allure 12062022

June 12, 2022 

Casual 

Outfit Ideas 

From Your 

Favourite 

Celebs 

PARENTING SEX 

EDUCATION 

Peace 

Okonkwo @ 70 

- Impacting Lives

6 

6 

7 

IN THIS ISSUE 

email: allurefortheworld@vanguardngr.com 

HAPPINESS 

4 Cover : Peace Okonkwo @ 70 - 

Impacting Lives 

6 Sexmatics: Parenting Sex 

Education (2) 

CELEBRATION 

3 

8 

Fashion : Casual Outfit Ideas From 

Your Favourite Celebs 

Billboard 

12 JUNE 2022 

WELCOME... 

Wife of the presiding Bishop 

of The Redeemed Evangelical 

Mission (TREM), Bishop Peace 

Okonkwo turned 70 on Friday! 

The woman of prayer, who is 

given to great hospitality and 

philanthropy, has reasons to 

celebrate this milestone. Starting 

off in life rough and hard and 

experiencing the same later in 

marriage and ministry, Bishop 

Peace looks back now, thankful 

that she trusted God to lead her to purpose in her life. 

Gracing our cover today, the woman of God, talks 

to our Assistant Editor, Yemisi Suleiman about her 

grass to grace story, and her call to minister to 

women through prayers. Pg. 4-5. 

When all work is done Monday to Friday, you want 

to dress down at the weekend and chill. See how 

your favourite celebs dress down at the weekend. Pg 

7 

Catch up on some stories you may have missed 

during the week on Billboard. It’s celebrations galore. 

Pg 8. 

Lest I forget, today is June 12! As we mark 

Democracy Day in Nigeria, and with the turnout of 

events at the Primaries, many observers can’t wait 

for 2023 to come. But have you got your PVC yet? If 

not, then it’s time to take action. 

Happy Democracy Day! 

J . E 

Jemi Ekunkunbor 

lookposh2017@gmail.com 

08052201126 

Quotes 

“We make a living by 

what we get, but we 

make a life by what we 

give.” 

- Winston Churchill 

“There is no passion to 

be found playing small 

- in settling for a life 

that is less than the one 

you are capable of living.” 

-Nelson Mandela 

“The key to immortality is 

first living a life worth 

remembering.” 

- Bruce Lee 

“God gave us the gift of 

life; it is up to us to give 

ourselves the gift of 

living well.” 

- David Frost 

8 

EDITOR 

JEMI EKUNKUNBOR 

ASST. EDITOR 

YEMISI SULEIMAN 

REPORTER 

Josephine Agbonkhese 

ALLURE ONLINE 

RITA OKOYE 

TEMITOPE OJO 

LAYOUT / DESIGN 

OLAYIWOLA AJAGBE 

TEAM 

CONTRIBUTORS 

ADESUWA 

EWOIGBOKHAN 

BAMIYO ISELEMA EMINA 

HEAD OF PRODUCTION 

CHARLES KAMMA 

HEAD MARKETING 

JANET NAJOMOH 

(08037156911) 

PHOTO 

OSCAR OCHIOGU 

(08034746487) 

Printed and published by Vanguard Media Ltd 

Vanguard Avenue Kirikiri Canal; P.M.B 1007 

Apapa, Lagos.

worl 

celebrate with the Matri,.., ...,.~aJ 

~ .."·-..,L··•.:o-=- 

......... ~-... and our dearly loved mother, 

Bishop Peace Ollonllwo 

as she hits a glorious 10111 

Signed: Rev & Rev (Mrs) Maxwell Gbinije

INTERVIEW 

Peace Okonkwo @ 70: 

Impacting Lives 

Words By - Yemisi Suleiman 

Bishop Peace Okonkwo, the Resident Pastor at the International Headquarters of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM), is 

one woman of God who is living a life of impact. Her exceptional love for women and children, and the need to impact humanity, 

gave birth to the International Women Prayer Conference (IWPC), an interdenominational monthly meeting for women, not 

only across the different states within Nigeria, but in countries across the globe, where her ministration has continued to touch lives. 

Amongst her numerous projects is The P.E.A.C.E (Providing Early Attention to Cervical Cancer Everywhere) Campaign, under the 

aegis of the Women of Global Impact (W.G.I) which raises awareness as well as, provide medical screening for women against Cervical 

Cancer; a silent killer amongst women, thus improving maternal health and reducing mortality rate. Not relenting in her efforts to 

impact society, Bishop Okonkwo founded the Rehoboth Homes & Skills Acquisition Center in Lagos and Ogbunike town, a rural part of 

South-East Nigeria. Both initiatives provide shelter for indigent ladies and empowers them with the necessary skills to become selfsustaining 

members of the society. 

The Matriarch of TREM, turned 70 years on Friday, June 10, and part of activities lined up to mark the birthday celebration was the 

TREM Community Impact Day, where she reached out to the less privileged in the community with medical interventions, distribution 

of food and educational materials for free. 

Married to Dr. Mike Okonkwo, the Presiding Bishop of TREM, Bishop Peace in this interview, talks about life at 70, her days of humble 

beginnings, the act of benevolence, domestic violence amongst other things. 

Congratulations on your 70th birthday. What is the 

secret of your looks and strength? 

Everyone says so. I would tell you, apart from the few 

things I do, I think, it is the grace of God. When God gives 

you grace to know things you are suppose to do and to do 

them, you will glow. 

God has given me that grace. I also eat right (I 

suppose), and I do walking exercise. Sometimes, I walk 

round my compound. 

What lessons have you learnt about life so far? 

So many lessons, where would I start? Life is ups and 

downs, good and bad, but you just have to trust God. We 

have passed through a lot. You just believe God for the 

best. No matter how bad it is, it would get better. 

What was your experience like growing up? 

My father died when we were very young. It was my 

grandmother that raised my siblings and I. It was not so 

wonderful but we waded through it. We were living with our 

grandmother, she was the one that sent us to school, and 

God helped us. Look at where we are today. 

What were your childhood fantasies? 

When we were growing up, we just looked up to God. 

My grandmother, every Sunday evening after service, she 

would ensure we read the bible. I couldn’t say I wanted to 

be a doctor or a lawyer, No. we just followed God as he led 

us. 

Would you say then that, you were prepared by your 

grandmother for what you are today? 

Yes, so to speak. She taught us the bible the much she 

knew at that time, and we tried to live by it. At that time, we 

just wanted to live and please God. She will tell us 

everything we are seeing is made possible by God. So, we 

thank God for making it possible. 

What informed your decision to become a pastor, or 

did you become a pastor by marriage? 

No. I didn’t know I was going to be a pastor. When my 

husband, came to marry me, he was not a pastor. I liked to 

work behind the scene. I was a prayer warrior. The 

pastorate just came. God has a plan and purpose for each 

and every one of us. He had a plan for me which, I can see 

now in the way he took me and worked it out. I just married 

Bishop and the rest started to unfold. Even the day he made 

me a Bishop, I cried my eyes out because I knew I don’t 

know much. I said, for what, what am I looking for? I just 

wanted to serve God. He said God told him. Thank God he 

didn’t tell me at home because if he had told me, I wouldn’t 

have come to church. 

How do you feel in a position that some men believe 

women are not supposed to be? 

Who told you that? We have a lot of women Bishops. At 

that time, I didn’t feel I was ready or fit for it. There are things 

the Bishop wants to do that he doesn’t discuss. He just 

came that day and said, the Lord told him to make some 

people Pastors and Bishops. When he called my name, I 

almost fainted. Tears were rolling down my eyes; I was 

shocked to say the least because I was still trying to 

pastorate. However, I gave in and started trusting God. 

Bishop helps me a lot, in words and in prayers, he told me 

that God told him so, and once he said God told him so, he 

caught me. I just closed my eyes and just followed what 

God said. 

So, the office of a Bishop is not only for men? 

A woman can be a Bishop. A man can also be a Bishop. 

It depends on your calling. 

Was there an event in your life that made you found the 

International Women Prayer Conference (IWPC) and 

how has it impacted the society? 

When I started the ministry, I started with counselling; I 

was more tilted to the women. A woman would come to talk 

to you about her problem, if you get to my table, you will see 

a box of tissue. The woman would not talk but instead she 

would be crying and this would continue for about 15 or 20 

minutes. When it became too much, I took it to God and 

said, Lord, what do I do? I’m a woman, I believe in prayers a 

lot. He said gather them together and let them pray unto me 

and I would answer. One day, while were still at the old 

church, the late Dr. Morris Cerrullo had a programme. One 

of his assistant said to me, “do you know you have a healing 

ministry?” I just smiled. He didn’t tell me what they were 

planning. But when they came to the service, few minutes 

into the programme, he called me up and said, “I need you 

to pray for healing for this people.” He told the congregation 

“if you are sick come out” I was shocked. I was taken aback 

of what God did that day. People were testifying of miracles 

that happened instantly. He said go and use this to work for 

the kingdom. 

I started praying for wisdom on how to go about it. That 

was how we started. People started coming from outside 

Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and other places. 

News started flying. After a while, God said to me, start 

going to them, not all of them can come to Lagos. That was 

how we opened Abuja, Port Harcourt and other places. I 

have coordinators in those places. As we kept on going, 

African countries opened up, European countries opened 

up. Last month (May), I ministered in London. We have to 

continue to pray for women. Women go through a lot of 

things. 

Like what? 

Like battering and abuse. 

But women abuse men too? 

It is on the lower side. This other one is on the high side. 

Women suffer the most. 

What advice do you have for women who suffer abuse? 

I tell them to speak out. Before the recent case that led 

to the death of a popular gospel artist came out, I just felt in 

my spirit that we should discuss the subject. In that meeting, 

I told women that so many of them are being abused but are 

hiding it and that they will die if they do not speak out. 

In the congregation, one mama about 80 years old, 

opened up on what she has seen over the years. Then 

women started speaking up. We are going to have the 

second edition soon. Don’t die for nothing. Speak out. 

There are cases of some women who stay back in 

abusive marriage because of their children, and what 

4 / June 12, 2022

June 12, 2022 

...A finance and lifestyle Magazine 

Two Generations, 

Two Stories of Impact, 

Two Women 

SPECIAL 

EDITION 

Olori 

Atuwatse III & 

Alero Ayida- 

Otobo 

100 

MOST 

IMPACTFUL 

WOMEN 

REST- 

A Mental Health 

Investment 

Vacation- 

A Necessary 

Financial Goal 

in partnership with

June 12, 2022 

Editor-in- Chief 

Omilola Oshikoya 

From the Editor in Chief... 

iam happy to introduce the maiden edition of 

The Richer Woman Wellspring magazine, the 

foremost finance and lifestyle magazine in 

partnership with Vanguard Allure. 

This is an 8-year dream come true. With 

patience, consistency and perseverance, 

dreams definitely become a reality. 

This edition is all about celebrating women who 

are impacting humanity. We start off by 

featuring two dynamic women who are 

impacting their sphere of influence. Her majesty, 

Olori Atuwatse III, the beautiful Queen of Warri 

Kingdom who is passionate about empowering 

women especially in rural communities and 

Alero Ayida-Otobo, a beautiful & youthful 

powerhouse whose heart’s desire is to raise an 

army of reformers on the continent of Africa to 

shift the political space and change the 

narrative. 

We also celebrate women who are contributing 

towards achieving the United Nations 

Sustainable Development Goals. 

Olori Atuwatse III & 

Alero Ayida-Otobo 

Considering we just concluded the mental 

health awareness month, in the lifestyle 

segment of this edition, we have published an 

article on Rest-an investment in mental health 

and we have a finance related article on 

financial goal setting. 

