ACCOMPLISH Magazine May 2024

M A G A Z I N E 

MAY 2024 

Gbemisola Olowookere 

- Holistic Education: 

Key to Children's 

Formation 

MARUFATU 

ABIOLA 

BAWUAH 

If Nigeria 

Must Survive 

BUKOLA 

SMITH 

TOYIN 

OLAJIDE 

IRETI 

SAMUEL- 

OGBU 

YETUNDE 

ONI 

FOLASADE 

OGUNSOLA 

BOLAJI 

AGBEDE 

YEMISI 

EDUN 

ADAORA 

UMEOJI 

NNEKA 

ONYALI-IKPE 

MARIAM 

OLUSANYA 

TOMI 

SOMEFUN 

Amazons Heading 

Corporate Institutions 

www.theaccomplishmagazine.com

Contents 

May 2024 

Team 

EDITOR 

DIIYI WILLIAM-WEST 

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR 

HARRY CHOMS 

SENIOR CORRESPONDENTS 

IKENNA NGERE 

TOLULOPE AKINRULI 

ADEBAYO AFOLABI 

WEB MANAGER 

BEN FUJA 

SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLER 

MONICA EFEOTOR 

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANTS 

NGOZI UKPAI 

IMIOMOZO DAN ANYIAM 

BUSINESS ANALYST EXECUTIVE 

NGOZI EZE 

MARKETING DIRECTOR 

OGEHENETEGA DIAGBARE 

CREATIVE DIRECTOR 

CHARLES KAMMA 

PUBLISHER / EDITOR IN CHIEF 

REMI DIAGBARE 

For advert enquiries, please contact 

Marketing Director, Ogehenetega, 

Remmy +44 7424 594773 

(Whatspp only) 

or email, accomplishentrepreneurng.com 

To reach the Editor, 

send your email to: 

editor@theaccomplishmagazine.com 

OUR VISION: 

To be the go-to publication for information and 

inspiration in pursuing life’s attainments. 

OUR MISSION: 

To profile and celebrate the achievements 

and lifestyle choices of outstanding leaders 

and influencers in business, manufacturing, 

agriculture, academia, administration, 

entertainment and innovation in Nigeria, 

Africa and, indeed, globally. 

FOLLOW US @ ENTREPRENEUR NG 

14 

COVER 

14 12 AMAZING AMAZONS HEADING 

CORPORATE INSTITUTIONS 

NIGERIA: BITS & BOBS 

4 IMF Sets Target for Nigeria's 

Inflation Rate to Fall to 23% by 

2025 & Other Stories 

CEO INTERVIEW 

06 Gbemisola Olowookere: 

A Beacon of Educational 

Excellence 

DIASPORAN AFRICAN 

30 Omolade Saliu: Engineer 

Extraordinaire at IBM 

32 CELEBRATING 

ACCOMPLISHMENTS 

FEATURE/ANALYSIS 

38 Reversing the Instalmental 

Death of Haiti 

66 

44 

40 More Women as CEO of 

Nigerian Banks 

44 If Nigeria Must Survive 

48 The 'White Lions' Meows 

GLOBAL INFO DIGEST 

50 Why Should Africa Be Blamed 

For The Trans-Atlantic Slave 

Trade? & other stories 

THE INCUBATOR SERIES 

56 What You Say And Do Reflects 

Your Knowledge-Bank? 

LIFESTYLE 

58 AI Today & Tomorrow - AI and 

Social Justice. 

60 Alternative Medicine - 

Glucose And Cancer Cells 

AFRICA RISING NEWS.... 

62 Niger Agrees Deal to Supply 

Mali with Diesel...& other 

stories...

GLOBAL NEWS... 

64 Motorola Collaborates with 

Bose for Moto Buds Plus 

Release & other stories... 

66 ARTS & THE MASTERS - 

German Museum Staff 

Member Dismissed for 

Unauthorised Art Installation. 

68 FOOD AND WINE - Fruits and 

Veggies You Should Take 

Along With Water. 

55 

63 

From The Editor 

35 

58 

It's May and we're stepping out 

with another elevating edition of 

Accomplish Magazine. In line with our 

Vision Statement, we keep "profiling 

and celebrating the achievements 

and lifestyle choices of outstanding 

leaders and influencers in business, 

manufacturing, agriculture, academia, 

administration, entertainment and 

innovation in Africa and globally". In this 

edition, we went all the way to capture 

outstanding accomplishments! 

We started with "12 Amazing Amazons 

Heading Blue-chip Institutions". For 

the first time, in Nigeria, women are at 

the helm of corporate boardrooms 

as group managing director/chief 

executive officer in more than 15 top 

rate companies! And, the women 

are leading those organisations to 

remarkable successes! We selected 12 

of them to whet your reading appetite 

and to encourage more women to 

strive for more! 

We are not done with just recognising 

women CEOs. We found more Nigerians 

making country and continent proud 

and presented them in the new 

"Celebrating Accomplishments" section. 

From Eni Aluko, first Black female 

football club owner to Mustapha 

Gajibo who is making electric vehicles; 

Tunde Onakoya who broke a Guinness 

World Record some days ago; Dr. 

Ugochi Nwizu, the 2023 Best University 

of Nigeria Nsukka Graduating Doctor 

and Oluchukwu Owowoh, first Nigerian 

female graduate of Sandhurst; you 

would find really interesting stories to 

make you determined to win more. 

