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Tag: women

  • NGO to empower women, fight immorality

    NGO to empower women, fight immorality

    A group, under the aegis of Glorious Women International (GWI), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) has been launched penultimate weekend at Victoria Island Lagos. Its aim is to complement government’s efforts in making life better for the people.

    The event was attended by businessmen and women from all walks of life. It featured singing, dancing and presentation of awards, among others.

    Commenting on the establishment of the Ngo, Lady Ekwuefi said GWI is a service organisation and has been doing its best in providing for the less-privileged people since its inception last year.

    She further said a dream she had five years ago informed the establishment of the NGO, adding that it was aimed at building women for the future that would impact positively on every sector of economy.

    She said: “A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband,’’ and that women are to build a solid home with their husbands, train children in the way of the Lord, that would make them not to depart from it when they grow old.

    She said GWI would continue to organise seminars for women on how to be supportive to their husbands to build stronger homes and making positive impacts to the society.

    She said the dream might have not become a reality if she had failed in bringing women of like minds together.

    She noted: “A dream alone is a dream but through togetherness, dream becomes reality.’’

    Lady Ekwuefi said the journey to forming the group began as friends chatting but as the time went by, they began to look beyond that and formed a committee of friends.

    She said GWI has 28 members both in Nigeria and in the Diaspora, noting that they are married women with the same focus to impact lives, mentor the younger ones, cater for the less-privileged and the more vulnerable in the society, maintain physical fitness, grow Godlily women and to reach out to those that are in need of help.

    Lady Ekwuefi further said membership of the NGO is open to all women who are 40 years and who are married irrespective of ethnic background, adding that they must be employed or self-employed.

    Chairman of the occasion, Mr Bob Okonyia, praised the women for living their dream. He appealed to them to remain united. He urged them to know how to resolve any dispute that might occur among them to enable them to achieve their goals.

    The Secretary, Mrs Anajekwu, Treasurer, Lady Chinemelu and Social Welfare, Mrs Ken Okoli said GWI would soon begin training on skills such as bead accessories, liquid soap-making, hat-making and adire fabrics, among others for the youth and women to enable them to remain productive and self-reliant.

  • Women at war: Loretta vs Aisha

    Over President Muhammadu Buhari, two women are at war — one for; the other against — and both are taking no prisoners!

    Readers beware: this is no Chinua Achebe’s Girls at War. This is the real thing: a hot and banging and zinging verbal war!

    Aisha Yesufu, of the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) fame, opened the fusillade of verbal attacks, by cutting to the chase over President Buhari’s health, his medical vacation and the very concept of Prof. Yemi Osinbajo’s acting presidency.

    “This acting presidency thing is not working,” she declared in a video that has since gone viral, waxing rather poetic, and probably loving the sweet sound of her own voice, playing the cold goddess, over another person’s health.

    Could there be some Jekyll-and-Hyde scenario here, of one person but two personalities?  Yesufu, so empathetic over the kidnapped Chibok girls, for which she earned due national plaudits.  The same Yesufu, so cold about Buhari’s health, like Dr. Jekyll that did all the good during the day and Mr. Hyde who replicated matching evil in the night?

    Like her or hate her, Aisha Yesufu takes no prisoners!

    Neither did Lorretta Onochie, the presidential aide on social media, who often set cyberspace ablaze with her fiery putdowns, of whoever tried to mess with her taciturn principal!

    She let go the full arsenal of her biting tongue, with a bazooka of attacks, telling Yesufu to get a life outside BBOG and histrionic posturing!

    “Your childish tantrums and incoherent ranting at President Buhari were totally uncalled for,” she tweeted, “especially as it is less than two weeks since 83 of the Chibok girls, gained their freedom” — ouch!

    Dismissing Aisha Yesufu as an alleged do-gooder, scared of utter irrelevance at the “grim” prospects of the recovery of all the remaining Chibok girls, Onochie advised the BBOG activist to get busy with other useful endeavours.

    Then the clincher, that would make not a few dive for cover!