The team and I worked so hard in publishing this 

magazine in less than a month and we can’t 

wait to receive your feedback on how this 

magazine impacts you. 

We thank the magazine editorial team and 

strategy team for all the work put into creating 

this magazine. 

We thank our partners and Vanguard Allure for 

supporting our initiative.. 

Yours richly, 

Omi 

Editor in Chief 

Founder The Richer Woman Inc. 

CONTENTS 

Cover Story 08-14 

03 

faces at the 

Richer Woman 

Festival 

04 

Rest as a 

Mental Health 

Investment 

06-07 

100 Most 

Impactful 

Women 

15 

Honorary List 

Of Women 

Editor/CEO Hallow Media 

Oreoluwa Akinboboye 

Contributing Writers 

Ruth Zubairu 

Abioshun Bayonle Ajoke 

Temilade Olowoniyi 

Published by 

The Richer Media Ltd for The Richer 

Woman inc. 

Printed and Published by 

Vanguard Media Ltd. 

About The Richer Woman... 

The Richer Woman Inc is a women’s 

empowerment platform and community 

that produces articles, podcasts, talk 

shows, online courses, resources, coaching/ 

training, webinars, seminars, conferences, 

retreats, merchandise and e-commerce. 

Now housing a tech-enabled community 

and several other expressions that focuses 

on finance and lifestyle, the vision of The 

Richer Woman is to be the go-to global 

finance and lifestyle community for the 

modern woman that wants to be wealthy. 

The purpose of our brand is to provide 

women with access to a tried and trusted 

path to wealth, success in the critical areas 

of life and a supportive community they 

can lean on in their journey to becoming 

wealthy. It is led by a credible thought 

leader with 20 years recognised expertise in 

finance and life coaching to help women 

build wealth. 

To learn more, visit www.thericherwoman. 

com 

Follow us on all social media platforms 

@thericherwoman 

Contact us: hello@thericherwoman.com 

Vacation As A 

05 Necessary Financial Goal

EVENTS | 

Faces @ the 

Richer Woman Festival 

The maiden 

edition of the 

Richer Woman 

Festival held in the 

month of May to 

celebrate unique 

and profound 

women, their stories 

as well as 

remarkable lifestyle 

and finance 

principles. The 

festival is positioned 

to be an annual 

event for the 

modern woman 

who wants to be 

wealthy. Below are a 

few pictures 

capturing amazing 

moments and 

people at the 

festival. 

Redeeming the 

Priceless MOMENTS 

As women, I believe we have ignored the 

elephant in the room for far too long. I have 

dealt with so much working mom anxiety that 

I don’t think I am the only person that has this large 

sized elephant sitting comfortably in my mental 

space. Life is full of so many priceless moments 

and spending time building our businesses and 

careers means that we sometimes end up missing 

these moments. I remember missing my little boy’s 

first steps after waiting so long to witness it. I guess, 

sadly, I will have to make do with the blurred video 

clip of my little champ taking his first steps. 

As a working mom, after wading through traffic after 

a hectic day, all I want to do is come home to a 

space that is still as pristine as I left it. 

In the past, that was a huge challenge because 

no matter how consistently my 

nanny kept the house clean my 

walls kept getting worse by 

the day. My little boy can’t 

get enough of scribbling on 

those walls. The reprimands 

and shouts haven’t 

seemed to help. I think 

the last straw to 

break the camel’s 

back was when 

my nanny 

smacked Joshua 

for drawing again 

on the walls. We had just 

repainted, and I believe my nanny 

mirrored my frustration because 

apparently Josh feels he is the next 

Picasso! I had to ask a friend how 

she did it because I was getting really 

stressed out. Her walls were always so spotless 

although she had an army of three young kids. 

I am grateful for good friends and great advice 

because when I went to a Dulux Colour Centre, I 

was amazed at the quality paints on offer. I love 

white spaces and I never was brave enough to 

paint my house in white because of Josh. However, 

after being introduced to Dulux Easycare and 

seeing a demonstration, I took the plunge and I am 

so glad that I did. 

Dulux Easycare is 20 times tougher than regular 

matt paint; it is easy to clean and is stain resistant. 

This means that when you clean your walls the 

stains go off so easily, but the paint stays on. Even 

Josh is so shocked at how I have stopped shouting 

over the damage he does when he plays in the 

house. 

Last week Josh and his cousin decided to play 

with their food and stained my white walls! 

To his surprise, I just smiled and asked 

my Nanny to help clean the stains 

with soap and water. Life is all about 

the priceless moments we share with 

the ones we love, and I would rather 

spend it making unforgettable 

memories. Who knows, we might 

have a budding Picasso on our 

hands. 

Forgiveness is easy with Dulux 

Easycare. 

By Happy Mum

| LifeStyle 

Rest 

as a 

Mental Health 

Investment 

May is mental health awareness month 

and it’s more important now than ever 

before to take care of our mental health. 

This is because the world has not yet 

seen all the consequences of the global 

pandemic on mental health. Asides from the mental 

health challenges that have come as a result of the 

pandemic such as stress, fear and more, we are also 

living in an age of unprecedented information 

overload from social media. Furthermore, the 

economic difficulties as a result of the Russia and 

Ukraine war coupled with the pandemic have also 

affected our mental health. Therefore, we need to be 

very intentional about protecting same. 

One important factor that we need to consider when 

taking care of our mental health and overall wellbeing 

is REST. The analogy of the butterfly explains this 

effectively. Also, one of our brand elements at The 

Richer Woman Inc is the butterfly. 

A fascinating aspect of the metamorphosis of a 

butterfly is the fact that just before it transitions into a 

butterfly, it enters into the cocoon and it appears to 

be dead as nothing happens for about a week. 

However, the caterpillar is going through a major 

transformation on the inside. It is not an easy process 

and it is said to be equivalent to the process of dying 

but then the butterfly emerges after this process and 

it looks nothing like the caterpillar. It becomes the 

most beautiful insect. 

Moreso, the butterfly develops beautiful wings that will 

enable it to fly high and soar to heights the caterpillar 

could only dream of reaching. This is because the 

caterpillar could only crawl but can now fly as a 

butterfly. However, a period of inactivity was required 

for the caterpillar to experience this new 

transformation. 

What is Rest? The dictionary defines rest as “to cease 

work or movement in order to relax, sleep, or recover 

strength.” Let us focus on two ways to rest: 

Sleep: Even though you can rest without sleeping, a lot 

happens when you sleep. When you sleep, your brain 

is actually very active doing important things. When 

you sleep, your brain processes and retains 

information that you would have learnt during the 

day. Therefore, in the case of a student, it is futile to 

lose sleep by staying up all night to study or cram for 

exams. According to Carl W. Bazil, Professor of 

04 

June 12, 2022 

Neurology at Columbia University Medical Center, “The 

evidence suggests that if you spend all night trying to 

learn something new and miss a few hours of sleep to 

do so, your brain’s not going to retain that information 

the same way it would have if you’d gotten a full night 

of sleep, he says. “Your brain really needs to process 

that information, which you only do when you’re 

asleep.” 

Bazil also says that “There’s an increase in the release 

of growth hormones during sleep (this is when kids get 

taller, our skin cells regenerate, and our hair gets 

longer), as well as the hormones that regulate 

appetite. Sleep is also when our muscles repair 

damages (and regular wear and tear) from 

throughout the day.” 

Another important benefit of sleep according to Bazil 

is that “Sleep also plays an integral role in regulating 

the body’s immune system, which is responsible for 

fighting off all sorts of problems from the common 

cold to more serious chronic problems like cancer. 

(Research suggests that the body produces fewer 

infection-fighting antibodies when sleep-deprived.) 

Studies have shown that individuals are more likely to 

catch a cold virus when they’re sleep-deprived and 

that vaccines can be less effective after a poor night 

of sleep.” 

Lack of sleep is also linked to mood disorders and 

even depression and anxiety. Please note that rest 

does not necessarily mean sleep. You can also relax 

without sleeping. 

If you can rest physically you are one of the wealthiest 

people on earth. Many people cannot rest or even 

LACK OF SLEEP IS 

ALSO LINKED TO 

MOOD DISORDERS 

AND EVEN 

DEPRESSION AND 

ANXIETY 

sleep because of anxieties, worries, fear etc. Sleep is a 

priceless asset. Ensure you make time out to sleep 

daily. Ensure you get at least 8 hours of sleep as an 

adult. You would become more productive this way. 

Silence: Our world is so fast-paced and there is a 

plethora of information passing through us on daily 

basis. We have countless notifications on our phones 

from different apps. Therefore, we move from one 

conversation or the other physically or virtually. More 

now than ever we need to go on silent retreats or 

practice moments of silence. Periods of silence reveal 

hidden things or issues that we may ignore or not be 

aware of in our otherwise fast-paced life. Let us use 

the analogy of an astronaut to explain this. 

It is said that the silence in space can be 

overwhelming and inadequate preparation can make 

someone lose his/her mind. There is no single sound 

even if there is an explosion. It is so silent that when 

you are there you begin to hear things that you would 

ordinarily not have been able to hear on earth such as 

your heartbeat, your bones creaking as you move. 

Most astronauts would not be able to cope with the 

silence and so they need to practice silence through 

trainings on earth before they go to space. When you 

go on a silent retreat, like the astronaut things that are 

in you that you would not have noticed because of 

how fast-paced and busy our lives are, begin to come 

up to the surface. Most people feel anxiety and then 

other emotions like depression etc. The good thing is 

that you can then deal with these things as opposed 

to leaving them there and then it becomes a bigger 

problem in the future. 

The Jews are one of the wealthiest tribes in the world. 

Many of the Fortune 500 companies are owned by 

Jews. Even the top tech companies have Jewish 

co-founders. One thing about the Jews is that they 

don’t play with their rest. A new day starts in the 

evening as opposed to in the morning. Therefore, they 

start their day by going to bed. They also have a day 

for complete rest which they call sabbath. Their 

lifestyle shows that there is a correlation between rest 

and productivity. Contrary to logic and popular 

opinion rest is an important aspect of work. Recreation 

leads you to Re-create. Therefore, we need to learn to 

do the following: take social media breaks, especially 

in this season where a lot is going on in the media, 

take a day off every week as your sabbath/rest day 

where you do nothing but relax, have quiet time daily 

where you spend time yourself. You can journal, pray 

etc, take periodic holidays, go on a walk, have silent 

retreats and moments.

Financial Education | 

Vacation As 

A Necessary 

Financial Goal 

Since it’s our mental health awareness 

month, we have connected our finance 

topic for this edition to this initiative: 

“Vacation as a necessary financial goal”. 

Vacation is defined as a time when 

someone does not go to work or school 

but is free to do what they want, such as travel or relax. 

You can decide to travel during your vacation by 

going to a destination to relax, rest and rejuvenate. We 

recommend going to destinations where you can rest 

properly as opposed to destinations where you end 

up coming back more exhausted than you left 

because you spent all your time visiting friends and 

family or shopping. 

The Richer Woman can plan several vacations 

depending on what stage she is in the financial life 

cycle. Depending on her budget she can go to exotic 

locations like Seychelles, Maldives, Mauritius, Bali, and 

Cancun or she can even go to African cities like 

Zanzibar in Tanzania, Mombasa in Kenya, Lake Kivu in 

Rwanda, Accra in Ghana etc. She can also decide on 

a staycation if she is not able to travel. She can go to 

Lakowe Lakes Golf Resort in Lagos, La Campagne 

Tropicana in Lagos, Obudu Cattle Ranch in Cross River 

State, Ibom Resort in Uyo State. She can even go to a 

hotel two doors away from her house to get some 

time to rest. Also, she can plan the vacation with her 

family, one with her spouse, one with her friends or one 

on her own etc. Our ideal vacation for The Richer 

Woman is going to a new place where she does 

minimal activities or shopping but spends a lot more 

time doing things that would make her relax like going 

to spas, swimming, walking, eating, walking on the 

beach, exploring a new city and culture as a tourist. 

