5 August 2007
Lagos — Where can you find the new Nigerian woman? Every where but in the traditional places defined by cultural norms and stereo-type. Her place has since moved from the kitchen and the bedroom to boardrooms of power, influence, authority and money; and the Nigerian woman is not done.
She is still climbing the ladder of success, aided by a more receptive environment where conventions are changing and a combination of factors are working in her favour. Where their predecessors tiptoed around the issues of life and her environment, the new Nigerian is as bold as they come. No more petrified, she finds every subject interesting and worthy of her robust engagement.
Liberated by education and a more permissive society that has shaken the foundation of traditional tenets, she is no more content with standing still as the unbending, erect pole of support that her man can lean on. She wants to be ahead of the pack; leading a revolution that demands more of her intellectual asset than any other virtue.
These women can be found in all walks of life, including areas where men once had an exclusive reign. Although issues of women emancipation have been on the front burner of national discourse in Nigeria since Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti and Nne Udo Udoma led popular uprising of women against established orders in Abeokuta and Ikot Abasi respectively. Then came the era of the National Council of Women Societies (NCWS). Organised advancement of women in the corporate world and public sectors hit the top mark when the likes of Chief (Mrs.) Bola Kuforiji-Olubi led BEWAC Limited and later emerged as chairman of UBA one of the leading banks in the country.
Mrs. Betty Irabor, one of the outstanding women of this time painted a picture that is all so apt. In describing what her magazine, Genevieve, stands for, she said, She is the contemporary woman. She wants to be recognised through her aspirations and her works. She is not lacking in self esteem. She is a confident woman of style".
Other outstanding women have since shone like brilliant stars after her. Nseobong Okon-Ekong and Funke Olaode enter the world of some Nigerian women who believe they were not born to seat at the back of the train. With every ounce of strength available, they have seized the steering wheel of their productive machineries and are driving ahead full steam.
HOSPITALITY: KIKeLOMO OYEMADE
From its inception in 1999 to date, Eko Tourist Beach Resort (ETBR), Akodo, Lagos has been managed by one entity, Kik and Kem Investment Limited. For so long has the resort gained a growing reputation with those who seek to be one with nature, escaping the hustle and bustle of city life. Name the company or organisation and there is a good chance that it has enjoyed the cool comfort and quiet ambience of this resort managed by Mrs Kikelomo Oyemade, who is the current vice chairman of the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria (FTAN), Lagos state chapter.
Although the property is owned by the Lagos Sate government, Kik and Kem has a long lease relationship that has survived many administrations in the state, largely owing to the quality of service rendered by the operators.
It is not an easy task to nurture and manage the resort, but with the support of the Lagos State government , the Eko Tourist Beach Resort stands out.
What this means in plain terms is that the owner of the property is happy with the returns in investment rendered by the operators. Built on over 15-hectares of land, the resort is believed to gross close to 100 million per annum.
HOSPITALITY: Abimbola Bode-Thomas
Rising to the post of deputy general manager and having the distinction of being the topmost Nigerian employee in a five-star Nigerian hotel managed by foreigners could have effectively ended her career. For her retirement from Eko Hotel and Suites (managed at the time by Le Meridien) didn't bring her active years to an end. Instead, she transited her career and began a new personal phase of development and service in the hospitality industry.
At Eko Hotel, she was known as a no nonsense disciplinarian who instilled the fear of God and virtues of hard work in the staff.
Ms. Abimbola Bode-Thomas who is the managing director of Palmview Manor Hotel along Tony Anegbode Street, Victoria Island Extension is the winner of the prize for Best Nigerian Managed Hotel 2006. The hotel is under 100 rooms.
Warm and cosy, Bode-Thomas chose a location for her business that is not too far away from her former office. Too often, some of the distinguished clients from her previous office follow through to her new establishment to join a list of appreciating and growing clientele.