Our "CEO Interview" is another starshow 

as we join in marking Children's 

Day with Mrs Olowokere, Founder and 

Head of School, Chalcedony Group of 

Schools, Lagos. She spoke to us about 

how best to prepare children for the 

amazing opportunities of the 21st 

century. She also had some blunt advice 

for Nigeria's leaders! You just have to 

read the interview for yourself! 

For "Diaspora African", Engr. Omolade 

Saliu, the vastly skilled and revered 

Distinguished Engineer at IBM caught 

our attention. Read his story to see why. 

As always, Dr. Chido Nwangwu, Chief 

Victor Olenwunne and Dave Baro- 

Thomas offer vision-inspired analysis of 

issues that affect our lives in some way 

or another. Of course, our regulars are 

also served. 

Welcome! 

Disclaimer 

69 

• Please note that all photos used in this 

special digital edition of the ACCOMPLISH 

Magazine were sourced freely online. 

We maintains no rights over the images/ 

photos, while we have tried to give 

appropriate credit where due, we are 

aware some artistes were not credited. 

We remain committed to supporting 

intellectual property and creativity. 

© 2023 Tegali Communications 

• The opinions of contributors (people 

whose opinion we publish) are not the 

opinion of Accomplish Magazine or the 

opinion of the management or staff of 

Accomplish Magazine. 

DIIYI WILLIAM-WEST 

Editor 

: editor@theaccomplishmagazine.com

NIGERIA: 

BITS & BOBS 

By Ikenna Ngere 

BUSINESS AND FINANCE 

At the end of trade on Monday, 

April 15, the naira was worth 

N1,136/$ on the official market 

and N1,050/$ on the parallel 

market, continuing its recent 

upward trend against the US 

dollar. This occurred as traders 

projected that before the week 

was out, the dollar would drop 

to less than N1,000. Data from 

the FMDQ Exchange, a platform 

that manages the Nigerian 

Autonomous Foreign Exchange 

Market, showed that the naira 

increased by 6.1%, or N69, at the 

official foreign exchange market, 

from N1,205/$ on Friday, April 12 to 

N1,136/$. From $281.34 million on 

Friday, April 12, to $251.60 million on 

Monday, April 15, the overall daily 

turnover decreased little. 

• IMF Sets Target for 

Nigeria's Inflation Rate 

to Fall to 23% by 2025 

The International Monetary 

Fund (IMF) released estimates for 

Nigeria's economy on Tuesday, 

April 16, at the International 

Monetary Fund/World Bank 

Spring Meetings in Washington, 

D.C., United States. The report, 

titled "Global Economic Outlook", 

showed a notable shift in inflation 

rates. 

Daniel Leigh, Division Chief of 

the IMF Research Department, 

emphasised the effects of 

Nigeria's economic reforms, 

which include exchange rate 

modifications and have caused 

the country's inflation rate to soar 

to 33.2 per cent in March. 

In Nigeria, the National Bureau 

of Statistics (NBS) recently issued 

data showing an increase in 

inflation to 33.2%. Also, in the first 

quarter of 2024, the rate of food 

inflation rose to more than 40%.. 

• Naira Inches Towards 

1,000/$ as Exchange 

Rate Climbs 

• Tariff Hike: FG Pleads 

with Workers Amid 

Electricity Union's 

Strike Threat 

The National Union of Electricity 

Employees has received a request 

from the Federal Government not 

to walk off the job in protest of the 

most recent increase in electricity 

rates. This is due to the union's 

insistence that if the government 

did not reverse its decision to 

remove the tariff subsidies that 

Band A customers must pay, they 

would withdraw their services. 

On Wednesday, April 3, the 

Nigerian Electricity Regulatory 

Commission increased the 

electricity rate for users who 

receive 20 hours of power every 

day. 

4 | www.theaccomplishmagazine.com

POLITICS 

•Yahaya Bello 

• EFCC Considers 

Military Action as Ex- 

Governor Bello Skips 

Court Appearance 

The Economic and Financial 

Crimes Commission (EFCC) 

informed the Federal High Court in 

Abuja on Thursday, April 18, that it 

will stop at nothing to apprehend 

and prosecute Alh. Yahaya Bello, 

the former governor of Kogi State, 

for his alleged involvement in 

money laundering. The anti-graft 

agency declared that it will carry 

out the arrest order against the 

former governor, even if it meant 

deploying the armed forces. 

• Ganduje’s Suspension 

Maintained by Kano 

High Court 

The suspension of Dr. 

Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, 

National Chairman of the All 

Progressives Congress (APC), 

as a party member has been 

upheld by the Kano State High 

Court. 

Following an exparte motion 

filed by Dr. Ibrahim Sa'ad Esq 

on behalf of two executive 

members of the APC Ganduje 

ward in the Dawakin-Tofa Local 

Government Area - the assistant 

secretary, Laminu Sani, and the 

legal adviser, Haladu Gwanjo 

- the court, presided over by 

Justice Usman Malam Na'abba 

on Tuesday, April 16, affirmed the 

suspension. The plaintiffs were 

part of the nine ward executives 

that had suspended Abdullahi 

Ganduje two days prior. The 

national head of the party 

was suspended by the party's 

Ganduje ward leadership in the 

Dawkin Tofa Local Government, 

according to accusations of 

corruption brought against him 

by the government. 

•Ganduje 

ENTREPRENEURSHIP 

•Abdulsamad and Dangote 

• Aliko Dangote and 

Abdulsamad Rabiu's 

Companies Report N9.6 

Trillion Capital Gain in 

Q1 2024 

Nigeria’s prominent billionaire 

investors and business tycoons, 

Aliko Dangote and Abdulsamad 

Rabiu, saw significant growth 

in their respective companies. 