However, in order to go on vacation, she first needs to 

set her financial goal to go on holiday to a destination. 

What is a goal? 

Have you ever wondered why many people set new 

year’s resolutions at the beginning of the year but don’t 

end up achieving them? It is not enough to set a new 

resolution, you must set it as a goal. According to 

Napoleon Hill, “a goal is a dream with a deadline. 

Therefore, instead of saying I will go on holiday, it is more 

expedient to say I will go on holiday between the 31st of 

July 2022 and the 15th of August 2022. The business 

dictionary says, “A goal is an observable and 

measurable end result having one or more objectives to 

be achieved within a more or less fixed time frame”. 

TYPES OF GOALS: There are three types of goals which 

are: 

i. Short term (0-1 year): For example, go to Lakowe Lakes 

Golf Resort in July 2022. 

ii. Medium term (1-5years): For example, go to Zanzibar 

in Tanzania from the 24th of December 2023 - the 2nd 

of January 2024. 

iii. Long term (>5 years): For example, go to Cancun 

Mexico or Maldives during my 10th wedding anniversary 

on the 25th of July 2030. 

SMART GOALS: You must create S.M.A.R.T goals. Smart is 

the acronym for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, 

Realistic and Time-bound. 

a) Specific: The goal must be detailed/specific enough 

to give precise direction to the task at hand. It is not 

enough to just say you want to go on vacation, you 

must be clear on where you want to go, how you intend 

• Cancun, Mexico 

to achieve it and when you would like to achieve it. 

b) Measurable: You need to be able to assess/ 

measure whether you are on target or not. A 

measurable goal allows you to prepare, calculate 

the cost and track your progress. 

c) Achievable: Your goal must be realizable or 

attainable i.e., capable of completion. For instance, 

is it realistic to have a goal to go to the Maldives in 5 

years when the cost is 5 times your monthly 

income? 

d) Realistic: It is important that you set realistic 

goals. For instance, it is unrealistic for a person who 

doesn’t have a passport or has never gotten a visa 

to set a short-term goal to travel to Miami Florida in 

six months. Instead, the person should consider 

setting a goal to go on a staycation or a destination 

that doesn’t require visas like Seychelles. 

e) Time-bound: Goals must have a specific time or 

period of completion. This would enable you to 

measure your progress periodically. 

Setting goals is very important. For example, a 

university study showed that only 3% of a 

graduating class had clear written goals. It further 

revealed that the same 3% were earning ten times 

more than the 97% who didn’t have written goals 20 

years after. 

After you set your financial goal, the next thing 

would be to create a financial plan on how you 

intend to achieve your goal. For example, you would 

determine how much money it would cost you to 

go to the destination of your choice. You would 

review your budget to determine how much money 

you have available to save towards your vacation 

and how long it would take you to save. You can 

then decide to create an alternative stream of 

income to supplement your savings or even invest 

in short term investment options or long term 

investment options depending on the cost and 

duration of your financial goal to enable you earn 

sufficient returns to achieve it. Sometimes going as 

part of a group or through a group tour can also 

save you costs. 

Editors Note: The Richer Woman Inc is 

planning a retreat for members of the 

community. Please join our community for 

more information. 

June 12, 2022 05

Anwulika Ahonsi 

Ife Durosinmi Etti 

Dumebi Agbakoba Renee Q. Boateng Adaora Mbelu 

Adedamola Ladejobi 

Aramid 

Damilola Adelowo 

Debola Deji Kurunmi 

Dr. Seun 

Engr. Abisola 

Kamson 

Dr. OLORI BOYE-AJAYI 

Funto 

Tomie Balogun 

Ifeoma Monye 

Orode Uduaghan 

Adedoyin Jaiyesinmi 

Adenike Oyetunde Lawal 

Adeola Ariyo Enikanoselu 

Aisha Augie 

Bola Adefila 

Toyosi Etim Effiong 

Angel Adelaja -Kuye 

Delphine Okobah Esther Longe Folakemi Odesola 

Foluso Gbadamosi 

Francesca Uriri 

Bolatito Idakula 

Francesca Uriri 

Gbemisola Isimi 

Glory Edozien 

Imisioluwa Owolabi 

Jacqueline Oludimu 

Juliet Ehimuan 

Lara Teshola 

Leila Olufunke Fowler 

Imoukhuede 

Marya Ade 

Naomi Osemedua 

Simi Nwogugu 

Omotayo Adeola 

Busola Dakolo 

Gusi Tobby LordWilliams 

Omawumi Ogbe 

Morenike Molehin 

Enimien Inegbedion 

Kemi Ajumobi 

Kemi Ogunleye 

Doyinsola Oguny 

Seyi Oluyole 

Kemisola Bolarinwa 

Ini Abasi 

Jokotade 

Joycee Awosika 

Kehinde Ogunba 

Kehinde Oniru 

K 

J 

06 

June 12, 2022

Stephanie Obi 

Nere Teriba 

Aderoju Ope- Ajayi 

Tricia Olufemi- 

Olumide 

Abiola-Adediran 

Omotade Alalade 

Oyinkansola Alabi 

e Abe 

Olabisi 

Usidame 

Ololade Olusola 

Raquel Daniel Remi Makanjuola Ronke Adeniyi 

Rayo Ahenmokhai 

Seyi Amao 

Ruth Afolabi 

Samiah Ahmed 

Simisola Agunbiade 

Stephanie Busari 

Tolu Kasali 

Sola Adesakin 

Seyi Amao 

Tolu Kasali 

TY Bello 

Bolarin Okunowo 

Uche Pedro 

Yemisi Vese 

Tale Alimi 

Tamaramieseiya 

Sammy. 

Chinwe Egwim 

Omomo Ibe 

Tomi. A 

Tomilayo Aluko 

Bunmi George 

MOST 

Emem Nwogwugwu 

IMPACTFUL 

Toritseju Olaitan 

Tosin Olasiende 

WOMEN 

e 

Toun Tunde-Anjous 

Toyin Ogunmade 

emi Onabanjooseph 

Leslie Okoye 

Mazino Malaka 

Motunrayo Ade-Famoti 

Nike Anani 

Olabisi Ola-Soetan 

Omawumi Etiko 

June 12, 2022 07

| Interview 

...I think humility is key especially 

because of the state of the society we 

are in. Even though it is important to 

stand up for your rights, we need to be 

as gentle as doves and embrace our 

innate femininity with all humility. 

08 

June 12, 2022

Interview | 

OLORI 

ATUWATSE III 

Olori Aiyivieruewinoya ‘Ivie’ Emiko-Atuwatse, known as Olori Atuwatse III, Queen of the Warri 

Kingdom, is a visionary with a heart for humanity, social enterprise, education, and capacity 

building for women and children. A qualified lawyer with an LLB from the London School of 

Economics, she was called to the Nigerian bar in 2010. She is a member of the CIARB Nigeria and 

has certifications from the Nigerian Chambers of Commerce and Chambers of Maritime. 

She has a strong entrepreneurial drive and has founded several businesses across industries. She sits on the 

boards of the Wells Property Development Company, the Wells Carlton, and Wells Bakehouse, and is 

constantly on the lookout for opportunities to create value through enterprise. 

Congratulations on your ordination, what does it 

feel like to sit on the throne of the Kingdom of 

Warri? 

Thank you very much. First and foremost, I think 

it’s a great privilege to be Olori Atuwatse III and 

Queen of the Warri Kingdom under the able 

leadership of my husband, Ogiame Atuwatse III. 

Often times, people see enthronement of any kind 

as an opportunity to exert Lordship over the people 

and amass wealth to themselves. My husband and 

I see it as a call to service and great responsibility 

to be first accountable to God for the nations and 

destinies of people we are stewards over. It is also 

a responsibility to diligently serve the people with 

ourselves and all that we have. I also understand 

that my position as Queen will require a lot of 

self-leadership. 

Why did you choose to serve the people of Warri? 

What makes Warri special and dear to you and 

your husband? 

My husband, Ogiame is a people-driven leader 

and has always been driven by his love for the 

people even before he became king and right 

from the time I met him. He has always had 

dreams for improving the lives of the people of 

Warri such as by turning Warri to “Warri-Dubai” or 

“Warri-Miami” as we fondly call it (laughing). Being 

married to such an exceptional man with a deep 

love for his people has influenced me to take on a 

responsibility and heart for the people even though 

I am not originally from Itsekiri. I love them as much 

as my husband does as I am passionate about the 

things he is passionate about. 

Further, Warri is located in the Niger Delta which 

has faced challenges such as clashes and 

exploitation. Having the opportunity to be in the 

midst of the situation to see the suffering of a 

people who produce most of the country’s wealth 

as well as to be in a position of authority, it only 

makes sense to lay our lives down to ensure that 

justice, equity and righteousness. This is my driving 

force for serving the people and why Warri is so 

dear to my husband and I. It’s our home and it’s 

our legacy which are children are going to inherit. 

What are your highest expectations and deepest 

apprehensions about your new role, position and 

responsibilities? 

Ogiame and I are very much aware of 

demands of the position that we’ve been placed 

in. We also understand that these demands 

require the support of every single person as it 

takes a village to do this. We require the support of 

men and women of like minds, similar vision, drive 

and passion for Warri to see the realization of our 

vision of a new Warri kingdom that we are looking 

to build by God’s grace, to come through. 

Fortunately, we have been blessed so far by some 

outstanding sons and daughters who are 

interested in partnering with us to see this vision 

become manifest. I call these people runners that 

able to run with our vision and translate that into 

reality. 

I can’t say I have any apprehensions but 

nurture a hope to finish well based on the 

understanding that the journey is long, and we are 

constantly looking up to God to help us finish well. 

And I believe He will. 

How has the transition into your new reality been? 

Have there been any surprises? 

I won’t say there have been any surprises even 

though it was a very short time frame (about three 

months) within which we transitioned from private 

life to public life. Like I said, we were surrounded by 

a team of people who helped, prepped, supported 

and prayed for us. This made the transition as 

smooth as humanly possible. So, I can’t say there 

have been any surprises and have to attest to the 

fact that it has really been grace at work for us as 

a family and as individuals. We are really thankful 

for the great help we have been afforded so far. 

What are the most demanding sacrifices you 

have made in marriage and what was it like 

having to leave your private life in Lagos to take 

on a public one in Warri. Also, have you always 

anticipated living your life under public scrutiny? 

I’ll take it from the back (laughing). No, I haven’t 

always anticipated living my life under public 

scrutiny. In fact, upon until more recently, I was one 

that was very given to hiding and supporting from 

the backstage of the backstage. So to be very 

honest, my answer to that is No, especially as it 

relates to this position and especially if we know 

what happened five years ago before my 

husband was coronated. However, the sacrifices 

for our marriage has been really in respect of time 

and ensuring that we still are diligent to make time 

for one another in the light of the very demanding 

requirements of a role in public service. In terms of 

where we currently live, I don’t really feel too much 

of the difference because we are always in Lagos 

anyway (laughing). We do miss certain things 

being readily accessible i.e., the little luxuries of 

accessibility because Warri is still under 

construction but its not so tough and its bearable 

because we are able to make alternative 

arrangements when we can. 

How have you managed to strike the balance of 

upholding and protecting a healthy private life 

(where necessary) while serving as a public 

figure? 