The Palmview Manor is a unique boutique hotel that has resurrected scenes and life in 'old' Lagos, much to the delight of many clients who are refreshed and educated by this reminisce. Of course, the hotel doesn't come cheap for the standard that Bode-Thomas, a former president of the Africa Travel Association Nigeria Chapter is trying to build.
MEDIA/LAW/BANKING: Eniola Fadayomi
Twice in recent history, she has held positions of eminence in our society. Before her current designation as the chairman/Publisher, Financial Standard, Mrs. Eniola Fadayomi earned the distinction of being the second woman to occupy the office of the Commissioner of Justice and Attorney General of Lagos state, following Mrs. Airat Balogun. Fadayomi held the post between 1986 and 1991
She is an advocate of people remaining steadfast in a particular job; while generating streams of income from other sources. Fadayomi, probably one of the richest working experience among her contemporaries, having effectively criss-crossed the public and private sectors at very top positions. She also played her game in the legal and banking professions, enjoying the best of both worlds.
Financial Standard which she helped to give a life is one of the leading all-business dailies in Nigeria. Her gross earnings from investments in her law firm, hospitality industry, publishing, shares and bonds is put at overN5 billion, making her one of the riches women in Nigeria.
She started her distinguished working career with Lagos State Ministry of Justice between 1972 and 1979. While in the ministry, she was a member, Citizenship Committee and also the executive secretary, Council on the Prerogative of Mercy. In 1980, she joined First Bank of Nigeria Plc as legal adviser, where she implemented training courses for new lawyers into banking.
She was appointed Lagos state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in 1987 and served as a member Body of Benchers, Body for International co-operation in Criminal Prosecution and Enforcement, Council of Legal Education and Vice President, State Committee on Better Life for Rural Women. She was a Partner, Irving and Bonner firm of solicitors (1990-1998) and was Principal Partner, Eniola Fadayomi & co-firm of Solicitors and Advocates between 1998 and 2002.
She was chairman, Afribank Nigeria Plc between 1989 and 1996. Following the return of democracy to Nigeria in 1999, she was appointed the Honourable Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation in Lagos and was the Honourable Commissioner for Establishment, Training and Pensions. She is a member, Nigeria Bar Association, Institute of Directors, African Business Roundtable, and International Federation of Women Lawyers among others. Presently, She is the chairman, Millennium Harvest Ltd, Publishers of Financial Standard and is happily married with children.
MEDIA: Betty Irabor
By the time she conquered her fear and was ready to go, she became unstoppable. A brilliant journalist, Mrs. Betty Irabor has made it where many men failed. As one whose pen is never dry of ink, she has managed to make hers a powerful voice that compels attention not only among women, she has become an advocate for a generation and for the voiceless and downtrodden. Her mascot, the women interest magazine called, Genevive is her finest moment in a progressive career that has spanned over two decades. Genevive has successfully captured the wit and imagination of the average Nigerian woman, while giving women in the top-flight class something to look forward to in every edition.
Her talent has brought unquantifiable benefits with the huge success of her magazine.
Along with income from Ruyi Communications, an advertising company, that she set up with her husband, Betty lacks nothing. She has gone above the marginal comfort level. Some of this wealth was put on show for the first time when she celebrated her 50th birthday at the Civic Centre. It was a cultured soiree that indulged during which she broke free from her modest self to indulge in choreographed fantasy.
ENTERTAINMENT: Sheila Okonji
She is a multiple award winner for her contribution to music and the entertainment industry. A few years ago, her name may not have meant anything to anybody. Today, artistes struggle to be in her good books, because where ever she puts in a good word for you, doors are bound to open.
Sheila Okonji, CEO of Zons PR has carved out a niche for her in the slippery terrain of entertainment; not as an entertainer herself but as a manager and promoter. It is to her credit that a steady stream of foreign artistes have performed in Nigeria in recent times. In the same vein, she has also been responsible for the newfound wealth of many home-based artistes who are regularly featured in very rewarding shows abroad, particularly in the UK, her base.