They collectively achieved 

nearly N10 trillion in capital 

gains by the conclusion of the 

first quarter of March 2024. 

Despite the challenging 

economic environment in 

Nigeria, characterised by a 

high inflation rate of 31.70% 

and declining consumer 

purchasing power, BUA 

Foods and Dangote Cement 

surpassed expectations 

by recording remarkable 

capital gains exceeding 200% 

when combined. Analysis 

from the Nigeria Stock 

Exchange (NGX) highlights the 

resilience of these companies 

in navigating the tough 

economic conditions. 

Despite the foreign exchange 

crisis, which led to increased 

import costs and persistent 

inflationary pressures, BUA 

Foods and Dangote Cement 

showcased robust performance 

and strategic foresight, 

contributing significantly to their 

impressive capital gains during 

Q1 2024. 

DAMIAN 

IKENNA NGERE 

AUTHOR’S BIO 

Ikenna is a graduate of Physics 

and Education, who works as a 

freelance writer. He has interest in 

technology, humanity and sports. 

www.theaccomplishmagazine.com 

| 5

CEO INTERVIEW 

Gbemisola 

Olowookere 

A Beacon of Educational Excellence 

Mrs. Gbemisola Olowookere is the visionary founder of Chalcedony 

School in Lagos, Nigeria. Her passion for revolutionising education 

led her to establish Chalcedony School, dedicated to nurturing 

an extraordinary generation of leaders. As the CEO and founder 

of one of Lagos' premier private schools, Mrs. Olowookere brings a wealth 

of knowledge and insight to her role. With a keen understanding of the 

nuances of the educational system, she is dedicated to crafting an 

environment where every student can thrive and excel, shaping the leaders 

of tomorrow with care and innovation. 

Accomplish Magazine: Kindly introduce yourself to 

our readers. 

Gbemisola Olowookere: My name is 

Gbemi Oluwokere and I'm the head of school 

for Chalcedony School for now. I've been in the 

education industry or the educational space for the 

past 33 years of my life, going to 34 years. I've worked 

at different places, different schools, with different 

levels of children... at different times. 

I started my education at a school in Gbagada 

Estate, Lagos - Lady Bird Nursery and Primary School, 

which is owned by a German. From there, I went to 

Corona School, where I spent 10 years working with 

children in different classes. After that, I moved to 

Lekki British Junior School, where I was one of the 

pioneer staff. 

After that, I coordinated with some of my colleagues 

to start Attwool School in Lekki, Awoyaya, Lagos. After 

seven and a half years of driving the vision of Attwool 

School, I decided to leave to start Chalcedony 

School, which will be 13 years old in September. 

I studied English Education and graduated, in 1990, 

from Adeyemi College of Education, Obafemi 

Awolowo University. I've had different trainings, both 

locally and abroad. I've also been privileged to go 

through Lagos Business School for a six-month 

programme of OMP. So this is where we are. 

Accomplish Magazine: With over 3 decades of 

experience in the education sector, could you 

share your educational philosophy and how it 

influences the approach your school takes towards 

teaching and learning? 

Gbemisola Olowookere: Thank you for the 

question. My philosophy on Education is rooted in the 

belief that it should be all-encompassing. It should 


CEO INTERVIEW 


| 7

CEO INTERVIEW 

•Section of Chalcedony School premises 

touch every facet of a child's life, 

not just academics or literacy and 

numeracy. Holistic education is key 

to shaping a child's character and 

preparing him or her for life. 

It should affect the psychomotor, it 

should affect every aspect of a child's 

life - morals, attitude, everything. The 

way you speak, the way you write, the 

way you talk, the way you address 

people, the values. These things are 

very, very important in the life of any 

•Section of Chalcedony School premises 

child. 

When you talk about Education, it 

should affect everything: the level of 

confidence of the children and their 

attitude towards everything in life. 

This is Education. 

Accomplish Magazine: In your 

opinion, what is the role of education 

in nation-building, particularly in 

the context of Nigeria? 

Gbemisola Olowookere: In 

the building of any nation, Education 

takes almost 100%. The role of 

education in nation-building, is 

major. Because if you build a nation 

and you have people who are not 

educated or whose education is 

one-sided or somewhat one-sided, 

then that nation is bound to fail. So, 

in building any particular nation, 

anywhere, the role of Education is 

major. Go to different places where 

countries are doing well - developed 

countries. Do we have people who 

are well-educated? You cannot be 

the president of America if you don't 

go to the Ivy league schools. You 

have to be a graduate of Harvard. 

Because, that's a country that's seen 

the importance of education in the 

building of the nation. So, for us, it's a 

major one. It's a pity that we have a 

country that says your qualification 

to become the president of this 

country is primary six. 

Or, to get into politics is nothing, so 

whatever. That means, Nigeria has 

not started. Go to some of the states 

in Nigeria that are doing well, you 

will discover that education plays a 

major role. 

For Nigeria, it's a pity. It's a pity. But 

8 | 


CEO INTERVIEW 

God will help us, and I'm sure we will 

get there. But the role of education in 

nation-building is major. It's very, very 

key. It's very important. Even when 

you employ people to work for you, 

there's a major difference between 

the people you employ as support 

staff and the people you employ 

as teachers. There is a significant 

difference between those who have 

gone to university and those who 

have secondary school qualification. 

That's why our education is still not 

(there) in Nigeria. You could still tell 

the difference. So when you build a 

nation and you can't get people who 

are well educated to run the nation, 

it's just a pity. God will help Nigeria. 