    “What’s your real reason for wanting President Buhari and Acting President Yemi Osinbajo out of the way?”, the Onochie big gun primed, before releasing its big bazooka, though still zeroing: “Is there a sinister motive that you are hiding from all of us?”

    Then the point-blank, thundering bang!: “Venting your anger in the way you did in the video clearly suggests that you had expected something to happen that would bring about the end of the Buhari/Osinbajo administration, but that thing did not happen.”

    Now, that’s explosive stuff, talking about the end of an administration when it is but only a few days to mid-term!

    No wonder, not a few jumped for cover!

    As bullets whistle, the grounds quake with the booming of the big guns and the trees do the involuntary shudder and dance of death from zipping bullets, remember it’s two women at war — the battle is hot!

    Two women — that take no prisoners!

  • Army denies alleged molestation of IPOB women in Abia

    The 34 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Ohafia, has denied that its personnel attacked and assaulted women group from the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) during its meeting on Saturday at Abiriba.

    The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), had alleged on Friday that soldiers from the military cantonment, Ohafia, Abia, molested some women at a meeting at Abiriba.

    The spokesman of the brigade, Maj. Oyegoke Gbadamosi, debunked the allegation in a telephone interview with the the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Umuahia.

    He said that contrary to media reports, the soldiers neither molested nor assaulted any women.

    He explained that some soldiers keeping security in the area only approached the women to ascertain the nature of their gathering near a military checkpoint.

    “The venue of the meeting was just about six metres away from the military checkpoint.

    “So the soldiers on duty approached the women and sought to see their leader in order to ascertain from her the essence of the meeting.
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    “On getting there, they were told that their leader went to the palace of the traditional ruler of the area,” he said.

    Gbadamosi said that the soldiers immediately proceeded to the palace to confirm if the monarch was aware of the meeting.

    He said that when the soldiers got to the palace, the monarch confirmed to them that he was aware of the meeting, adding that at that point, the soldiers returned to their duty post.

    Gbadamosi said that some policemen were also present at the venue of the meeting.
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    The brigade spokesman said the soldiers went back and encouraged the policemen to ensure that there was no threat to public peace.

    “Surprisingly, while the soldiers were making their way back to their duty post, they saw some of the women rushing down to the palace half-naked.
    “Why will the soldiers molest or assault women? Women are harmless; it is not true that soldiers molested and beat up the women,” he added.

    The Police Public Relations Officer, Abia command, DSP Geoffrey Ogbonna, confirmed to NAN on phone that the meeting was peaceful.

    “I was told that the meeting held peacefully.

    “Although there was initial attempt to disrupt the meeting, it later took place in a peaceful atmosphere,” Ogbonna said. (NAN)

  • Women are chronic devils (2)

    THE music was loud. Really, it was loud for all to hear. No thanks to the large loud speakers stationed around the conspicuous places. Lots of cars, ranging from the common to the best and the costliest; different ranges littered the adjourning roads, though well packed.

    The security guards, both public and private ones, were also around to maintain maximum security. They were tactical in their duties. They were well groomed for such occasions. The bouncers at the three gates of the night club were intimidating with their postures and looks. Who can cuddle the lion? No way. They were simply lions on duty. The biceps were enough, and they are a story for another day.

    City Recreation Club was not for all comers. It was an exclusive reserve of the mightiest and shakers of the society. No housewife will come there and be allowed in. Any housewife who dares it will be messed up publicly. That was why we nicknamed the place No Peeping. The life there was like that of the so-called Paradise. We also called the club Paradise on Earth. If you have a stroke and come there six times, the stroke will literarily vanish.

    Just to tell you how well guarded our club was, and how we didn’t tolerate nonsense. One day, Madam Adjamena, the wife of a military officer, who herself was a highly respected society woman with lots of high connections came there to warn one of the girlfriends her husband was dating. They didn’t allow her to enter.

    In fury and to show her connections, she went to the nearby military cantonment to bring some officers who could assist her to gain entrance.