I know that my first responsibility and job is wife 

and mother. The understanding that my children 

and husband are the first people that I am called 

to is how I have been able to balance that. For 

example, I ensure that I don’t miss school pick ups 

and drop offs, that I still have time to help with 

homework, tell the children stories and pray with 

the family. These are things that I see have direct 

impact on my home and a healthy family and 

private life translates to a healthy public life. I also 

understand my responsibility to love my new sons 

and daughters as the mother of the Warri 

kingdom. 

What about your background, education, beliefs, 

personality etc will you say has prepared you for 

your current assignment and why? How did you 

prepare for this role? What skills does a woman 

need to be in such a strategic leadership 

position? 

This is a great question, and I won’t say it was 

one thing but a combination of so many things. I 

got a lot of the attributes I have now from my 

parents not by them outrightly telling me what to 

do but by the opportunity I got to mirror them 

which allowed me to catch a lot of the values that 

they had. This is because values are never taught, 

they are always caught. Looking back at my life 

and upbringing, I see how values like humility have 

June 12, 2022 09

| Interview 

been entrenched in me and acknowledged by 

other people even though I still believe that I am 

work in progress in that area. This value and others 

came from my parents because I saw how they 

related with people across social strata, gender, 

religion and tribe with love, honor, respect, 

compassion and empathy. I also learnt from my 

parents to give to the less privileged and this has 

become second nature to me because we did 

this together as a family from when I was very 

young. My kind and gentle nature is also a byproduct 

of being raised by and observing them. 

So, in essence, my family and parents prepared 

me for this role. In the same way, I also see how 

children pick things like a sponge and an example 

is the way my daughter is literally able to mimic 

me and my exact voice at just six years old 

especially when dresses like me (laughs). 

Therefore, children pick the values that their 

parents portray not what the parents desire. So, 

we parents need to first embody the values we 

seek to transfer to our children. 

In terms of the skills a woman needs for this 

kind of role, I think humility is key especially 

because of the state of the society we are in. Even 

though its great and important to stand up for 

your rights, we need to be as gentle as a dove and 

embrace our innate femininity with all humility. We 

shouldn’t seek to “compete” with men by 

behaving “manly”. I also believe we need to 

uphold compassion for our fellow human beings 

and the people we’re leading as I see it as one of 

the greatest keys to wisdom. This is because 

leadership is servanthood before it requires 

direction. These values are very critical for a 

woman in a position of authority. 

What are your thoughts on the importance of 

having more women in politics and the process 

for achieving the same? How can you describe 

the Nigerian government’s efforts so far to 

facilitate this considering decisions like its recent 

rejection of the bill on gender equality? Also, what 

should the government do differently to 

encourage more women to participate in 

politics? 

I’ll start from the last part of the question. The 

government is the people and the people is the 

government so sometimes when we say 

“government” we transfer responsibility to our idea 

of an organization called the government. In 

actual fact, we are the government. Therefore, I 

believe that from the micro-levels of families and 

schools we need to teach the girls that they have 

a voice and their opinions as well as contributions 

to the society beyond childbearing matters, right 

unto the mid-levels like the workplace where 

women should be properly trained and given 

equal opportunities such as access to promotions 

without having to sell themselves, and then at 

macro-levels like the national platforms where 

women should be brought on for ministerial and 

other leadership positions. 

There is a saying that “no one can realize your 

value apart from you”. It means we need to 

understand our value because people will treat 

you as good or bad as you let them treat you. 

From my experience working in the public sector 

at NIMASA, the most critical persons of women in 

government are women themselves i.e. by 

“one of my core 

objectives 

during this reign 

is the 

empowerment 

of girls and 

especially 

women 

in our rural 

communities.” 

pushing other women down. Therefore, the 

minority women in government now should make 

space for other women to come up by mentoring, 

promoting and encouraging them. This is because 

when we start seeing the value of ourselves as 

women, our fellow brothers in government will 

respond to that and react the same way 

genuinely. 

We understand that you have a desire for each 

life in the Warri Kingdom to be worth a life in 

Washington DC, what does this mean in practical 

terms and what are the possible ways for 

achieving that? 

As we know, no country values the lives of its 

citizens more than America and it’s not because 

their body parts are worth more than ours but 

because they have a desire to improve the quality 

of life of their citizens and they attach value to 

human life. These two motivations are intertwined 

because when you value human life, you will want 

to improve the quality of life of your people. I 

believe this is what I meant when I said “…Until one 

life in the Warri Kingdom is worth the same as a life 

in Washington DC..”. It means that until we really 

begin to see value of our people and the quality of 

life that they require from basic amenities like 

water and light to roads and schools, we still have 

a lot of work to do. In essence, we are committed 

to empowering the people. 

Having grown up in a wealthy family and being a 

wealthy person yourself, what can you say are 

the fundamental principles of thriving financially 

without having to sacrifice crucial things that 

matter? 

The first and foremost thing will be trust in God. 

This is because when it comes to wealth building, 

the journey is filled with ups and downs. Therefore, 

you need trust and faith in God as an anchor. The 

second principle will be diligence, the Bible says a 

man diligent in his works will stand before kings so 

we should not look down on the little seed in our 

hands because we are comparing ourselves to 

others or because we are just despising our little 

beginnings. Also, I mean diligence in all its forms 

including accountability and building wealth 

according to pattern. The third principle will be 

INTEGRITY! – I can’t overemphasize this. The fourth 

principle will have to be perseverance and being 

true to your assignment such that you do not give 

up. I saw all four principles serve as cardinal points 

in my father. For example, one of his major prayer 

10 

June 12, 2022

Interview | 

points was to ask God to keep him away from any 

business that will put him in trouble and get him 

out of God’s will. Low and behold, we saw this play 

out several times such that other people that 

carried on with businesses he ‘lost’ out on ended 

up in trouble. I believe these are the four cardinal 

points for a wealthy and balanced person. 

What is your fondest memory of your Dad and 

why? 

Just before my sixteen birthday and while I was 

in boarding school in England, I asked my Dad if I 

could have dinner. He responded saying he was 

busy, couldn’t afford it and that I should focus on 

my studies. Then on my birthday, my Dad travels 

all the way to England and shows up to surprise 

me with a set of diamonds as well as takes me out 

to dinner with my friends. This meant a lot to me 

because he made time out of his very busy 

schedule and this was the kind of stuff he did for 

me but this particular experience will always be 

precious to me because of the amazing gift he 

gave me and the sacrifice of his time. 

Why is it important for a woman to be financially 

empowered? What will you call the most 

important skills women need to embrace to 

financially empower themselves? 

There is a saying that “when you empower a 

woman, you empower the whole world”. This is 

because when a woman is financially stable, it just 

cascades down to children, the family, society and 

everybody else. Therefore, one of my core 

objectives during this reign is the empowerment 

of girls and especially women in our rural 

communities because they are the ones primarily 

responsible for the children. 

I think women need to embrace a lot of 

financial literacy which goes beyond the saving 

aspect which is largely given because Nigerian 

women are very industrious and are not lazy. 

However, we need to help these women to 

upscale their businesses such that they can begin 

to export beyond their local environment and 

even the shores of Nigeria. Of course, this will 

require training in areas like branding and 

investment. I currently work with one of the women 

cooperatives in our local community and we have 

injected sizable amounts of money into that 

cooperative and this serves as capital to the 

members who rotate investing the money and 

returning it back to the cooperative. We did this 

because women empowering women is the most 

effective means of empowerment. Finally, 

whatever profit has been made from the bulk 

investment will be used to open an investment 

fund no matter how small, just to teach them 

about financial literacy which is the way to make 

long lasting wealth beyond saving. 

With your focus on leveraging agriculture to 

promote societal development, can you describe 

how practicable and sustainable these 

propositions are, especially in terms of creating 

wealth for the people? What other projects are 

dear to your heart for the Kingdom? 

They are very practicable especially given our 

terrain. For example, some of the new agricultural 

initiatives we are introducing involve creating 

learning institutes for women i.e., creating a skills 

hub with our foundation and using that to then 

train them across the agricultural value chain 

such that their products and value offerings are 

diversified and sustainable. We also employ them 

to work with us to put their best skills to use. The 

two things my husband and I stand for are 

education and empowerment, so we use these 

two to drive all our initiatives such as agriculture, 

restoration of arts in the Warri kingdom, using 

media to tell the Itsekiri story and re-ignite its 

identity, and health care initiatives (and we are not 

doing all these alone). 

How are you funding your social impact projects? 

The wealth of relationships cannot be 

overemphasized. Most of the funding we are 

currently getting especially for some of my 

projects such as the Wuwu Ore health care 

outreach program that I do quarterly has been 

funded by well-meaning individuals in the past 

eight months since we started even though we 

hope to galvanize corporate sponsorship in the 

years to come. So, our projects are currently 

mostly funded by collaborative opportunities with 

individuals within the kingdom. 

What books on finance and leadership have 

impacted you the most and why? Do you have 

any role models or women of monarchy that you 

have learnt from? 

The Bible is the best book on finance if you read 

it with the help of the Holy Spirit. Supplementary 

books that I have read are keys to heaven’s 

economy by Shawn Bolz and secrets of Jewish 

wealth revealed by Rabbi Celso Cukierkorn. The 

Holy Spirit actually told me the name of the 

second book and asked me to read it in 2019. 

Before then, I never knew it existed and I’ve found it 

to be a great book. As we know, Jewish people are 

one of the wealthiest people in the world and 

there are practices or principles they engage in. 

Michelle Obama is not a monarch, but she is a 

woman that has had great influence on me. I also 

love the queen of Jordan, Rania Al-Abdullah 

because she is really passionate about fighting for 

the rights of women and children, providing 

access to education and addressing 

environmental concerns. I also really love what 

Sheika Moza Bint Nasser Al-Missned (former Emir 

of the state of Qatar and co-founder of the Qatar 

foundation) is doing with education. Also, even 

though Princess Diana is dead, she is another 

monarch that I really looked up to because of how 

passionate she was as woman leader. I believe 

she was a woman that was born way ahead of 

her time. 

What is the toughest challenge you’ve faced and 

how did you overcome it? 

Finding my voice and allowing my voice to be 

heard. This is because I grew up as a people 

pleaser and always wanted to conform to being 

accepted and acceptable to everyone that I 

cared about, all the while knowing that there was 

brilliance and absolute greatness on the inside of 

me. For example, as a young girl, I always wanted 

to be a diplomat even though my father 

discouraged that because of his thoughts on the 

demands that come with building a home. So, I 

lived my life in the passenger’s seat while others 

took the driver’s seat with their opinions. Therefore, 

one of the toughest challenges I had was allowing 

myself to be me and shine. This process took a lot 

of prayer, self-improvement and development as 

well as leaning on God’s faith in me and deciding 

that I am going to be the person that I was born to 

be. This required a lot of diligent reading, 

introspection, training and various forms of 

investment in myself to ensure I developed and 

became this amazing person that I always knew 

was inside me. 

June 12, 2022 11

| Interview 

Why is it important for a woman to have a 

support system in friends, community etc. 

and what have been your experiences? 

Women have so many roles and functions 

that demand her attention and as such her 

strength in those ways is celebrated. However, 

sometimes women don’t want to feel strong 

and just want to be okay especially when 

they’ve been serving as support to different 

people and groups. I think it is critical for a 

woman to have a support system for example 

in friends and a community that she can trust 

and be vulnerable with. In return, they can 

empathize with and support her because 

support needs support otherwise it will 

capsize. This is especially true for women in 

leadership because they feel very lonely and 

unseen because there are few of them in that 

category or they don’t know who to trust. So, I 

think support is not a nice to have, it is a must 

have. Personally, I have been blessed with a 

company of sisters that I am able to reach out 

to when I don’t feel like being Queen, mother and 

all the other roles that are attached to my person 

and I can be vulnerable with them such that they 

pray for me and energy is infused back into me 

to be able to do more. I’ll conclude by saying 

friendship is a form of selfcare. 