Accomplish Magazine: With your 

vast experience and knowledge of 

the educational sector, what do you 

consider the biggest challenges 

facing education in Nigeria today, 

especially for children? 

Gbemisola Olowookere: The 

Nigerian child, today, faces many 

challenges, especially in the area 

of education. One of the biggest 

challenges that I've observed, 

because I work in the private sector, 

is parental pressure. That's what I can 

say. You have parents pressurising 

their children, schools pressurising 

the children, and society pressurising 

the children. So, the challenge a 

Nigerian child faces in the area of 

education is a lot. Now, parents, 

because their friends' children are 

entering secondary school at so 

and so time, and they are finishing 

secondary school at age 15 or 16, and 

all that, they also want their children 

to do the same. 

They press the school and push the 

school to say, "Okay, give my child 

double promotion", which means 

skipping a grade level. This request 

often comes from parents who want 

their children to finish school earlier. 

"Or, let my child go to secondary 

school from primary four". At this 

point, even the children don't have 

any say about their lives. Now, when 

they get to secondary school, and 

they are still trying to navigate their 

lives and all that, peer pressure 

comes in. I mean, my friend is doing 

this. I need to do it. All my friends have 

boyfriends or girlfriends. I also need to 

have a sense of belonging. Today, a 

When you 

talk about 

Education, it 

should affect 

everything: 

the level of 

confidence of 

the children 

and their 

attitude 

towards 

everything 

in life. This is 

Education. 

Nigerian child drinks all sorts of things. 

They smoke things... 

Then, you begin to wonder, where are 

the values? The children no longer 

find studying very interesting. Again, 

every Nigerian child now wants 

to be famous. They feel that they 

need to become famous. You can 

make money. You can be popular. 

Everybody is a YouTuber. Everybody 

is a blogger. Everybody's a vlogger... 

All sorts of things. I mean, they can 

have an Instagram account and 

make a lot of money on social media, 

and that's what they are doing now. 

So, education is becoming very 

challenging for the Nigerian child. 

Accomplish Magazine: Talking 

about the age of children finishing 

senior secondary school, I came 

across a post, yesterday, which 

gave the impression that the 

Federal Government is advocating 

that a child must be 18 years old 

before he/she can be admitted to a 

tertiary institution. What's your take 

on this? 

Gbemisola Olowookere: 

Thank you so much for this question. 

I've been waiting for it. Even if you 

didn't ask me, it's part of what I 

would have mentioned. I think our 

government, for the first time, just 

started getting serious. I read this 

thing two days ago, and I was like, 'Oh, 

for the first time, we are taking the 

right step'. 

We are taking the right step in the 

right direction. Because a lot of times, 

we have had students, children of 15, 

16 years or 14 plus entering university, 

especially private universities. And 

then you're asking yourself, once you 

are graduating at the end of the day, 

you're still a child and not an adult. 

And then, those children, yes, some 

children are geniuses, I agree. 

But not everybody is. The country 

must have a structure to help these 

children navigate their way so that 

by the time they finish university, the 

sense of maturity is already there. 

You see a lot of parents who will help 

their children in primary school. They 

use lesson teachers in secondary 

school and even in universities. Then, 

you ask yourself, are they children 

they are sending to university? I 

think our government is just getting 

serious. I also read yesterday that 

even NASSU is backing this decision. I 

was very, very happy. 

In all developed countries, the right 

age for admission into the university 

is 18. In the United Kingdom, it's 18. In 

the United States, it's 18. In fact, in the 

United States, some enter university 

at 19. By the time they graduate, you 

can be sure of what is happening to 

them. The maturity is there. 

This is when children (should) go to 

universities, (because), they need to 

figure out the course they want to 

study. (Here), the father will just speak: 

"This course is good; just go and do it". 

And by the time they are done, they 

are not in control. They don't know 

what they want to do with those 

courses. That's why a lot of them, 

even those who go to universities 

abroad, they go to university, they 

come back... and an engineer 

decides to come to Nigeria and he's 

running a spa! They are just doing all 

sorts of things that are not related to 

what they have studied in school. So, I 

think our government is just getting it 

right. I will support this one any day or 

time because we are just making the 

www.theaccomplishmagazine.com | 9

CEO INTERVIEW 

right decisions here. 

Accomplish Magazine: How 

does Chalcedony School work to 

overcome these challenges and 

provide quality education? 


Even before this government 

decision, we, as a school, have 

always tried to do what is right. For 

instance, in our primary school, age is 

the prerequisite for admission. It's not 

even performance. I mean, we need 

to put the children in the right classes 

for their ages, and this is what we 

tell parents. And, if you are entering 

secondary school, you have to be 11. 

If you are not 11, you can't enter our 

secondary school. I mean, we have 

had some parents who say: "Oh, we 

know you. We know you don't let the 

children enter at the age of 10 or at 

the age of 9..." So, even the people 

around us, they already know that 

that is the standard here. Because 

when you come to the secondary 

school, by the time you are finishing, 

you are 16 or 16 plus or even 17. 

We also encourage parents that 

even when their children have 

completed secondary school, they 

should do a gap-year. We have a 

post-secondary school programme 

that we run in the school. We call it 

the gap-year, when children wait 

after secondary school to spend 

an additional year. And what do 

we do for them during the year? 

We prepare them for different 

examinations They write the SAT, 

the IELTS, the TOEFL, and similar 

examinations. For those who want to 

write the examinations, we give them 

a lot of skill acquisition opportunities. 