    Before her entourage could access, it was her husband who ordered top military officers to bundle her to the back of her jeep. She was humiliated and her wig fell off her head, making her to look like a 76-year-old witch. Nobody could save her. Her treatment in the hands of the military even with her high connections was a strong warning to other housewives. So, if your ox was gored as the madam of the house, better keep your headache to yourself! Chikena. Babu  turenchi.

    That day, as the music was blaring and the members were soaked in electrifying enjoyment, I drove slowly to the VVIP gate with my lovebird, Angelina. As we were parking, the music coming out of Kofi Aggery, the highlife maestro was called  Se Bebe . Bebe is a Yoruba word for buttock-line beads. Women wear bebe to make their buttocks look lovely, sexy and attractive. And it can make a man go crazy at the sight of it, when you are alone with your babe. Angelina wore it and I even encouraged her to wear many lines of them

    The music goes this:

    Se bebe, se bebe (Wear bebe, put on bebe)

    Fine baby, se bebe(  Fine baby, put on bebe)

    Moni ko se bebe ( I implore you to wear bebe)

    Orekelewa se bebe ( Elegant one, wear bebe)

    Angelina likes the song. As she stepped of the car, she hummed it alongside the singers inside. I put the car key in my pocket, drew her closer; motioned her to rest on the car. I used my two hands to caress her beads as we both danced to the song there still leaning on the car.

    I kissed her slightly, which she did not resist. After a while, we entered the big garden where the music was coming from. Some of our social club members were there already. It was an evergreen enjoyment galore! Na rich man go die beta!      The band leader on sighting Angelina and me changed the music tempo. It was more dramatic and electrifying. It was Angelina’s best song titled Angelina with originality by the late I. K (Isaac Kehinde) Dairo (M B E). Here it goes:

    Angelina ,Angelina, o ti  lo waju(Angelina, Angelina, you are too elegant)

    Angelina ,Angelina, o ti lo waju ( Angelina, Angelina, you are too elegant)

    Ipepe oju re o n wu mi o ( Your eyebrows are lovely)

    Ibebere idi re, o n wu mi o (Your buttocks are inviting me)

    Kini maje gbagbe re o Angelina (What would I do to forget you Angelina)

    As Kofi changed to the new music, Angelina didn’t bother to go to the seat reserved for us. She sauntered in high fashion to the front of the band, shaking her bum-bum seductively; her steps sedately like a child just learning how to walk, danced majestically to the melodious song. I opened my big wallet where I had already stuffed newly printed mint notes, sprayed her, it got to a stage that I was mad with excitement. I put one hand round her buttocks and used the other to spray money on her forehead. Ah ah, money is good, money is the original king. Forget any story my people.

    Kofi Aggery was dazzled with my spraying habit. He prostrated on the floor with her guitar on her chest, singing my praises. My Personal Assistant (P.A,  Domestic)  whom I had stationed at the club came closer with another big bag stuffed  with crispy notes. I opened it and poured money on the band leader, like the way a concerned individual will pour water on a fainting child. The uproar was remarkable. Everybody inclusive of the club’s president was aghast with my act. They cheered me up. Other women envied Angelina, the controller of the master. She herself likes to show off. She allowed them to know she was in control. To her, superiority is not a matter of age, na status.

    After the whole show, I sat down with Angelina. People were coming to pay obeisance to us. I too later got up to greet the club’s president and others. Kai! Money na master. Can you believe that some women and ladies who came to the club with their lovers were eyeing me? What money will cause in this world, money itself won’t be able to solve it. I was enjoying the show. Whoever wants to woo me is free. I can eat any meat. Be it freshly prepared or not. Just the taste and aroma are what I need. Either a woman is beautiful, ugly, medium, short or plumpish; I don’t care, what I am after is the enjoyment. This is not to say I don’t have class, I have taste and I am not a rapist. I have never forced any woman to love me. Women are devils, whatever they want, they will get it. Even if you are holier than the holy itself. Easy and cool, women will get you if you are there target. I fear women.