How do you balance your role as a wife to the 

King, a mother to your children and a Queen to 

the people of Warri Kingdom? 

Time management and prioritizing because 

sometimes what is urgent isn’t priority. Therefore, 

you need to know the difference between what is 

urgent and important because sometimes what 

is important has to come before what is urgent. 

You also require discernment on how to handle 

such situations. For example, sometimes I have 

to attend to my children first as best as I can 

before I go to see people waiting to see me as 

Queen. This is because my children are 

important to me even though I value my 

position as Queen and love the people I serve. 

Where is your favorite vacation spot/location 

and why? 

Seychelles!! Because it’s far! (laughing). I 

also love it because its beautiful and serene. My 

husband and I had an amazing, peaceful, and 

rejuvenating time when we went there on 

vacation. So, for now its Seychelles until I go 

somewhere else (laughing). 

What do you do for fun, when you’re not 

diligently servicing your various assignments, 

what do you do? 

I dance and that’s a secret (laughing). I love 

dancing to gospel music as it calms me down. I 

also love singing, vacationing, going to the spa 

and dining out undercover (laughing) 

What is your favorite gemstone and why? 

The emerald because of the depth of its 

color which is so beautiful, and green is one of 

my favorite colors. Further, emerald is the stone 

for my birth month i.e., May. 

What is your fashion style? 

My fashion style is contemporary regal and 

modest. I also have a passion for fashion and 

sometimes still play dress up as I find it fun 

(laughing). My ultimate favorite color is white 

because it’s pure and classy. 

12 

June 12, 2022

| Interview 

...Anyone that wants to participate in 

government must make an upfront 

commitment not to sell his or her 

values once in power. It takes 

courage to be able to say no when 

everyone else is saying yes. 

14 

June 12, 2022

Interview | 

ALERO 

AYIDA-OTOBO 

Alero Ayida-Otobo is a Transformation Strategist with an invaluable understanding of sector-wide 

reforms in Africa. She is passionate about reforming educational and health systems which are key 

to National Development and transforming individuals and institutions. Her desire for education 

reform began when she served as a Senior Adviser and Transformation Task Team Leader to a 

former Minister of Education in Nigeria in 2006/2007 after over 10 years in the Financial Services 

Industry. A graduate of Somerville College, Oxford University, and the London Business School, her purpose is 

to “create wealth in Africa through the development of Human Potential. 

She is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the School of Politics, Policy and Governance (SPPG) – & is on the 

board of several organizations including the Chair of Slum2School Africa. 

She is a British Chevening Scholar and has won many awards and most recently the GlobalWIIN Award - 

global exemplary education double gold winner. 

Congratulations on your book - Reformers 

Arise, please can you tell us more about the 

book, what inspired it, its purpose and what 

readers should expect to learn from reading it? 

That’s a very good first question. Starting with 

what inspired it, I worked in the private sector 

(Banking) for thirteen or fourteen years and 

then returned into the public sector by serving 

the Minister of Education, Dr Oby Ezekwesili. After 

I served her for about ten months as one of her 

transformation task team leaders, she went to 

the world bank to become vice-president while 

I stayed back and served about three or four 

ministers. During this time, the question I kept 

thinking about is why people like Dr Oby 

effortlessly delivered on the mandate of being a 

minister of education – she was GOOD at what 

she did! There were other ministers not just in 

education but in the entire civil service of 

Nigeria – both at state and federal level who 

failed in making impact whatsoever in their 

sector of assignment after serving their four 

years. So, I began to wonder what enables a 

leader to succeed and why do other leaders 

fail. By this I mean not just leaders in the 

business sector but specifically leaders who are 

nation builders i.e., leaders who are in the public 

sector and are meant to be impacting their 

nation. “Why? Why do leaders fail?”. The second 

question I had in mind that inspired me to write 

this book and go on this journey of discovery 

was “what will it take to shape the continent of 

Africa?”. It bothered me that the statistical 

reflection of our development was so abysmal, 

that there were many nations wallowing in 

abject poverty and Nigeria was getting 

increasingly dysfunctional. So, I went on various 

journeys and courses on Nation Building such 

as the one run by Apostles in the Market Place 

and the Institute of National Transformation. I 

also travelled to Ukraine in this quest for 

answers. Finally, while I was on a three-month 

sabbatical looking after my daughter, I decided 

it was time to answer those questions and 

that’s when I realized it takes a particular 

mindset to transform nations. In answering the 

question on what makes up that mindset, I 

discovered that the reformers mindset is what 

makes individuals make significant impact. 

Furthermore, in my book, I highlighted some 

reputable leaders like Nelson Mandela and 

Mahatma Gandhi and discussed what makes 

these reformers history makers. I also observed 

something interesting during my time in Ukraine 

where I learnt how to change nations, they had 

pictures of great reformers on the wall and the 

last frame had no picture with the question 

stating, “Is this you?”. If your answer to that 

question was Yes, you have to determine what 

it will take for you to be a game changer and 

history maker which is what reformers are. 

Therefore, you need to have the mindset that if 

you don’t do what you are meant and sent to 

this world to do, nobody else will do it. There 

can’t be another YOU because you are unique 

and beautifully made and molded by God. You 

need to understand that first and know that if 

you are relaxed and neglect your responsibility, 

it will be left undone and that’s why every single 

one of us are history makers. So, the question is 

are you willing to arise to take your place and 

make the desired impact. Hence, the title of the 

book “Reformers Arise”. There are four qualities 

that make up the reformers mindset which I 

want the readers to learn about when they read 

the book, but I will discuss briefly, they are 

summarized as three Cs and an I: 

A. Character: This includes values such as 

unquestionable integrity, honesty, and love 

quotient because it takes love to sacrifice, and it 

takes sacrifice to build a nation. If your love 

quotient is low as it is in most of our leaders, you 

will not serve as a servant leader but govern 

and rule. 

B. Competence 

C. Collaboration. 

This is very necessary because you cannot 

change anything now by solo effort and I 

discussed in my book how change 

communities transform nations. Therefore, you 

need to be able to operate in a change 

community. Most reputable leaders had a 

change community like the African National 

Congress by Nelson Mandela. In Nigeria, the 

reason we are currently in a mess is that we do 

not have a change community at the highest 

levels. Like in Singapore, where the focus is on 

the nation and serving the people, a change 

community will have the same values, ethos, 

agree on the same principles and anyone who 

defies those principles is kicked out! 

D. Influence. 

You leverage the three Cs above to drive 

influence, push change, shift decisions, establish 

policies, execute and serve. For example, when 

you are competent and solution oriented, you 

get to be invited to the table where they are 

formulating policies. This is an important 

message to Christians to go beyond having a 

good character to making themselves relevant 

to these important discussions by building 

competence. 

June 12, 2022 15

| Interview 

Further, I want you, the reader, to pick up a 

burden for nation building that will keep you 

awake. As I believe that it’s time for nation 

builders to arise. When I wrote that book about 

four years ago, it was a call for reformers to 

arise and I can attest to the fact that countless 

reformers are rising. This is because I believe 

that when God wants to start a movement, He 

releases a sound which ignites those who hear 

the sound, awakening them so they can act. 

Therefore, there is the need to AWAKEN, ARISE 

and ACT; this is also referenced on my website 

and are my initials Alero Aboyewa Ayida (AAA). 

What will you say makes a person ideal to lead 

at various levels of government as well as drive 

change and why is it important for young 

people particularly women to proactively 

involve themselves in this process? Also, how 

best should they reposition themselves to 

become the change they seek? Further, you 

were recently appointed as CEO of the School 

of Politics, Policy and Governance (SPPG). Why 

did you take on this role and what do you hope 

to achieve while at it? 

I’ll reference the three Cs and an I that I 

mentioned above. After I served in government 

for several years as a technical adviser and 

with my experience with the school of politics 

and governance right from its pioneer class, it 

became very clear that there were more than 

three Cs and we designed six Cs. As someone 

who participates and is active in the sectors 

where crucial changes need to be made like 

education and health sector, you need three 

“I believe that 

people can turn 

their mourning 

into gladness 

by deliberate 

decisions that 

they take 

including saying 

“I shall not 

wallow in this 

sadness.” 

other Cs which are: 

A. Capacity 

B. Compassion which is another word for 

love 

which is required for nation building. This is the 

only way a nation builder can pay the price 

required to transform his or her nation. 

C. Courage which is required by a leader 

who wants to go against the pull of status quo 

which he or she must defy. It takes courage to 

be able to say no when everyone else is saying 

yes and be able to fall on one’s sword. It 

appears most Nigerians don’t have this, which is 

essentially the courage to do what is right 

Anyone that wants to be in government 

must make an upfront commitment not to sell 

his or her values once in power i.e. you can’t be 

bought no matter the price because money 

has lost its hold on you. 

- To reposition yourself to become the 

change that you seek, you need to be ready to 

serve. The younger generation needs to learn to 

put more emphasis on service as it takes 

service to transform a nation. People may 

wonder how to fund their ideas on how to serve 

but we need to understand that there are seven 

currencies in the kingdom of God and money is 

not even one of them; they are: 

i. Faith 

ii. Obedience 

iii. Favor. 

The first three are interconnected because 

without faith which requires trust you won’t obey 

and without obedience you can’t have favor. 

Favor is when people are unexplainably inclined 

to bless and give to you in a great way. This is 

why giving is a powerful igniter of wealth. For 

example, I have been gifted large sums of 

money at least three times for reasons like my 

work ethic which was observed in my twenties 

and without my knowledge. Interestingly, it was 

my father who taught me the power of hard 

work, and this is why the values taught at home 

is very important and women must understand 

their role here and teach their children values 

because there are limitless opportunities and 

possibilities in the future. For example, I was 

serving on the board of one of the largest banks 

in Nigeria when I was just thirty-two years old. 

Ultimately, young people underestimate the 

power of hard work which must be added to 

talent or smartness 

iv. Time: Looking at time in an opportunistic 

way by understanding when it is time for 

something to happen and ensuring you don’t 

miss that Kairos time which is a window of 

opportunity for that idea. Therefore, you must 

know how to seize opportunities. 

v. Space: This involves sometimes taking 

yourself on a journey to create space for God to 

operate which could include decluttering and 

expanding capacity. You have to create space 

for the new to come in as you can’t keep doing 

the same things and expect new things to 

happen. Further, you need to understand the 

cycles in your life indicating when new things 

are about to happen and to enable you to 

prepare yourself ahead of time. 

vi. Relationships: Relationships rooted in 

certain values like love, service, giving etc. are 

very powerful, and you must know how to 

cultivate them for the long term because of 

love and not because of what you want to get. 

This is the only way to build and change 

communities. Also, I have seen this powerful 

currency of relationships work in amazing ways 

for me; for example, when I had to go on a 

three-year sabbatical to take care of my 

16 

June 12, 2022

Interview | 

daughter after her accident and we needed to 

raise money. The difficult experience will be 

discussed later in response to another question. 

vii. Ideas: Anyone in the business world will 

know that ideas create wealth. 

These currencies are what creates the 

wealth that we then go on to spend. This goes 

to show that money is just a conversion 

currency that enables you to trade in the 

market. Furthermore, I want young people to 

learn to lead with Sensitivity, Selflessness and 

Stamina which are the three Ss. Young people 

must learn to be resilient and that’s why the 

capacity to have stamina is important and 

mustn’t be taken for granted because it is 

unmistakable. I remember that Dr Oby and I 

sought to instill this discipline in the civil servants 

we worked with, and we were only able to 

achieve this because we both embodied 

stamina and capacity. When you understand 

that the nation is burning you will realize the 

need to be relentless. 