Zons Holdings capitalises on the wealth of world-class talent based in Africa and the number of successful artists that are of direct African descent who have carved successful international careers. She is smart to have recognised that a synergy of sorts is needed and she provided this in a way that has benefited everyone involved. Of course she smiles all the way to the bank.
Zons Touring Division is the tourism arm of the holdings company. It has created an avenue for the most successful US acts to visit and tour the African continent and are now working closely with Zons Events to provide African artists with the same opportunity in the UK, as well as providing an avenue for music lovers in the UK to have a personal and first hand experience of untapped African talent.
FOODS: Pamela Adeyinka Adedayo
Tastee Fried Chicken (also known as TFC or De Tastee Fried Chicken Nigeria LTD), the name she chose for business goes far ahead of her. If she is not mentioned by name not many in a gathering can recognise Mrs. Pamela Adeyinka Adedayo. While some say that her brief stint at Kentucky Fried Chicken set her on a course of success, the truth is that she could have succeeded in anything she ventured in. Having acquired formal education in Financial Business, the world was waiting for her touch of magic.
In 1996, when she set up her modest shop in Surulere, Lagos not many gave her a chance that it would grow to become a provider of jobs for thousands of youths. The opinion in some quarters is that she excelled because she had a brief stint at Kentucky Fried Chicken after her degree in Financial Business in the United States.
Adedayo loves to travel; not for travel sake, but to exploit new business opportunities and to drink from the wealth of wisdom of inspiring world-class personalities like Bill Clinton and Nelson Mandela.
"We do chicken right", the famous slogan of TFC has become a popular chant recognisable for its demand for good food.
In its visionary expansion, TFC has entered a working relationship with Oando the petroleum services company to have TFC shops at every Oando filling station. It may not be long before Adedayo's investment instincts alerts her to the prospects in the oil industry.
INDUSTRY: Ibukun Awosika
At the beginning, she saw her new found career as an adventure. With her background in chemistry and a brief stint in accounting, one would expect her to be calling the shot in banking or other lucrative establishments. But Mrs. Ibukun Awosika developed a passion for hammer and nail, a terrain which is rightly or wrongly believed to restricted men. "I have never thought that this profession is meant for men. I was brought up in my house to believe that you can do anything. My father has mainly girls with two boys. But the girls were never made to believe that there was something we were not supposed to do. Sincerely, that helped me when I started. Another thing is that when I discovered my talents, money didn't stop me from pursuing my goals and aspirations. Basically, a customer pays a deposit for a job and the money would be used to purchase all necessary materials. A customer came with his deposit, my carpenter came with their tools and the job would be processed in the sawmill. As we moved along, we were putting back. The total business grew from January 1989 from when I started production till now grew within itself", she had told Gliiterrati. From what she began as a mere furniture company, she currently runs the biggest office furniture manufacturing company in Nigeria. The Sokoa Chair Center she promoted with Sokoa S.A of France, Guaranty Trust Bank and the parent company, The Chair Center.
Last December, the company added another feather to its kitty when it established ultra modern furniture facility, Furniture Manufacturers Mart in Ikeja, Lagos estimated at close to 300 Million Naira. Was she afraid of failure at the initial stage? Awosika responded. "That is the beauty of having parents that are open minded. In fact, I got a lot of encouragement from them. I remember those years that we have to work late in the factory, my mother would help me to cook for my staff. And sometimes when I stayed late till 12 midnight, my father would come and pick me. And when I took my first loan of N1,000,000 through a finance house, my father supported me. And even promised to sell off the house if I wasn't able to repay the loan. But fifteen months after, God helped me to pay back the loan. I have never thought of failure". I knew what I wanted and I pursued it, she said.