    Angelina was already devouring smoked big catfish stuffed with potatoes and onions , by the time I got to my seat. She wanted to put a slice in her mouth, on sighting me; she got up lovingly and put it in my mouth openly there. I ate it while standing there. She poured the Irish cream in a glass cup and put it in my mouth to savour it. All eyes as usual were on us.

    By the time we were through at the club, we went to one of the rooms to rest. Time was 3.52am. I was really tired. Angelina poured on me shea butter oil to massage my body. I moaned in satisfaction. She was on top of me because I was too famished for any rigorous exercise. If you want to feel same moment without a woman around you, just pour ice cream in a flat plate. Look for soft pear and eat it with it. You will feel as if 20 women were working on your system. Not in a ‘witchlike’ manner, but in a real loving and ecstasy moods. Try it; I am still a leader in the game. Forget that the money has gone with Angelina, the chronic and heartless devil.

    The shouts of Asalam alekun by the Muslim worshippers woke me up around 5.30am. Angelina was still sleeping. I checked my phone; I had 32 missed calls, majority of them from home. And the first call was around 4.14pm, a day before and the last by quarter to five that hour.

    I got up, rushed into the bathroom for a quick shower. I was about going when Angelina held me from behind. I told her ‘no’ and that I needed to go home to prepare for the day

    “No, no, honey. I need to go home and prepare for today”

    “You don’t mean you will leave me here and go home?”

     

    “Try to understand babe, I have been here since yesterday noon. Let me go home please”

    “No qualms, but what about that thing?”

    “Which thing?”

    “The money I requested from you.”

    By this time, she was already sitting on the bed. Her breasts were almost popping out of her beautiful blue colour lingerie. I jokingly squeezed them and she moaned as a sign for wanting me closer. But I made no further move because I needed to be home seriously.

    “The money for my business expansion,” Angelina said holding my right hand.

    “We will discuss it tomorrow.”

    “Tomorrow again?”

    “Yes, honey, tomorrow”. I was fully on my feet.

    I gave her a warm hug and went away leaving behind one of the purses that I had not touched the money inside it. And the money there was 1.5 million, meaning, I came to the club with 6 million naira! We spent 4.5 million on enjoyment galore alone.

    “That’s my love; I will always adore you till the end,” Angelina said, thanking me, after she gave me a big hug. She also kissed the money.

    “It is my pleasure my baby”

    I left her there and went home. By the time I got home, I learnt my wife had travelled to Oguta to see my mother, who was seriously ill and needed to undergo surgical operation. It was baffling. I put a call to her and she told me to speak to Mama directly and told me to call her back in the next one hour which I did..

     

    To be continued

  • Women get loans in Imo

    Women get loans in Imo

    No fewer than 110 women in Njaba Local Government Area of Imo State have been presented with N100,000 cheques each as soft loans to help them start their businesses. The women were selected across the 11 political wards in the council. The loan has an interest of seven per cent.

    Speaking while presenting the cheques to the beneficiaries at the Njaba Council Secretariat in Nnenasa, the state governor Rochas Okorocha said the sum of N1 billion has been set aside for the empowerment of women in the state. He said that the initiative was to stimulate economic activities within the state.

    The governor, who was represented by the Chairman of the Imo State Board of Internal Revenue (BIR) and state Development Council coordinator for Njaba council, Mrs. Henrietta Jacobs, said “the loan is being disbursed to at least 10,000 women who are involved in small and medium enterprises across state”.

    Okorocha prided that the State in the last six years has risen from 23rd position to third position in the national development index.

    He attributed the feat to the free education programme of his administration, which has made education in the state owned free from primary to university level.

    “Today, Imo women are no longer selling their wrappers, their goats and domestic animals in order to pay their children’s school fees, and today also, despite the dwindling inflow of revenue to the state, the Governor Rochas Okorocha-led administration still considers it expedient to give out N100, 000 loan to each of these Imo women,” he said.

    Okorocha further disclosed that more women would be accommodated in the second and third phases of the programme to bring the number of beneficiaries to 10,000.

    The governor hinted that his intention was to eliminate poverty and boost the local economy by making the women in the state self-reliant.