Skill acquisition in terms of IT and 

hands-on skills. I mean, soft skills 

that enable some of them to begin 

to make some money before they 

enter university. So, by the time they 

enter university, they are mature. And, 

when they get into university, they 

use all of those skills to either make 

money or better their lives and the 

lives of their respective communities. 

This is what we do as a school. We 

have always believed in maturity. 

We have always believed in children 

getting to the right age before 

getting into anything. I have done 

this over time, guiding children 

moving from primary school to 

secondary school. We have sat down 

to have meetings with parents; to 

encourage them to appreciate why 

their children should be allowed to 

mature. 

We have told many people about this 

and they listened to us and, today, 

there is no regret. The ones who didn't 

listen, after one or two years in those 

schools, they come back to us. And 

the children would have to take those 

classes again! 

But you see, it will also take a 

number of years to also rectify those 

problems. Parents don't realise a lot 

of things. A lot of parents use their 

number one, number two children as 

scapegoats. When they realise the 

effects of what they have done, they 

will slow down on the last one or the 

last two. This is what happens. 

As a school, we stick to the structure, 

and we made it a policy that children 

have to enter a particular class at the 

right age. And this is what we do. 

Accomplish Magazine: Apart 

from the post-secondary school 

programmes, what specific 

programmes or curricula does 

•Students of Chalcedony School 

10 | 


CEO INTERVIEW 

your school have in place to foster 

leadership skills among students? 


Our school is committed to 

nurturing leadership skills in our 

students through a comprehensive 

programme. As our students 

advance to higher classes, we 

provide them with a well-rounded 

leadership programme, ensuring 

they are thoroughly prepared for 

future challenges. 

We send them to the Sea School to 

go through the programme for about 

three or four days. Then, we organise 

different things for them in the school. 

For instance, our intermediate class 

students are writing their checkpoint 

exams right now. What we normally 

do is that when they are done with 

checkpoints, we do two weeks of 

work experience for them. 

They go through two weeks of work 

experience in the school. In the past, 

we used to take them out to different 

companies to do this work. But to be 

effective, as the number is increasing, 

we decided to make it happen for 

them in the school. So, they dress up 

for two weeks as adults; teachers 

and staff in the school. 

We move them through different 

departments in the school. They 

work in the Accounts Department. 

They work in the Marketing 

Department. They work in the Media 

Department of the school. They work 

at the Front Office. They work at the 

Administrative Department and 

Head of School Office. They also work 

in different classes. We take them 

from pre-school to junior school, etc. 

We just make sure that they have 

experience within those two weeks. 

It's always two days here, three days 

there, and all that. And, it's a handson 

experience for them. At the end 

of the two weeks, they write their 

reports. 

At the end of the two weeks, the 

people who are supervising 

them also write reports 

about the students. 

When all is done, the 

school gives each 

of the students a 

certificate. We have 

done this for about 

•Gbemisola Olowookere 

13 years; all through since the school 

started. And, I can tell you that a lot 

of our students who have graduated 

from the university, they often refer 

to this programme in getting jobs, 

especially the ones that are abroad. 

That is because, when they state in 

their CVs that they worked at the 

age of 14, before you know what 

is happening, the companies are 

requesting, "Okay, can we connect 

with the place where you worked?" 

So, companies call us to confirm 

that the students worked in the 

school in order to evaluate their 

experience while they were here. 

So, for us, it's a major leadership 

skill the school gives to students. 

When it comes to leadership in 

the school, we prepare them 

specially. They face a panel, and 

someone asks them questions. 

They do their application for 

leadership. They face the panel, 

and they are askes several 

questions. It's an interview panel to 

be sure that they are suitable. When 

they are done with that, they go 

present a manifesto to convince the 

students to vote for it. 

All of these processes tell the 

students whether they are good 

leaders or not; or if they need to work 

on themselves. So these are some of 

the leadership skills the school offers. 

We are also planning to do more; to 

have more programmes as we move 

on. But so far, this is what we do. 

Accomplish Magazine: 

How does your school address 

bullying? What steps do you take to 

ensure that bullying is eradicated 

around the immediate community? 


Now, in the case of bullying, this is 

what we tell parents: There is bullying 

everywhere. It happens in our 

homes. It happens in the church. It 

happens in the family. It happens 

in every school. If a school claims 

that they do not have cases of 

bullying, it is likely untrue. 

Unfortunately, bullying is a 

pervasive issue that can 

manifest in many forms. 

Whether it is body 

shaming, picking on 

a younger student, 

or even students 

bullying each other, 


| 11

CEO INTERVIEW 

it is a problem that should not be 

ignored. These things happen. What 

is important is when it happens, what 

is the environment, the community, 

the school, the home doing about it? 

That's what is important. 

As you come into our school, you will 

see it on our gate. We put the notice 

there saying that bullying stops 

there! So, if you are coming in with 

the mind of bullying in this school, 

when you get to the gates, you drop 

it. I mean, it's just a psychological 

thing. But when it happens since we 

run a boarding system... When we 

find students who are misbehaving, 

we talk to them during the assembly. 

If they need to go on expulsion, they 

go. So, as long as the school is doing 

something, the cases of bullying will 

be eradicated. For us as Chalcedony 

School, we have limited cases. In 

fact, some of our students, when 

they hear these things happening 

in other schools, they are like, "No. 

That can never happen in our 

school. That can never happen in 

our school." Because, they know that 

in the school, as soon as the case 

is reported, something will be done 

about it. 

We don't even wait; we just keep 

checking the footaged of our CCTV 

to be sure that nothing is happening. 

Sometimes, the children also speak 

to us to let us know this is happening, 

and we address it immediately. 