I took up the role at the school of politics, 

policy and governance because I realized that 

a reformer’s mind can serve any sector. Also, 

my heart desire is to raise an army of reformers 

of the continent of Africa which is my primary 

focus. I am raising an army to shift the political 

space and change the narrative. Therefore, my 

new role as CEO of SPPG gives me the 

opportunity to raise an army in the political 

sphere. While the Education, Reform and 

Innovation Team (ERIT) gives me the 

opportunity to raise an army in the education 

sphere. 

What are your thoughts on the importance of 

having more women in politics and the 

process for achieving the same? How can you 

describe the Nigerian government’s efforts so 

far to facilitate this considering decisions like 

its recent rejection of the bill on gender 

equality. Also, what should the government do 

differently to encourage more women to 

participate in politics? 

The reason why it is critical to have more 

women in politics is that statistics show that the 

type of decisions women take are more 

beneficial to the growth and development of a 

nation as well as addresses family issues. In 

other words, when they are in power, the nation 

does better because of the kind of decisions 

that they take and the factors that they 

consider. For example, reports by the European 

Center for Disease Control shows that the seven 

nations that did well during the covid lockdown 

were governed by female leaders which further 

buttresses the argument for more women in 

government. It is therefore obvious that the 

by-product of excluding women from 

government is the dysfunction that we currently 

have in Nigeria. 

In view of these facts, the first thing the 

Nigerian government needs to do is pass, 

comply with and enforce the bill on gender 

equality. Clearly, it is impossible to rule over 50% 

of the population when you don’t even know 

how they think and what they need as a result 

of not allowing them to speak or hearing their 

voice. For example, the limited percentage of 

women in the national assembly which is less 

than 4% as at 2021 continues to decline. This is 

very sad and the following quote by one of the 

female protestors further describes it. “They shut 

the bills down with a vehemence that actually 

scares us”. It explains the total disregard for the 

women and their proposed bills. This behavior is 

appalling, embarrassing and shameful. It is 

therefore important for women to arise and 

hold these men accountable as well as go 

beyond praying to taking action. We are the 

change that we want to see, must start doing 

things differently and not give up till we see the 

change we desire. Examples of powerful 

initiatives we can leverage are ‘WardChat’ by 

Kunle Lawal which is an app that brings voters 

together. Among other things, the app enables 

you to know how the senators in the House of 

Representatives vote because this is very 

important. Another initiative is the ‘Cons Track 

App’ by OrderPaper which also shows you how 

these government representatives are voting. 

This is exactly how to leverage technology to 

drive change by using it to unveil, illuminate and 

shine light into areas of darkness such as how 

people vote in the House of Representatives. 

Riding on this, women must make it clear to 

these senators that if they don’t vote rightly by 

supporting gender equality then we will not give 

them our vote. So, let’s use technology to 

embarrass, shame, reveal and unveil how 

decisions are being taken at the National and 

State House of Assembly. 

You started off your career in the financial 

services industry, however you are passionate 

about transforming education and health. 

What is driving your focus on education and 

health? What have you been able to achieve 

so far and what are your ideas about the most 

crucial changes that need to be made to our 

system of education and healthcare in Nigeria 

as well as thoughts on how to leverage 

technology in that process? 

I became truly passionate about education, 

health and governance because of the 

discoveries I made after I left the financial 

services industry as I realized that the industry 

was not serving the country the way it should 

i.e., looking beyond profit making and seeking to 

become developmental partners with the 

nation. After I left the industry, I realized the 

bigger issues that needed to be addressed. 

When I stepped into my technical advisory role, I 

became even more convinced that it is vital to 

get education and health right for a nation to 

develop. This is supported by sufficient 

evidence, data and surveys such as a recent 

world bank survey which shows that only one 

out of ten children in Sub-Saharan Africa can 

read and write at the appropriate age while the 

proportion in Europe is nine out of ten children. 

These facts also show that if you do not get 

early childhood and foundational learning right, 

a nation doesn’t develop and the gap in 

learning creates a ripple effect including not 

being able to get a job and contribute to the 

economy’s productivity. This is why a lot of funds 

have been deployed to this learning stage over 

the past two – three years. Hence, education is 

very important. Likewise, health is very important 

and both sectors are like the essential two 

tracks on a rail that the train of economic 

development requires to keep advancing. 

Otherwise, nothing can be done, and no 

progress can be made. In essence, my heart for 

these sectors and what the data show us is 

what is driving my focus on those sectors. This is 

why I’ve stayed so long in the public sector and 

served through many transformational projects 

such as refurbishing public schools. 

The government needs to continue to focus 

on early childhood education as some states 

“These qualities 

which I have 

found make up 

the reformers 

mindset and 

which I want 

people to learn 

about are 

summarized as 

three Cs and an 

I: Character, 

Competence, 

Collaboration 

and Influence.” 

are already doing. Another area of focus should 

be in the area of reform initiatives which is the 

need to address a problem at the root level. 

Examples of these initiatives is to address the 

lack of quality teachers by solving the problem 

at the college of education level and 

revamping the curriculum and the entire 

training experience such that they understand 

their vital role in nation building and are 

quipped to execute it excellently. This also 

implies that we do not just dump candidates 

that don’t get admitted into their preferred 

choice of course in the education learning 

institutions. We need to learn from countries like 

Finland where the most reputable profession is 

teaching, ranking ahead of law and medicine. 

This is because their teachers are described as 

the candle of the nation. Furthermore, you need 

a masters degree to be a teacher there. 

Therefore, we need to go in depth to reform and 

transform the educational sector and this 

directly affects the health sector because 

education empowers people with the 

information to eat well, live hygienically and stay 

healthy. Finally, I believe that we need to 

establish change communities in the health 

and education sectors like what is being done 

at ERIT with reformers who have the 

competence, knowledge and mindset and are 

addressing basic education and early 

childhood learning problems. Other relevant 

specific reform initiatives are Teach for Nigeria 

(where I am the co-founder and a board 

member) and Slum2School (which was 

established by Orondaam Otto and I have been 

on his board for the last eight years). The 

process is to identify the problem, create the 

reform initiative and then begin to drive it till you 

have solved the problem. 

June 12, 2022 17

| Interview 

In terms of how technology can drive this 

process of proving education and health 

solutions, we can look at the ignition of telemedicine 

as a result of the outbreak of covid 

and people’s inability to go to hospitals 

physically. Furthermore, the scope for bringing 

quality education down to the community level 

is another way to leverage technology. For 

example, I’ve worked with a group called Health 

Zone which took up a slot in Channels TV for 

educating the masses by sharing vital health 

information. They also used technology to 

create an App that gives nurses in rural areas 

access to a doctor that can take the problems 

documented in the App by the nurses and 

recommend the appropriate treatment. 

This app has been piloted in one of the 

south-west states and its reach is being scaled. 

Also, there is a proposal that we are working on 

that relates to foundational learning and health 

care which involves the use of an app to assess 

the level of education of a child such as their 

ability to read and write so as to determine 

what remedial steps need to be taken. 

Essentially, once you input the name of the child 

you receive a comprehensive assessment of 

the child’s health and educational needs as well 

as the interventions that have been taken and 

what is still required. The goal is that every child 

will be on that app and the people who require 

access to such information will have it. The 

outcome will be that children become more 

than numbers and can benefit from enhanced 

learning and health solutions. I believe that 

technology is going to drive a lot of change as 

we move forward and there are various groups 

doing so much. For example, in the educational 

space, we have apps that seek to improve 

learning and preparations for exams which 

increases your ability to succeed. There are also 

apps that empower virtual learning and the 

ability of some families to adopt home 

schooling. My virtual lab for transformation is 

another good example of a technological 

intervention in education especially through 

ERIT, it’s a virtual space provided for educational 

reformers to think, plan, create, design and 

execute solutions for the education sector. 

We’ve seen the power of collaboration at work 

here and one of the reformers in that space has 

been able to leverage our existing facilities to 

revamp the curriculum for early childhood 

learning. 

Tell us a bit more about your contributions to 

nation building, how you fund them, what 

drives you and what will you credit most of 

your success in that regard to? 

God has helped me to impact at two levels, 

national and state level. I have also been able 

to impact organizations and individuals. 

Through my organization, Incubator Africa, I am 

learning that God is helping me incubate ideas 

and individuals. This is because my greatest joy 

is seeing someone become what they are 

meant to be and I enjoy supporting them 

through that becoming process like the 

butterfly’s evolution and most people that know 

me are aware that I love the butterfly. It 

resonates with me and my organization’s brand 

because I believe that the butterfly is the 

greatest evidence of transformation. When 

people emerge as butterflies, they know their 

identity, assignment as well as where and how 

they are supposed to impact. This is the process 

of becoming before doing. In essence, my 

nation building starts from the individual level. 

This is what God has helped me do with people 

like Orondaam Otto of Slum2School, by walking 

alongside, supporting and watching him 

transform. An organization that I have 

incubated is Teach for Nigeria which I cofounded 

five years ago and is solving a huge 

problem in teacher development and showing 

what a committed teacher should look like. 

In terms of my contributions at the national 

level, I think one of the most important things is 

to make sure that you are always present when 

policies are being formulated and decisions are 

being taken. Therefore, we need to allow God to 

position us and this is what I have seen God do 

in my life including how I got to participate in 

educational reformation by working with Dr Oby 

which involved preparing a new bill on 

education for the national assembly to pass. 

Also, after Frank Nweke became director 

general of NESG and decided to hold a 

conference focused on education in 2014, I was 

assigned chair of the technical community with 

the responsibility for mobilizing and executing 

the project which birthed several brilliant 

initiatives that are still transforming Nigeria such 

as Teach for Nigeria, Learn for Nigeria, Early 

Childhood etc. Also, I believe strategic thinking in 

driving transformation has played a vital role in 

the impact that I have been able to make and 

that’s why I call myself a transformation 

strategist and I’m able to serve in policy and 

governance. In summary, I’ll advice everyone to 

ensure they get invited to the table by making 

their voice heard (they can leverage social 

media) and this is facilitated by showing up 

and delivering competently and excellently, 

leaving a mark of distinction. 

I’ll credit most of my success so far to 

sacrifice, capacity, tireless service, love for 

nation and the grace to work which is not 

motivated by money. My ultimate motivation 

and driving force is the change that I want to 

see. I also understand that it’s a hard journey 

and I’m not moved by lack such that I am 

anchored and steadfast whatever the financial 

situation around me – and this is something 

everyone must learn. 

According to the UNDP, Africa, the poorest 

continent in the world, is among the world’s 

most gender unequal regions, losing $95 

billion in productivity annually. Furthermore, 

the World Economic Forum states that money 

is the biggest obstacle to gender equality in 

“What people 

should learn is 

that giving goes 

beyond money 

and includes 

time and 

service.” 

Sub-Saharan Africa, because women have 

less of it. As a financial expert, why is it 

important for a woman to be financially 

empowered and what are the most powerful 

wealth creation tips that you can share? 

It’s important for a woman to be financially 

empowered because we need to bring our best 

selves into our family and marriage 

relationships. Empowerment means different 

things to different people but at a basic level, it’s 

important to be able to pay bills and contribute 

in some way as the burden of fending for a 

household should not be left to a man alone. 

There are even situations where the woman is 

the primary source of income for a household 

for a season, she should do this with grace, love 

and understanding; while the man should be 

able to receive. 

In terms of powerful wealth creation tips that 

have worked for me, this includes being a giver 

i.e. being super generous like our Heavenly 

Father because generosity opens unimaginable 

doors and your name will be mentioned in 

unimaginable places. What people should learn 

is that giving goes beyond money and includes 

time and service. This opens doors, the windows 

of heaven, creates favor, builds relationships 

which will be harvested at unexpected times 

such as receiving value when you’re in need. 