    He advised the beneficiaries to endeavour to put the loan facility into useful ventures so as to be able to pay back and get a bigger amount in return.

    Some of the beneficiaries, Mrs. Akowuchi Juliet from Okwudor and Mrs. Adaku Mbagwu, from Ibele Umuaka expressed their gratitude to Governor Okorcha for the initiative.

    They said the programme would assist them in their various businesses and reduce poverty in the state, “particularly amongst women that constitute the larger percentage of the population in the state”.

    They promised to pay back the loan within the stipulated time.

  • Prioritise heart health, women told

    Prioritise heart health, women told

    Wowen  have been advised to take care of their hearts.

    Power Oil Brand Manager Amisha Chawla gave the advice during the launch of a deal between the firm and the Kaduna State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.

    She said the advice became necessary because one of three women had heart disease. She said this was so because some women  cared for others’health at the detriment of theirs.

    The event was opened by Kaduna State Governor Mallam Nasir El–Rufa’i and his wife, Hadiza Isma, at the second Kaduna Women Economic Empowerment Summit, Kaduna.

    It had as theme: “Enabling access and participation linking women to resources”.

    Chawla said women should monitor the health of their heart because heart disease is the number one killer.

    “Many women realise this but still don’t act on their knowledge. Some are in denial about their risk factors, while others fall into the habit of taking better care of loved ones than of themselves. And that’s unfortunate because after a heart attack, the long-term survival prospect is as good as or even better for women than for men, as long as they get appropriate treatment.

    “By understanding that heart health is just as important for women as it is for men, women can take steps to reduce their risk of cardiac disease. Being familiar with heart symptoms specific to women will allow women to identify them and get them treated earlier. Diet and exercise play a major role, hence consuming good oil that will not clog the arteries is one step forward,” she said.

    She said that is why Raffles Oil LFTZ Enterprise, makers of the Nigerian Heart friendly cooking oil brand, Power Oil, have entered into deal with the state Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development through its medical outreach project, Power  Oil Health Camp Project, to provide free basic medical health check up for the indigenes not women alone.

    The long-term plan is expected to cover the  nation in promoting a good eating habit and, ultimately, healthy lifestyle among Nigerians.

    Chawla said the Power Oil Health Camp, already in 13 locations across Nigeria, is offering free basic medical health check ups to communities in the Body Mass Index (BMI) check, Blood pressure (Bp) and free medical consultation  in local governments in the state

    Its medical experts were deployed by the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development to conduct HIV and malaria test.

    Commissioner, Kaduna State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajia Hafsat Mohammed-Baba, said a healthy and empowered woman is the key to a prosperous future, adding that that is why it is important to work  for the pursuance of the agenda of gender and social inclusion policy to protect women and girl child in the state with the support of the governor.

    She praised the private institutions that are supporting the  ministry in ensuring a healthy state, especially for women.

    “We see this as an excellent partnership with the Power Oil team and we hope that it will be sustainable enough to comb through the rural areas so they also can get properly enlightened about living a healthy lifestyle,” she said.

    The commissioner said she would join the team for easy mobilisation and encourage the women folks to take advantage of the opportunity of free medical health checks.

    Power Oil Public Relations Manager, Omotayo Azeez, said the medical teams would be in every nook and cranny of the state.

  • Women,young farmers count blessings in CADP project in Cross River

    Women,young farmers count blessings in CADP project in Cross River

    Women and youths that were beneficiaries of the Commercial Agricutlture Development Progamme in Cross River State have expressed gratitude for the programme, which they said have changed their lives for the better.

    The women and youths empowerment programme, which was launched in 2009 and would wind up on May 31, 2017 this year, is driven by the World Bank and the Federal Government to empower women and youths in the area of agro-business in five states.

    In Cross River State 700 women and youths have benefitted from the programme, and were trained across he value chains of oil-palm, cocoa, rice, poultry and aqua-culture.

    The beneficiaries were divided into three batches. The first batch of 100 who were trained from August to September 2015. According to the Project Coordinator in the state, Mr Duckham Ama, the first batch who had concluded their training at the Songhai Farms in Itighidi in Abi local government area were mobilized with N2.5 million each.