Accomplish Magazine: 

How does Chalcedony School 

involve the community in its 

activities? How do you think this 

benefits the students? 


Chalcedony School has tried to 

involve the community in its activities 

or get involved with the community 

in some of the things we do. For 

instance, we do different excursion 

programmes. We take the children to 

orphanages. We make them see the 

other side of life. 

We have had a programme where 

we made the children visit hospitals; 

to even go to clean hospitals. It was 

a community service. We took them 

to two general hospitals for them for 

cleaning. We went to old people's 

homes. They didn't just go there to 

clean, they also supported. Then 

from time to time, we go to different 

orphanages. 

As I'm talking to you now, we have 

children from orphanages in the 

school; they are part of the school. 

We've had this relationship with two 

different orphanage homes. We have 

been admitting their children into the 

school. 

There was a time we had about four 

from one orphanage. Then, we have 

different foundations that also try to 

support children; they bring them to 

us. We admit them into the school at 

a very minimal fee. The ones from the 

orphanages pay zero fees. It's part of 

our corporate social responsibility. So, 

we do different things to engage the 

community in what we do. 

There was a time we went to the 

community where the school is and 

told the Bale of the community that 

we would support brilliant children 

in the community who are brilliant, 

I mean, who are good, the school is 

also extending the opportunity for 

them, at least maybe about two of 

them on a yearly basis, to also be a 

part of the school. So, these are some 

of the things that we do. 

Accomplish Magazine: From your 

perspective, what reforms are 

urgently needed in the Nigerian 

educational system to better 

prepare students for future 

challenges? 

Gbemisola Olowookere: It 

has become urgent and important 

that we prepare students and 

children we are raising today for the 

future. A lot of the time, the children 

are being prepared for a mirage. 

They don't know the reality of the 

future; they don't have it. 

And they assume that - "Oh, let's just 

get to school, do this and do that". 

And parents are not helping out. A 

lot of parents also do not see this. 

And they are not prepared. And a 

lot of the parents are like, oh, "I don't 

want my child to go through what I 

went through." Whatever they went 

through made them who they are, 

and that gave them the opportunity 

to send their children to the kind of 

The Nigerian 

child, today, 

faces many 

challenges, 

especially in 

the area of 

education. One 

of the biggest 

challenges that 

I've observed, 

because I 

work in the 

private sector, 

is parental 

pressure. 

private schools the children are in 

now. 

They are trying to shield these 

children from the reality of the future. 

So, I think there is a major need m to 

prepare children for the future. Part 

of the things we do at Chalcedony 

School, and we just started recently, 

is to make sure that every student 

is a science student. In the past, we 

used to have students who were 

commercial students, art students, 

and all that. We discovered that it's 

going to give them a narrow future. 

So to make sure that the children 

have the opportunity to move from 

one level of career to another, or to 

make the right choices, we made a 

decision that every student will finish 

Chalcedony School as a science 

student. 

So, they all offer Physics, Chemistry, 

and Biology. Yeah, you can have 

your elective. If you are not inclined, 

you can have your elective in the 

Arts subjects: Art, Government, CRS 

and Literature. If you are commercial 

inclined, you pick Financial 


CEO INTERVIEW 

Accounting, Commerce, and maybe 

other subjects. 

Every country that is future-focused 

tailors its teenagers and children 

towards the kind of future that it 

wants. If you go to Japan today, 

everybody is a science and tech 

student. If you go to India today, 

everybody is into technology. If you 

go to China today, they are into IT 

because they know what they are 

tailoring their children for. Nigeria 

doesn't have anything, I'm sorry. I 

went to do a research on what jobs 

would be relevant in the next 20 

years? And, I discovered it's either 

you're into the medical line, or you're 

into tech. 

So, we tell the children, if you don't 

want to be a doctor, be a nurse, be 

a pharmacist, be something in the 

medical field. Then, you either go 

into software engineering or artificial 

intelligence. I mean, all of these things 

that we are sure will give the children 

the kind of future that is relevant for 

them. 

Parents and schools should realise 

this and try to help children to be 

focused and make the right choices. 

Everybody cannot be a YouTuber, 

you understand? Even if you're into 

this, whatever you are doing, you 

can still do it either on YouTube 

or anywhere else, depending on 

what you want to do. But, we should 

prepare children for the reality of the 

future. 

Accomplish Magazine: What 

support systems does your school 

have in place for students who 

may be struggling academically or 

personally? 

Gbemisola Olowookere: At 

Chalcedony School, we understand 

that children don't learn at the same 

level; even if you have a set of twins. 

They can't give you the same output 

at all times. So what we try to do is... 

We run both the Nigerian and the 

British curricula. The British system of 

education comes down to the level 

of the child. It meets them at their 

level, and we work with them at their 

level. 

But we have added the Nigerian 

curriculum to it so that we meet 

them at that level (too), work with 

them at their level, and push them 

forward to meet the level of the class 

or what is expected to be done. 

We try to reduce the number of 

children in every class. The maximum 

number of children in a class is 16. 

We don't have more than 16 in any 

class, so individual attention can be 

given to every child. Secondly, even 

within the 16, we do what we call 

differentiation. 

Differentiation means that you group 

children who are at the same level 

together. So that you know that, okay, 

if I have my most stable in class, I 

will do less with them but give them 

more work to do and to achieve on 

their own. If I have my less able, I will 

spend more time with them so that I 

can also make sure that I do a lot and 

every child can move forward. 

Even within the less able, you still do 

individual work. I mean there are 

times that you have to call a student 

aside to work with them one-on-one 

and all of that. 