Tell us about some of your personal life 

challenges, for example in your previous 

marriage and daughters challenges. How were 

you able to overcome them, what effect did it 

have on your overall ability to function 

optimally and what did you learn from those 

experiences? 

My faith i.e. totally depending on God and 

learning resilience is how I believe I overcame 

my challenges. When I realized my daughter 

had paralysis as a result of the accident she 

experienced, I dropped everything and went to 

take care of her for three and a half years – I 

didn’t see this act as anything special but my 

primary responsibility as a mother. However, it 

was one of the most TRAUMATIC and PAINFUL 

experiences I have ever been through as it 

changed the entire family dynamics – my 

children and I went into shock and felt 

“paralyzed” ourselves. Despite the discomfort 

and the available option of shuttling from our 

house in London, I stayed with my daughter in 

the hospital for four and a half months because 

I felt the strong need to, and this enabled me to 

learn what I needed to nurse her properly after 

she was discharged from the hospital. My time 

in the hospital with her also helped me to begin 

a journey of healing. I want readers to 

understand that when they are going through a 

challenging season in life e.g., the death of a 

spouse leading to loss of primary source of 

wealth, they need to adopt the perspective and 

mindset that they are on a journey of 

transformation where you are totally depending 

on God. For example, during my ordeal, God 

gave me an instruction to jump into the river of 

grace that would simply carry me (I would just 

lie on it and wouldn’t even need to swim, exert 

any effort or make any movements). I also 

discovered on this journey that healing can be 

enjoyable once you get over the worst painful 

part. For example, we discovered my daughter 

was doing more traveling in her paralyzed state 

than when she was walking with these 

18 

June 12, 2022

Interview | 

“Everyone 

needs to know 

where they get 

their energy 

from. I have 

come to 

understand that 

I get energy 

from silence 

and sitting in 

God’s 

presence.” 

opportunities to travel opening up in very 

mysterious ways. It was on one of these trips 

that I received the anointing and the grace to 

write my book. In essence, I believe that people 

can turn their mourning into gladness by 

deliberate decisions that they take including 

saying “I shall not wallow in this sadness”. It’s all 

about mindset and taking the necessary 

decisions. The factors that I believe activated 

this mindset in me include that I lay in the river 

of grace, and I learnt how to receive as we 

spent a significant sum of money on her 

treatment – God provided in various ways and 

through different people (some of them had 

been impacted by my service in the past). In 

summary, to overcome difficulty, you need 

intimacy which is a deep relationship with your 

creator (regardless of your religion) because 

that is where you will get instructions. I also 

learnt the power and beauty of silence which 

enabled me to reflect more, made me a 

deeper thinker and this further ignited my 

creativity. 

Furthermore, I learnt the power of favor and 

various relationships from family members to 

those formed with complete strangers and 

that’s why social media is so powerful (a lot of 

the people that contributed money for my 

daughter’s treatment were people that we did 

not know and they were from different parts of 

the world). At the end of the challenging 

experience, I made up my mind that the time 

must count for something and that was how I 

birthed my book with the help of a book coach 

that I met on social media. 

You have received many awards, which ones 

are most important to you and why? 

The most important award for me is my 

recent Global Exemplary Education Award 

received in Antigua and Barbuda from the 

Global Women Inventors & Innovators Network 

(GlobalWIIN) where I was the education double 

gold winner. It is significant because I am going 

to a Nation that God has been highlighting in 

my Spirit and I am receiving recognition for 

education and being affirmed internationally 

especially at this time when I am going into 

politics. As such, I am very grateful for the 

opportunity to expand into new territories. 

You are beautiful, youthful and look very 

young. What general lifestyle tips have worked 

for you that you can share such as your diet, 

exercise routine etc? 

Everyone needs to know where they get their 

energy from. I have come to understand that I 

get energy from silence and sitting in God’s 

presence, so I go for walks and embrace silence 

by not interacting with anyone else but listening 

to inspiring worship music during those walks. 

Also, I can get very busy so I protect my 

mornings and don’t talk to anyone before 11am 

and this works for me because I don’t have an 

eight to five employment contract. Other 

people have to find what works for them. 

My time in God’s presence rejuvenates, 

restructures and realigns me. I also use my 

walks to clear my head to enable me shift focus 

successfully from one project to another. During 

my walks, I also mentally map out my day 

which enables me to function in my various 

capacities and on various boards. Furthermore, 

I eat a rich salad everyday laced with fruits that 

I enjoy because of my sweet tooth. Finally, I 

enjoy going to the spa. 

How do you find time for self-care in the midst 

of all you are doing? 

I love to travel, and I’ll encourage readers to 

travel more – this doesn’t have to be outside 

Nigeria. This is because travel helps expand 

your mind and enables you relax. I also love to 

do my nails because it gives me some idle time 

that I can invest in thinking. 

What is your favorite gemstone and why? 

Even though I love pearls, I will say topaz 

because yellow is my favorite color. 

Furthermore, when I read about the significance 

and use of topaz, I concluded that it is my new 

favorite gemstone. This is because I discovered 

that they symbolize love and affection which 

resonates with me. Also, I understand that it’s a 

joyful and rejuvenating stone and I enjoy 

rejuvenation a lot. Furthermore, the stone is 

helpful in the process of manifestation which 

aligns with my ideals based on the butterfly and 

the transformation process. 

June 12, 2022 19

Debola Atoyebi 

Faderera Aluko 

Ibukun Awosika 

Bimbo Fola-Alade 

Dayo Benjamins-Laniyi 

Honorary 

Women 

of Impact 

Abi Longe 

Olori Atuwatse III 

Patricia Nzolantima 

Bolarinwa Akinlabi 

Joke SIlva 

Ndidi Nwuneli 

Alero Ayida-Otobo 

Ajibike Tychus- Lawson 

Bolanle Adewole 

Maymunah Garuba Kadiri 

Jumoke Adenowo 

Tara Fela-Durotoye 

Nimi Akinkugbe 

20 

June 12, 2022 

Nkechi Harry-Ngonadi

INTERVIEW 

people would say. What can such women do? 

Nobody is telling you to leave your husband but you 

have to find a solution. If the man beats you and you die, 

those children will be alone. You better ask for help so they 

can tell you how to handle him. 

Would you say, IWPC has served its purpose over the 

years? 

It has and it is still serving. From IWPC, we established 

Rehoboth Home and recently, there is a 12-year-old girl 

they saw on the road and this girl does not have anybody. 

She was living in an uncompleted building and somebody 

brought her to us. I have taken her in and she has started 

school. 

As part of your birthday celebrations recently, you gave 

out food items, clothing and medical care. Why did you 

choose to celebrate this way? 

It is basically to sow into people’s lives and help them 

stay alive. 

When I turned 60, I did an outreach on cervical cancer 

screening.This time, for my 70th birthday, we decided to 

touch people’s lives in a different way, by supplying clothing, 

foodstuff and providing free medical services, to support 

people in the little way we can. 

What childhood memories shaped you into the woman 

that you are today? 

I already told you that I grew up with grandma. Life was 

tough. Even, when I came into the ministry, it wasn’t easy. 

Grandma didn’t believe in grinding pepper. You will have to 

pound it. You know how difficult it is to pound dry pepper. 

And, we trekked to school. We didn’t have a car. We usually 

walked from St. Barths to Uwani in Enugu. When we 

returned from school, grandma would not have cooked. The 

egusi to be used will be waiting for you. You will do it, or 

else, you won’t eat. Life was tough. Even when I came into 

the ministry, it wasn’t that rosy. I drank gari without sugar 

and milk. But look at it today. If I don’t want to eat, I don’t 

want to eat because of weight. You just have to trust and 

believe God. It was tough, but if you are ready to put your 

eyes on Jesus, you will do more than I have been able to do 

today. 

How do you juggle your daily activities? 

I believe in planning. I am a woman that plans my day, 

my week, my everything. It’s not by chance. 

What do you love about being a pastor? 

It gives me extra joy when I see that I can help someone 

become somebody. Some of the girls are university 

graduates that went through the home. It gives me extra joy. 

What would you say are some of the challenges 

encountered by pastor’s wives and what is your advice 

for them? 

As a pastor’s wife, one of the challenges you face is that 

everything that is wrong in the church is your fault. The men 

are always right. You will not hear that their pastor did this; 

rather it is their wives did this. Also, you should make sure 

you are a woman that is under the pastor. For everything 

you want to do, your husband must know about it, so he can 

give you his blessings. As a pastor’s wife, don’t select those 

you would love and those you won’t love. As a pastor’s wife, 

you don’t talk too much. You pick and choose what you say. 

Even when you are suffering, don’t go and tell your 

members we don’t have food today in the house, can you 

borrow me some money? It’s not acceptable. I told you, I 

drank gari. There are members that I could have asked for 

food. Believe God for everything. 

There was a time we had scarcity of eggs in Nigeria and 

that time, my first daughter was still alive and I used to boil 

egg for her but that day, we didn’t have any eggs at home. 

Somebody from Ojo road church, or was it Obanikoro 

church, was going to supply eggs and she heard in her 

spirit, “keep one crate for Rev. Peace” and she brought it. 

That was how God met the need of egg for the family. 

You must be a woman of prayer. The Bible says God 

supplies all our needs, he didn’t say some. Make the Holy 

Spirit your partner, he would tell you, he would direct you 

and don’t live in competition. I don’t like to live above my 

means. Those that compare themselves with others are not 

wise. If God wants you to have something, He will give it to 

you. 

What is it that makes you smile even in the midst of 

challenges? 

The goodness of God is running after me. Nothing 

happens to us by accident. I say life is low and high; good, 

bad and ugly. If you are able to take the good one, you 

should be able to stand when it’s ugly and still know that 

God is in control of your life. I live and depend on God. So, I 

have surrendered to him, why wouldn’t I laugh?. I smile all 

the time. I think it’s a gift because a lot of people have 

commented on it. ‘That once you come into her office and 

she smiles, everything just gets okay.’ It’s not me its God. 

Let’s look at the good and the bad side of life as you 

said. What were some of life’s most challenging period 

for you? 

The good side is when I married the Bishop, and when I 

had my first child. The bad side was when my first daughter 

died and when we lost Bishop’s brother (the doctor), it was 

bad. One thing we have to do in life is, we have to look up to 

Jesus. If he allows it, can we question Him? Our lives are in 

His hands. That is what I have learnt over the years. 

Everything that comes to me passes through the hands of 

Jesus. If Jesus allows it, I allow it. I keep on serving. 

What is your take on the rising state of immorality in 

children? 

We should not stop praying for our children and lead 

them in the right direction. Let your child know God for 

himself or herself. It’s very important because we are 

consumed with the idea of what we want our children to be 

in future; ‘I want my daughter to be a doctor, a lawyer’. Let 

your daughter know God first, ‘Seek ye first the kingdom of 

God all other tings shall be added unto you’. I pray for 

children these days because of what is happening in the 

society. Do the much you can as a parent, and leave the 

rest to God. 

What is your definition of fashion? 

Fashion to me is wear what fits you. Wear something 

smart, that fits you, something you can look in the mirror 

and say, ‘this is good’ and what God will be proud of. 

How do you take care of your skin? Do you have a 

beauty regimen? 

I don’t do much; I take my bath and use a moisturizer. I 

don’t use medicated soap. I make sure I wash my face 

every night. I don’t go to bed with makeup. 

2023 is around the corner, do you think more women 

should come up for elective positions in 2023? 