    The first batch consisted of 46 women and 54 young men, while the second and third batches have 298 women and 302 young men.

    The second and third batches trained from November and December last year received a higher sum of N3 million. According to the Coordinator, the money was non-refundable, but there were measures to ensure that beneficiaries do not use it for purposes other than what it was meant for.

    Speaking at an interactive session between the media and beneficiaries of the project in Calabar, farmers who participated in the first batch described how the programme had changed their lives.

    Mr Okon Augustine Ekeng, who is into fish farming said, “I am grateful for the World Bank for helping us to implement this. Today I am very successful person. You can see here I have my fresh and dry fish here. It is of high quality and hygienically prepared catfish that is free of sand and cancer free. What we use in drying it is smoke free. I thank God for what he has done and also went the CADP staff that helped us stand on our feet to also help the 600 batch that has just started.

    “I have been able to employ two persons. I have a garden behind my fish farm, so the waste water goes there. Nothing is wasted.”

    Also, Mr Elemi Williams, who is into rice farming said, “It has been wonderful. It started like a learning experience. But now I am experienced. I have gained knowledge and that has brought me to a level where I can bring a physical product for you to see as my product, not someone else’s product. I am into the native rice, which is totally de-stoned and is 100 per cent chaff free. It is our native rice. The passion is there. I see my future in this business. I see my dreams interpreted through this business the drive to do more is there. My dealing with the organizers have been wonderful in the sense that I had a passion for what I came for and used that passion in dealing with the people who funded this project. My dealing has been very sincere with them. My advise to the younger ones who are coming into doing it is for them to be sincere with themselves because if they are sincere the benefit of that sincerity will come.”

    Mrs Okoma Bassey Edet, who is into oil-palm said, “we make our oil such that we remove the fatty acids and cholesterol to a very low level. With this programme, we see that it has helped the youths and women in terms of unemployment. I mean look at me now. I am making my own money. We are no longer sitting at home and just receiving from our husbands. We go out there to keep ourselves busy and reduce unemployment. For instance I employ two people for now and I am still believing God as the business keeps growing I will employ more. The business is improving.”

    Ama urged the second and third batches of beneficiaries to be committed to the programme so their lives can be better. He said they were committed to the success of the programme.

    Commissioner for Agriculture, Prof Anthony Eneji, was grateful for the programme and assured the state will do all it can to support it.

    The Special Adviser on Agriculture, Yvonne Idem, said the governor, being an entrepreneur him, would do all can to support entrepreneurs.

    She said the first batch had been fully implemented and were doing very well, and urged the second and third batches of beneficiaries to be serious as they were privileged to be the few chosen from so many.

    She said under the program 55.77km of roads had been constructed to enable farmers bring out their products, reduce travel time and cost of transportation.

    She urged beneficiaries to help build others.

  • Mission to empower women

    Mission to empower women

    A shoka Anglophone West Africa Regional Director, Josephine Nzerem, is a business motivator who can impart knowledge to entrepreneurs who want to join the baking industry.

    After graduation, she did her National Service at the National Arts Theatre, Lagos in the Management department, where she was in charge of bookings and theatre design. At the end of the national assignment, she tried hard to get a job, but because she had just  married, no one hired her for fear that she would be going on maternity leave.

    Eventually, she decided to start a bakery. Her business was successful, and soon she started to supply banks and other organisations with pastries. The  business model, she found, was flexible and profitable.

    She is a success story in bakery business.The experience was inspiring and eye-opening, and it became the catalyst that got her truly thinking differently. Since then, she explored many roles.

    Over time, she discovered she was made to be a mentor. This is reflected in her empathetic, values-driven persistence in finding ways of making it possible for women to learn and be prepared for business opportunities.

    According to her, empowering women through income generating activities helps them become independent, respected individuals in their communities.  Subsequently, she became part of a wave of social entrepreneurs identifying root causes for the youth employment challenges and developing innovative solutions. Her  dream fits the aspirations of Ashoka, a global organisation that identifies and invests in leading social entrepreneurs — individuals with innovative and practical ideas for solving social problems.

