in Jesus name!

FINAL WORD

Chastity does not belong to the past. It saves you a lot of trouble, preserves your beautiful destiny and stands you out from the crowd. You are better off not engaging in pre-marital and extra-marital sex. Stay chaste!

Evangelist Temilolu O. Okeowo is the founder and Head girl of The Girls Apostolic Ministry of All Nations, an apostolic ministry for girls in their teens and twenties, and Girls Club of Nigeria, an NGO for Nigerian girls aimed at influencing a positive change. She published her debut-book for girls – THE BEAUTY OF LIFE – as an undergraduate and has other books and publications. She was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2003 and is a Certified Forensics Examiner.

Please follow me on Facebook/Temilolu Okeowo

(not Temilolu okeowo girls club page or TEMILOLU OKEOWO Girls Club group)

• I invite you to follow me on Facebook –TEMILOLU OKEOWO Instagram @ Okeowo Temilolu.

Creating furniture pieces, sketching designs and working on random experimental stuff. Welcome to Tolulope Idiakhoa’s world. She is an architect, but also a carpenter producing exclusive pieces. In this interview with Yetunde Oladeinde she talks about her passion, inspiration, working on dual purpose furniture and more.

How did you start as a carpenter?

After I decided to return back to Nigeria in 2014, I thought of what I would like to do at home and was determined to start a company with design and furniture as its core.  With this goal in mind, I took a diploma in Carpentry, but wasn’t with the hope of becoming a carpenter; it was more about me having knowledge of the field of business I would be going into. I didn’t want to be one of those bosses who ran a business but had no technical knowledge concerning the business.

When I moved back and rented an apartment in Lagos, I found I had surpassed the budget I allocated for rent and still needed to get the two basic furniture pieces needed in a new house; a sofa set and a bed. The problem was I had just enough money for one of these items. I chose to get a bed first, but it led to a torturous one month where my friends and family basically had to sit on my bed when visiting. Worse off they would sometimes place their feet on my bed during the visit. I remember wishing I could flip a switch that would turn my bed into a sofa whenever visitors came. I began researching on it and sure enough, I found relevant resources online. As soon as I got my salary, I bought a sofa set, made at a local carpentry showroom, but within three months it started to fall apart with termite holes. I remember being so upset because I had spent a lot to acquire it.  That was when I determined to start doing affordable and functional furniture for others like me.

What was the inspiration?

I would say a lot of factors including a knack for creativity. I love being able to bring something from my imagination or from a picture to reality. Also, I really believe that people deserve access to affordable, functional and beautiful furniture.

What are some of the things you produce or work on?

I produce statement and convertible dual-purpose furniture i.e. furniture that serves multiple purposes. For example, a bed that can be folded up into a sofa, or a wall frame that can be turned into a reading table and so on.

What are the challenges?

I would say “performance bias” i.e. female carpenters have to prove themselves at a higher bar than their male counterparts. Perhaps, it’s because it’s traditionally a male dominated profession. Don’t misunderstand, male carpenters still have to prove themselves but it’s different for women. Prospective clients are frequently unsure of whether to give you a job or how to address you. Usually, you have to do some convincing which in all honesty can be tiring. It gets better though. At this stage, a significant proportion of my jobs come through referrals therefore it is a lot easier as they trust the opinion of the person who referred me.

Surprisingly, it still doesn’t stop a lot of them from doing a double-take when I introduce myself as a carpenter (laughs).

Not many women are in this line, what is the reason.

Well, I think for one, many women haven’t really seen enough women in the industry to be encouraged or inspired enough to consider it. For example, I recently visited a secondary school in Lagos to have a talk with some of the female students and when I mentioned that I was an architect and carpenter they all started laughing, thinking I had made a joke. It took me two full minutes to convince them that I wasn’t joking. I watched as the smiles slowly disappeared from their faces and then they began bombarding me with questions. One of them asked to see my hands and said “you mean you hold a hammer with this hand?”

Another reason could be a lack of knowledge of the financial benefits of carpentry. I think a lot of females aren’t aware and haven’t been enlightened enough on just how well carpentry pays in comparison to a lot of white-collar jobs or that carpenters are very successful.

Lastly, I think it’s the way carpentry is perceived. It is neither medicine nor engineering and isn’t regarded as classy by a lot of people. Carpenters are generally seen as scruffy-looking people with worn clothes, pencils in their ears, hammering away at wood, all day. It sure doesn’t look cool to a lot of people and we like to associate with the cool stuff.

What advice do you have for women who want to come into the sector?

Just go for it. If you are genuinely interested in the profession, trust me; you are already half there. Don’t let anyone intimidate or discourage you from this trade. People who truly care about you and genuinely think they are helping will try; stand your ground! Nothing worth pursuing comes easy. Secondly get all the training you can; YouTube has over a million free resources on carpentry, utilize it. Get formal educations if you can, attend technical school or intern at a furniture company. Lastly start making your items and document it; take pictures of your finished jobs and create a portfolio while continually raving about what you do to whoever cares to listen.

What are some of the changes you would like to see?

I would love to see more women in the trade. I would also like to see more technical colleges giving scholarships to females to learn skills in things other than clothes making, makeup and soap/cream making. I love that there are now a lot of female painters and I believe we can achieve same.

How can the government make things better?

The government should sponsor more vocational training and make sure these young and not so young females taking up these jobs have access to loans and grants. I think more small business startups should have access to grants and loans. This would be way more effective if a proper accountability system is set up. Also, the government can set up a scholarship scheme for women in carpentry.

What are the other things that occupy your time?

When I am not creating furniture pieces, you would find me reading and researching. I spend a great deal of time weekly looking over designs, new design techniques and methodology from experts all over the world and learn from them. When not doing any of these, you would find me sketching designs, creating random experimental stuff or simply emptying myself at my Fathers feet so I may be divinely inspired.

Do you have people that you are Mentoring?

Yes, I do; several as a matter of fact. Every once in a while there is that young person who doesn’t know what to do about their skills or interests. There are also those who think they are living their parent’s dreams and not theirs. I work with them to gain clarity and maximize their opportunities. Recently, I and a group of friends started a secondary school outreach program where we visit schools and talk to females about their future, the importance of hands-on skill acquisition and how they can leverage technology.