Our teachers are trained in this 

respect. So, we give individualised 

attention to every child. We also even 

have children with special needs in 

the school. We make sure that, apart 

from working with them one-on-one, 

we also include them in the classes. 

The ones whp need facilitators to be 

with them, we arrange it. 

We believe in individualism and 

working with children one-on-one. 

When there is a need to group, 

we group. When there is a need to 

work with them as individuals, we 

work with them that way, but we do 

not just stay there; we push them 

forward. 

Accomplish Magazine: Lastly, what 

are the future goals for Chalcedony 

School, and how do you plan to 

achieve them? 

Gbemisola Olowookere: The 

goals for Chalcedony School is to be 

able to make our impact, create a 

name for Chalcedony School in every 

household, especially around us, the 

environment and the community, 

the local government and the states 

where we are. To be able to say, oh, 

there's no school like Chalcedony 

School because there are quite a 

number of things we do that you 

don't find in other schools. 

We are trying to create this 

awareness. We are making little 

effort, but we hope to be able to 

make a greater effort to be able to 

achieve more. 

Every parent should know that when 

it comes to discipline, there is no 

school like us. When it comes to 

the totalism of raising children, the 

awesome form of education, there is 

no school like Chalcedony School. 

A lot of the children we have in the 

school were brought in by referrals. 

The good thing is that Chalcedony 

School has graduated over 300 

children and majority of them leave 

our school to go to university, and 

90 per cent of them finish university 

with the first class! That's, if they don't 

even finished as the best graduating 

students. 

Apart from moral values, we also give 

them study skills. For instance, when a 

student gets to final year, we sit down 

to prep with them. I do this myself 

until 11 p.m. every night. They put in 

three to four hours of settling down 

without moving around to study. 

So that by the time they get into 

university, if a student can sit down 

for three, four hours to study, that 

student will do well. This has given us 

fantastic results. 

You go to many secondary schools, 

when they are writing exams, they 

cheat. It does not happen here. Our 

children write exams and we have 

had 100 per cent success rates over 

time. And when the students come 

and they see their results, they 

know it is their result. And that has 

given us success even in the U.S., in 

Europe, and they are graduating with 

honours. So, the goal is to be able to 

do more, to be able to extend these 

values to many more children. 


NNEKA ONYALI-IKPE 

COVER 

TOMI SOMEFUN 

FOLASADE OGUNSOLA 

BOLAJI AGBEDE 

MARIAM OLUSANYA 

ADAORA UMEOJI 

Africa's 

Amazons Hea 


YEMISI EDUN 

COVER 

TOYIN OLAJIDE 

YETUNDE ONI 

BUKOLA SMITH 

IRETI SAMUEL-OGBU 

MURAFATU ABIOLA BAWUAH 

ding Corporate Institutions 


| 15

COVER 

In the boardrooms of companies 

operating in Nigeria, a new generation 

of leaders is emerging. Women, long 

overlooked, are taking over the reins of 

power in the country's most prestigious 

institutions. Today, women are no 

longer strangers in leading boardrooms 

activities. Visionary women - amazons on 

account of their resilience, guts, passion 

and capacity for smart, hard work - are 

taking up board leadership of the country's 

top blue-chip companies. The rise of 

these amazons, in the Nigerian business 

firmament, is a testament to both their 

brilliance and the changing face of 

corporate leadership. 

Forget Glass Ceilings 

For decades, boardrooms of top 

companies have been led by men who 

also ensured a perpetuation of their place 

in steering affairs at top management 

cadre. On rare occasions, women got 

'invited' to join respective boards of 

directors - but only as members; often, 

junior members. Therefore, one can 

conclude that there was some undeclared 

glass ceiling which women were made to 

stay under with regards to the schemings 

and politics of boardrooms. 

In the midst of all this entered the likes 

of Dr. Mrs. Ibukun Awosika. In some way, 

looking at the manner of her becoming 

the first woman ever to serve as chairman 

of First Bank of Nigeria Plc., one of the 

country's biggest financial institutions and 

the enviable expertise she brought to bear 

during her tenure, you could almost hear 

women screaming: "Forget glass ceilings!" 

Indeed, Ibukun Awosika didn't just break 

through the glass ceiling at First Bank of 

Nigeria Plc., some people believe that she 

also shattered skyscrapers! This Nigerian 

power house isn't just a businesswoman, 

her career journey is paved with cutting 

edge business savvy, enviable sincerity, 

astute confidence and a relentless 

drive to succeed. From her Chemistry 

background to a Masters in Business 

Administration, she has armed herself 

with up-to-date knowledge across several 

fields of endeavours in order to be able 

to reasonably to challenge the status 

quo. Another point is that Awosika isn't 

just about herself - she's a passionate 

advocate for youth development and 

women's empowerment. 

Though she has completed her duty 

as Chairman of First Bank of Nigeria 

Plc., Mrs. Awosika remains a trailblazer 

in the Nigerian business landscape, 

breaking barriers. With a background 

spanning business, leadership, and 

entrepreneurship, she has made 

significant contributions to both the 

corporate world and society at large. 

In this edition, Accomplish Magazine is 

recognising this unique period where 

more than a dozen women are leading 

boardrooms of top institutions in Nigeria. 

We present the twelve high flying women 

we selected for this purpose in no 

particular order. 


COVER 

Dr. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, OON, is the 

group managing director and 

chief executive officer of Fidelity 

Bank Plc. With a robust clientele of 

approximately 9 million customers, 

Fidelity Bank remains a cornerstone 

in the financial giant. Joining Fidelity 

Bank as an Executive Director in 2015, 

Onyeali-Ikpe ascended to Managing 

Director/CEO in January 2021, marking 

a historic milestone as the bank's first 

female MD/CEO. 