    She joined Ashoka. Nzerem was elected an Ashoka Fellow in 2002 for her innovative work in the protection of women from disinheritance and other socio-economic abuses. In 2004, she received an award from Junior Chambers International as the outstanding young person for the year, in contribution to children, world peace and/or human rights.

    In 2011, she became the Regional Director of Anglophone West Africa for Ashoka, Innovators. In that role, she worked tirelessly towards creating an ‘’Everyone a Changemaker’’society by inspiring various communities in Anglophone West Africa to take the initiative to solve social problems. She is also inspiring the Anglophone West Africa team to embody a high standard of excellence, innovation and commitment. She has been recently named the Director, Venture and Fellowship, Ashoka Africa.

    According to her, Ashoka fellows have  success stories building flourishing  businesses  in agriculture, tech, governance and civic engagement, employment  and  youth engagement.

    One of the approaches is to create a model that identifies and strengthens local assets, placing members of the community at the centre of sustainable long-term solutions as stakeholders, patrons, and owners.The model meets the needs of the youth and the entrepreneurs at the same time. The youth gain marketable skills through their work experience and an introduction to positive role models. The entrepreneurs gain access to a pool of potential employees and have the opportunity to prepare youth for career paths of their choice.

    She wants  to connect successful business entrepreneurs and professional people with the concepts around social entrepreneurship.

    For her, social entrepreneurs define the new roadmaps that allow people to thrive in this new environment, while providing solutions and demonstrating the how-tos.

    According to her, Ashoka engages the world’s largest and most powerful network of social entrepreneurs by searching for and selecting the world’s leading social entrepreneurs.

    She explained that Ashoka searches the world for leading social entrepreneurs through an intensive, human-centered process, selecting them into its fellowship of peers. The process of selection is a transformative and enlightening experience.

    Candidates articulate their innovations, and how they have the potential to change sector-wide systems. They scrutinise their strategies and methods, and reflect on how they engage as individuals and leaders in today’s world. The selection process is not simply a means to an end, but rather generates robust discussion, sharpens ideas, and gives room for a journey of self-discovery and growth.

    Where do you see yourself and Ashoka in 10 years? 20 years? Her words: “I expect that in the next 10-20 years Ashoka will continue to grow ever more effective as an agent of change in Africa and other continent. In the next 10-20 years I intend to continue championing the cause of social entrepreneurship in Africa because I believe that it is one of the most potent tools to lift Africa into greater development.”

  • 10 things women should do on a first date

    10 things women should do on a first date

    Nothing kills a first date like a girl that acts like she has something better to do. If you do have something better to do, go do it.

    SO you are out on your first date with a guy you’re interested in. Nervous? Don’t be. First dates are often that getting-to-know-you period that don’t require a lot of commitment. It’s like a job interview except even if you totally crash and burn, you won’t be missing out on rent money. That being said, the first date is a delicate game of chess that needs to be played properly.

    1. Don’t suggest a movie

    I don’t know where the misconception arose about movies being a great date night activity. You’re literally not seeing or interacting with your potential significant other. Movies are best saved for later on down the road. You know, when words aren’t needed any more because you’ve already gotten to know whoever it is you’re watching that movie with. Or, if you need an excuse to make a late night visit to your already-significant-other’s empty home.

    1. Coffee is always a great way to start a date with a person you’re meeting the first time

    In a blind date situation, never commit to any activity that will take longer than 30 minutes. This is a safety net for you so you’re not stuck with some douche bag you don’t want to spend time with. If coffee goes well and you guys hit it off, it is easy to get a guy to commit to a dinner and/or drinks. All you have do is be cute and say something innovative and groundbreaking like, “I’m hungry”.

    1. Eat

    If you are in a meal-consumption situation, please consume the food like you are enjoying it. Unless of course the guy is an ass that took you to a horrible place to eat. Barring that, it is painful, and I’m speaking from experience here, when you’re there eating a delicious meal and your lady friend is taking rabbit-sized-bites out of a salad.