FOODS: Kehinde Kamson
Like Ibukun Awosika, Mrs. Kehinde Kamson, Managing Director of Sweet Sensation Confectionery, is another woman who has recorded a landmark in a terrain far from her early calling. After her secondary education at Queen School, Lagos, she proceeded to University of Lagos where she got her Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and ACA membership of the Institute of Chartered Accountant of Nigeria. She began her career in Price Water House Coopers, a renowned accounting firm. She later moved to an oil company called, Lummus Crest.
But Kehinde had a desire guiding her pursuit, she resigned her lucrative job and floated Sweet Sensation Confectionery in 1994. From a humble beginning as an eatery from a small shop in Gbagada and a family garage in Ilupeju, it has grown into a multi billion Naira empire. Kehinde had a vision which stimulates her ability to succeed, today, it has a gigantic edifice as head office in Opebi Area of Ikeja Lagos with 15 outlets in the cities of Lagos and Abeokuta and still waxing stronger. It was on record that Sweet Sensation was the first fast food company to add African delicacies on its menu in 1996. Though a success story today, Mrs. Kamson, an accountant trained, who is also a member of Women in Management and Business (WIMBIZ) has always drumed it into the upcoming one's ears that one's profession should be an impediment to attain one's desires and aspirations.
DRUGS ENFORCEMENT: Professor Dora Akunyili
Mention the fearless drug amazon in Nigeria today, Professor Dora Nkem Akunyili (OFR), Director General of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), an internationally renowned pharmacist, Pharmacologist, erudite scholar, seasoned administrator and a visionary leader's name would come on board. Before she became the helms woman of NAFDAC in 2001, she was a senior lecturer and consultant pharmacologist in the College of Medicine, University of Nigeria Usukka (UNN), Enugu Campus. Beyond the confines No of the four walls of classroom, Professor Akunyili has distinguished herself in her educational career.
She passed her First School Leaving Certificate with distinction in 1966, and the West African School Certificate with Grade 1 distinction. Her academic prowess and her sense of leadership early in life earned her schorlaships from both state and federal government. Professor Akunyili took her educational feat to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka where she won the best student award in the school of Pharmacy where she graduated with B. Pharm (Hon) in 1978 and had her P.hD in 1985 winning the Vice Chancellor Post Graduate and Research Leadership Prize in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences in 1984/85 and 1985/86 academic session. She was promoted to the rank of a professor in October, 2000 by the same university.
Though she taught in the University for 19 years and her academic excellence has always stood her out, but the rate at which she has brought sanity into the drug market by fighting counterfeit drugs. And even when her life was on line, she kept moving on to ensure that fake drugs are completely wiped out of the Nigerian markets, the feat her predecessors failed to achieve. And for her daring ability, she has received over 400 awards both nationally and internationally. Judging by rate at which she is carrying on with her crusade, Professor Akunyili's name would continue to linger on in the minds of many Nigerians and generations to come.
EDUCATION: Ms. Biodun Laja
She is an academician per excellence, whose teaching career spans over 33 years. Ms. Biodun Laja, Proprietress, Lekki British International High School has come a long way. And when you are talking about Ivy league secondary education, her school stands out. Though born by an accountant father, her love for education was aroused after her secondary education and birth of her first son. " I decided to switch to education when I had my first son immediately after secondary school.
It made me fall in love with children". Laja proceeded to St. Nicholas Training Center, England where she spent three years doing nursery education. She began her teaching career at Andrao International School, Victoria Island, Lagos where she spent three years. She later moved to St. Saviours in Ebute-Metta for another year under the leadership of Mrs. Udofia, a British woman. "I did not get fulfillmet because I studied in England and I had the British Curriculum at the back of my mind. And having studied, I know what children want. I founded my own school called ABC in 1977". After a successful career as a kindergarten tutor, Laja opted out and established high school with British curriculum.