I don’t mind that. Women are very smart. If a woman 

was ruling this country, it would have been nice. Honestly, 

look at the few places women handled, the difference is 

clear. The day a woman will become the president of 

Nigeria, you will see the difference because women do 

things the right way. 

What is your message to women who do not like to 

vote? 

Let them come out to vote let us put the right person 

there, because if we don’t, then, we can’t complain. We 

should ask God to guide us so that the right people can take 

over government. 

Life is ups and 

downs, good 

and bad, but 

you just have to 

trust God 

June 12, 2022 / 

5

...CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS WEEK 

with Adesuwa 07052403531 | adesuwaewoigbokhan@hotmail.com 

PARENTING SEX EDUCATION 

hildren are more likely to speak about 

C 

all the other trials of adolescence such 

as anxiety, depression, relationships 

and the use of drugs and alcohol, as 

well as sexual issues once you able to 

cultivate a trust relationship by keeping 

the communication line open. 

Make sure they are getting the right information, 

be your child’s first source of information when it 

comes to sex. Understanding the correct 

information can protect them from risky behaviour 

as they grow into adulthood. 

There’s place of instilling your family values in the 

kids-Sex education also helps to provide that 

platform. For instance, if you happen to come from 

a family that believes in sex after marriage, this can 

be part of the discussions about sexuality but if on 

the other hand, the subject has never been up for 

conversation before now, there is tendency your 

teenage child may not be receptive to the topic. 

A child’s exposure to information about sex 

should actually start early, avoiding it means you will 

have little control over what and how they learn 

about sex because, they would have picked one or 

two stuffs from their peers, school and the internet. 

This information can be incomplete and may be 

incorrect and may also be demeaning or even 

dangerous if not reviewed. 

Agreed the media is full of sex and sexuality, it is 

often depicted in the most sensational and superficial 

sense for their target audience. Hardly before one will 

read or see a realistic portrayal of relationships and 

sexuality because of what they call ‘packaging’, fake 

life. More often, stories around sex and sexuality are 

just make believe, either without any context or without 

any emotional or relationship component. And the risks 

of sexual activity are often downplayed in the media. 

It’s actually safe to teach your child sex education 

than no sex education- Studies have shown that, more 

children are being exposed to sexual images in the 

media and the possibility of them indulging in 

sexual behaviours at a younger age is very 

high. 

Actual sex education does not usually lead to 

immorality since children who receive sex 

education at home are less likely to copulate in 

risky sexual act. 

It pays to have healthy communications with 

one’s children about sexual activity. In the long 

run, it’s safer. It might not be easy or without 

awkward moments seeing that most teens are 

very private. You talking about sex early 

increases the chance he/she will approach you 

as a parent when in difficult or if dangerous 

things come up and this will be worth 

everyone’s time. 

The role of parents can never be over 

flogged and it’s important that you teach your 

child that having sex is not a recreational game 

to be engaged in before wedlock. 

Logical effects of sex outside marriage are: 

* Abortion 

* Kids born out of wedlock 

* Sexually transmitted diseases 

And parents may not even be aware that the 

child is struggling with depression due to issues 

like invasive procedure such as abortion. 

Children are a gift of life from God and 

parents are granted stewardship of these 

precious gems. Hence, it’s the prerogative right 

of parents to work with trusted professionals 

and institutions in building hedge around their 

children who are vulnerable to sex molestation 

and sexual abuse. 

With unified effort, parents can build a safe 

environment for their children such that they 

gain wisdom and knowledge as they grow from 

one phase of life to another. 

PRO TIP: Whether well educated or not 

educated, every father and mother or guardian 

can be equipped with the right tools to teach 

and impart moral values to his/her child- Our 

kids need guidance, too many distractions 

around that can lead them astray if not properly 

steered in the right direction. 

Things to Consider while 

designing your bedroom 

Bedrooms are more than just rooms. They serve as your personal sanctuary. 

Whenever you return after a long day, it is where you recharge for the next one. 

Keeping that in mind, bedroom decor ideas can help create a perfect haven. 

Light 

Lighting is one of the most important things to consider when designing or decorating 

your bedroom. Do you have a lot of natural light in your room? What are the light 

sources in your room? This will also tell you what window treatments you will need or 

want and what other fixtures you will have 

to install to illuminate the room. 

Paint 

Colours or paints can be used to express a 

mood or feel in a room. A subtle touch 

makes all the difference. A change in paint 

colour changes the whole feel of the place. 

The most popular bedroom colours are 

neutrals or white. To promote a calmer 

sleep, light or pale blue is recommended. 

6 

/ June 12, 2022 

bedroom light 

Bed 

A bedroom isn’t a bedroom without a bed, of 

course. However, be sure to purchase your bed 

only after seeing the bedroom, painting it, and 

considering the lighting sources. Most 

importantly, consider the room’s size. Whether 

you want a glam bed, a rustic bed, a boho bed, 

or a simple bed, go for it! 

Window Treatment 

Curtains or blinds? Or both? Window treatments 

are a key feature of any bedroom decor. 

Selecting the perfect curtain is something you 

should do. A curtain can easily be changed, 

updated, or mixed and matched. It does not 

have to be expensive. 

Seating 

Often, I hear this, why do we need seats when 

we can sit on the bed? That’s actually a good 

point. However, if you have a room with ample 

space and you choose to fill up the room, finding 

a chair or bench would be a great solution. 

Night Stand 

Having a night stand next to your bed is more 

than just bedroom decor ideas. It’s a great way 

for added storage and when you have things you 

always use, like phone, charger. 

Closet and Storage 

These are must-haves in the bedroom. If you 

have a separate closet room where it’s more 

than enough for your personal things, lucky you! 

But for those that need more avenues for 

storage, you can explore armoire, dresser, or 

accessory mirror storage, hanging or floating 

shelves. 

side rug 

curtains 

night stand 

closet

FASHION 

Casual outfit ideas 

from your 

Favourite Celebs 

by - Josephine Agbonkhese 

Although having an awesome casual style is a never-ending quest, putting 

together a good outfit every day is a lot of work. Sometimes though, all you need 

to do is to see a good outfit on someone else and make it your own. To help you 

look put together without appearing like you tried too hard, we rounded up some 

of the best casual style from some of the most stylish celebrity men out there. 

From Prince Nelson Nwerem to Alex Ekubo, these guys know exactly how to 

dress on the daily. 

ALEX 

EKUBO 

Alex’s white 

graphic tee 

on white 

sneakers 

combination 

make his 

casual outfit 

feel a little 

more dressed 

up—without 

having to try 

too hard. 

Jim is the 

master of 

simple, 

powerful outfits. 

A bright floral 

pant 

underneath a 

red buttondown 

long 

sleeve are as 

easy as it gets. 

Did you notice 

the chain loafer 

mules? 

If you’re feeling 

too casual in 

jeans, a pair of 

polished boots 

makes them 

feel more 

refined. Iconic 

style influencer, 

Denola, knows 

it’s glamorous 

to ditch the belt 

sometimes too 

See? An 

oversized 

varsity bomber 

jacket on a pair 

of high-top 

sneakers even 

elevates a 

simple crisp 

white shirt and 

black chinos 

combination. 

Thanks to 

Timini. 

Neo’s dynamic 

urban style is a 

go-to any day. 

Easy to pull off 

too. Just pair 

button-down 

navy silk shirt 

with faded 

skinny denim. 

Add a polished 

leather boot, a 

nice pair of 

sunglasses and 

a good 

necklace. 

Neo Akpofure 

JIM IYKE 

DENOLA GREY 

Timini Egbuson 

June 12, 2022 / 

7

Adunni Ade clocks 

46 

Nollywood actress, Adunni Ade 

has looked back at her past year 

as she pens a touching tribute to 

herseslf at 46. Adunni Ade also 

reflected on the struggles she 

encountered in the past year. 

While appreciating God, she 

revealed that her life is a living 

testimony of perseverance, 

countless sleepless nights, so 

many years of aches and pains. 

She disclosed that she never 

thought she could see another 

day but God saw her through. 

Adunni Ade noted after all 

her sweat, God made her scale 

through as her first movie was 

ranked the 9th biggest movie in 

the country. 

In 2021 Adunni Ade ventured 

into film production with her film 

production company Lou-Ellen 

Clara. She debuted her first film 

as an executive producer SOÓLÈ, 

featuring top actors in the country 

such as Sola Sobowale, Femi 

Jacobs, Meg Otanwa, Shawn 

Faqua and Lateef Dimeji. 

Stories by - Temitope Ojo 

FASHIONS FINEST AFRICA RETURNS 

All is now set for this year’s edition of Fashions Finest 

Africa, the Epic Show which is the biggest gathering for 

new and emerging fashion entrepreneurs in Africa. 

The show, which debuted in May 2017 has been 

highly embraced and feverishly anticipated by fashion 

enthusiasts, entrepreneurs and brands across Africa and 

beyond. 

Scheduled to take place on the 17th - 18th June 

2022, at the Balmoral Convention Centre, Victoria Island 

Lagos, the event promises to be a one- stop 

gathering for the most amazing shopping 

experience, learning opportunities, and 

fantastic display of African fashion and all 

that it entails. 

The theme for this year’s show is 

‘Culture to Couture’. Sola Oyebade – CEO 

Fashions Finest Africa, says the aim is 

to highlight and celebrate the growth 

of African fashion from being just a 

cultural identity to being a global 

phenomenon that everyone, 

anywhere in the world wants to 

identify with. 

This year’s edition which 

is the fourth in the series will 

kick off on Friday June, 17th 

with the Business of Fashion 

Conference that highlights 

pertinent conversations in the 

African fashion industry. 

The show will also feature 

5 fashion shows with 

over 30 designers 

from within and 

outside Africa 

including Eugene 

D’Wise and Vicci 

Mahi from Ghana, 

Fubi from Germany, JP 

Kingdom from London and Love 

Label By Ife from Nigeria to 

mention but a few. 

It’s a baby boy for Ivie 

Okujaye 

Nollywood actress Ivie Okujaye has 

welcomed another baby with her hubby, 

Ezie Egboh. 

The movie star shared the big news 

via her Instagram page on Wednesday, 

June 8, 2022. 

“That smile when it’s all over and 

you’re holding your baby in your arms. 

Labour was Long. Like, really Long. I 

thought y’all said Labour gets shorter 

with subsequent babies?” she wrote. 

The actress and her husband already 

have two daughters before the arrival of 

their baby boy. 

Okujaye got married to her husband, 

Egbo in 2015. The couple had a very 

glamorous wedding ceremony which 

was held in Lagos. 

She rose to prominence in 2015 from 

her lead role in the Africa Magic T.V. 

series, ‘Hotel Majestic.’ 

Temi Otedola, Mr Eazi hint on 

preferred privATE wedding 

Popular Nigerian singer, Mr. Eazi and his fiancée, 

billionaire heiress, Temi Otedola, have hinted that they will be 

tying the knot in an intimate ceremony with few attendees. 

The love birds who recently announced their engagement 

made this revelation in a podcast speaking about their 

engagement and preparation for their wedding. 

Mr. Eazi stated that he would love to have only close 

family members attend their wedding, and his future wifeto-be 

agreed, noting that she would also prefer an intimate 

wedding because she is a very private person. 

According to Temi who is also an actress, if it were up to 

her, she would only have ten people at their wedding. “Like 

knowing me if I’m walking around my wedding venue and I’m 

like I don’t know this person that will annoy me because I’m a 

very private person. Even for a birthday party, I have to really 

rock with everyone there,” Temi said to support her partner’s 

claims.

June 12, 2022 

Casual 

Outfit Ideas 

From Your 

Favourite 

Celebs 

PARENTING SEX 

EDUCATION 

Peace 

Okonkwo @ 70 

- Impacting Lives

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