    1. Drop the phone

    I think younger girls have a tendency to do this more often than older women, but it is horribly annoying when you are trying to have a conversation with someone that can’t take their eyes off their phone. This is also considered rude for all you kids that never learned proper manners while you were growing up. Be engaging and responsive.

    1. Be a conversationalist

    After all if you are on a date, there’s only two people involved presumably. Don’t be the ladythat sits there acting like she’s bored. In addition, it isn’t always fun for guys if all they hear during your date are things your friends did. Chances are A) he doesn’t know your friends personally, and B) those stories aren’t half as funny as you think they are.

    1. Be diplomatic

    There are plenty of ways to say, “Hey, this isn’t working out.” No need to be cold or a total asshole about it. Trust me, it feels just as crappy for guys as it does for girls. If all else fails, stick him in the friend zone. It worked for all the other hearts you broke. Who knows? Maybe you can torture him with stories about how jilted you feel because of all the asshole guys you fall for.

    1. Honesty is always good

    Be straightforward and don’t put up a front. Why would you? This is the time to let your potential long-term-boyfriend know that you are human too and you have your quirks. Have bad habits? Let him know. Use the light, funny atmosphere to warm him up to the worst side of you. Unless you want to be the jackass that soaks your panties in his sink then asks me to get tampons at the market to assert your feminine dominance for no other reason than to brag to your girlfriends… I had some weird exes…

    1. Enjoy the buzz, don’t be that girl that falls and trips over herself

    Guys only say that’s cute. It really isn’t. There’s nothing wrong with not being able to drink a lot. Just don’t push yourself until you pass out because that invites all sorts of trouble and… well it just isn’t appealing. Nothing wrong with having one or two drinks (or half depending on your tolerance). Remember, a date isn’t the same as hanging out with your friends. First impressions can never be made a second time, don’t waste the opportunity.

    1. Don’t kill the chase too early

    If you do want that long-term situation, the worst thing you can do is give in to a guy’s advances too fast. Yes, it is a normal part of a relationship, but that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t work for it. Unlike other myths, this one is true. Guys love the chase and nothing that’s worth the wait happens in the first few hours of meeting someone.

    1. Have fun and show that you’re having a good time.

    Chemistry isn’t built overnight and love never happens at first sight. That’s lust and infatuation. Part of building that chemistry is enjoying each other’s company. Nothing kills a first date like a girl that acts like she has something better to do. If you do have something better to do, go do it.

    Well that’s it. I won’t guarantee that every first date will be awesome, but if you do follow the road map above, they won’t be horrible. Unless of course the guy is utterly boring and ridiculously dumb. If that’s the case, just end it and walk away. Finding the “right guy” isn’t a one day job. Have the patience and the composure to keep searching. After all, if you are involved with someone that you don’t want to be with, that just removes you from the pool of potential girlfriends that perfect guy is looking for his other half in.

  • Akiolu to bankers: stop using women as marketers

    Akiolu to bankers: stop using women as marketers

    The Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, has urged heads of banks and other financial institutions to stop sending women out as marketers to look for hefty deposits.
    He said the approach should not be encouraged, if the banking sector would develop the economy.
    The frontline monarch spoke yesterday in Lagos while receiving an award from the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) at the 22nd World Conference of Banking Institutes.
    Akiolu noted that for the banking sector to grow, security gadgets, technology, cameras and other facilities should be deployed to stem financial crimes.
    He called for the adoption of his report, which he obtained from the Special Chief of Police conference in the United States of America (U.S.A) when he was in the police.
    The monarch urged President Muhammadu Buhari to grant Lagos State a special status.
    He said the unplanned attitude and wasteful spending of the past, which caused the recession, should not be adopted again.
    Akiolu prayed God to give the President good health to enable him oversee his reforms to fruition.
    The Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Achebe, said keeping money locked up somewhere should never be allowed in the society where there is no stable water supply and electricity for the masses.
    He called for attitudinal change from the nation’s leaders.
    The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, was also honoured.