"When I saw the rate at which Nigerians were taking their kids to the neighbouring countiries, I decided to establish a high school with British curriculum mixed with African culture, she told Glitterati. After successfully establishing the high school, Laja forged ahead and establish the junior school. And today, Laja sits atop a multi billion Naira entity located in a sprawling Lekki Phase one.
BANKING: CECILIA IBRU
She sit s at the top of the of the organizational structure of one of Nigeria's fastest growing bank as the Managing Director and chief executive officer, Oceanic International Bank Limited. Mrs. Cecilia Ibru delved into banking, very early and she has made a good mark in her chosen profession. A measure of her ingenuity is being able to make others have confidnece in what is largely perceived as a family establishment of the Ibru's.
She joined Oceanic Bank as general manager administration in November 1993, was made acting CEO in January 1997 and substantive CEO a year later.
Dr. (Mrs.) Cecilia Ibru holds a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) Degree in Sociology from North East London University and a Masters of Philosophy from the London school of Oriental and African studies.
In recognition of her numerous contributions to the development of Banking in Nigeria, the Federal Government of Nigeria honoured her with the award of Member of the Federal Republic (MFR).
Highly respected among her peers as the 'First Lady' of Nigeria's banking industry, Ibru is the first female leader to raise her bank's equity to N25bn, (approx $203m), the first female to head the 5th largest bank and the 9th largest company quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, the first female CEO of a Western Union Agency in West Africa to meet the performance and turnover targets of Western Union, and in year 2000, the first female CEO to post over N1bn profit ($8.143m at today's value) in a financial statement. In April 2007, Oceanic Bank International came in at number 110 in African Business' Top 200 African Companies rankings, 12th in the West African sub-region and 16th in sub-Saharan Africa.
PHAMACEUTICAL: STELLA OKOLI
She is in a world of her own. As the Nigeria's biggest indigenous pharmaceutical company, Emzor Pharmaceuticals Limited also enjoys the envy of many because of its hard working chairman and Chief Executive Chief (Mrs) Stella Okoli.
TAXATION: IFUEKO OMOIGUI
That Nigeria's financial sector is beginning to witness some degree of sanity owing largely to sound tax policies can be credited to Ms. Ifueko Omoigui, Director General of the Fderal Inland Revenue Services. She is famous for her serious-mindedness. Since her appointment in 2004, she has met and surpassed expectations again and again.
Her brilliance attracted Arthur Anderson, now KPMG and Accenture, to employ her. By that feat, she became the first female professional staff hired in Nigeria by Arthur Anderson. They were not disappointed as she performed beyond their expectation to emerge as the first female professional manager and the first female national partner. In 1996, she founded ReStral Ltd, a partnership and management services company.
Ms. Omoigui is an active member of the Nigeria Economic Summit Group and serves on the board of several community and entrepreneurial development organisations.
She holds a first class honours in Accounting from the University of Lagos and a Master's Degree in Management Science from Imperial College, England as a Commonwealth Scholar.
STOCK EXCHANGE: NDI OKEREKE ONYUIKE
The Nigerian stock market has continued to gain respectability throughout the world in recent years. This has attracted attenbtion to the country and also the woman who holds sway as its chief executive, Dr. (Mrs.) Ndi Okereke-Onyuike
The Nigeria capital market Okereke-Onyuike (Director General) is spearheading an ambitious growth initiative. With less that 5% of the potential population currently investing in the market, there is a huge upside to attract new generation of more-informed and enthusiastic investors both domestically as well as from the Diaspora.
This is quite a feat in a country has garnered the unfavorable reputation of harbouring cheats.
Okereke-Onyiuke is the first female to ever hold this position. Saying she is brilliant is an understatement. Ndi is simply outstanding. Graduated magna cum laude (first class honours). With this honour she was nominated and selected for President Carter's executive exchange programme in the White House, Washington DC. Between 1978-82 she was the adjunct professor finance department New York City University. Exchange services manager systems consultant the New York stock exchange 1976-83. She is on the board of many leading companies in Nigeria.
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