Educated at the esteemed 

University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and 

Kings College, London, Onyeali-Ikpe 

holds a Bachelor of Law and Master of 

Law degree respectively. She further 

honed her skills through executive 

programmes at renowned institutions 

globally. 

With over 32 years of banking 

expertise across prominent 

institutions like Citizens International 

Bank, Zenith Bank, and Standard 

Chartered Bank, her journey is marked 

by a penchant for taking on complex 

transactions in various sectors. Her 

leadership style is synonymous 

with authenticity and adeptness in 

identifying talents and executing 

intricate business ventures. Her 

acumen spans retail, corporate, and 

commercial banking, bolstering 

Fidelity Bank's growth trajectory. 

Her commitment to social responsibility underscores 

Fidelity Bank's ethos of giving back to the community. 

Accolades and Recognitions 

Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe's exemplary leadership hasn't gone 

unnoticed, earning her accolades such as the Officer 

of the Order of the Niger (OON) and prestigious titles like 

Banker of the Year and Best Banking CEO Nigeria. 

Beyond her role at Fidelity Bank, Onyeali-Ikpe plays 

pivotal roles in various committees and organisations, 

contributing to financial literacy, grants allocation, and 

audit oversight. 

Personal Life 

Outside her professional life, she shares her life with Dr. 

Ken Onyeali Ikpe, a distinguished leader renowned for 

his expertise in marketing, branding, and consumer 

consulting. 

Dr. Nneka 

Onyeali-Ikpe, 

Managing Director/ 

CEO of Fidelity Bank Plc 

Innovation and Growth 

Mrs. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe is celebrated as 

one of Africa's foremost female CEOs, and 

she is lauded for her authentic leadership 

style and adeptness in identifying talents 

and opportunities. She spearheaded 

Fidelity Bank's meteoric rise, overseeing 

a substantial growth in profit before tax 

(PBT) from N25.22bn in financial year 2021 

to a staggering N122bn in financial year 

2023. Her visionary leadership extends 

beyond domestic borders, with successful 

endeavours to expand Fidelity Bank's 

footprint into high-growth international 

markets, including the recent acquisition 

and rebranding of Fidelity Bank UK Limited. 

Passionate about innovation, Onyeali- 

Ikpe introduced groundbreaking products 

like PayGate Plus, revolutionising online 

payment systems. She redefined Fidelity 

Bank's role, positioning it as a premier 

institution for small and medium enterprises 

(SMEs). 

Driven by a desire to effect positive 

change, she launched The Fidelity Food Bank 

to address poverty and hunger in Nigeria. 


| 17

COVER 

banking as well as retail and commercial 

banking operations. 

Transitioning through various financial 

landscapes, Mrs. Somefun made significant 

contributions at Credit Bank Limited before 

making her mark at the UBA Group. Within 

UBA, she led two major subsidiaries, serving 

as the MD/CEO of UBA Capital & Trustee 

Limited and founding UBA Pension Custodian 

Limited. Additionally, she played a crucial role 

as a non-executive director on several UBA 

boards. 

Oluwatomi Somefun, 

Managing Director/CEO 

of Unity Bank Plc 

Acknowledged among the top 25 most distinguished chief executive 

officers of Nigerian companies in the 2015 financial year, Oluwatomi 

Somefun stands as a beacon of unwavering competence and 

leadership. As one of Nigeria's leading female chief executives in the banking 

sector, Somefun's remarkable seven-year tenure at the helm of Unity Bank Plc. 

showcases her exceptional abilities and paves the way for aspiring women to 

ascend to top executive roles with ease. 

Education and Growth 

Somefun's studied at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, where she read English 

Language Studies and earned her first degree in 1981. She diligently pursued professional 

courses and certifications despite lacking formal Accounting, Banking, or Economics 

training. She became a chartered accountant in 1982 and later earned the fellowship of the 

Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN). 

Her quest for knowledge led her to esteemed institutions such as Harvard Business 

School, the University of Columbia, and an international training programme at INSEAD 

Fontainebleau, France. Through relentless dedication, Somefun augmented her expertise 

over the years, becoming a member of prestigious professional bodies, including the Bank 

Directors Association of Nigeria (BDAN), the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), 

and the Institute of Directors (IOD), among others. 

A Storied Career in Banking 

Our esteemed banker's remarkable journey, spanning nearly four decades, commenced 

with her role as a Senior Audit Assistant at KPMG from 1982 to 1986. She then transitioned to 

Arthur Andersen, becoming a Senior Auditor for a few more years. In 1989, she embarked on 

a pivotal move, joining Ventures & Trusts Limited as an Associate. This began her illustrious 

banking career, spanning core fields like treasury and investment banking, corporate 

Mrs. Somefun's journey took a significant 

turn when she joined Unity Bank Nigeria 

Plc. Initially, she was the Executive Director, 

overseeing strategic domains such as the 

Lagos and South-West Business Directorates, 

Financial Institution Division, and Treasury 

Department. In August 2015, she assumed 

the role of CEO, succeeding Mr. Henry James 

Semenitari. 

With membership of various board 

committees, including finance, general 

purpose, risk management, and credit, Mrs. 

Somefun has been instrumental in shaping 

the strategic direction of the institutions 

she served. Over the past seven years, Mrs. 

Somefun has led Unity Bank on a path of 

growth and profitability, restructuring the 

balance sheet and introducing innovative 

products like UniFi and Corpreneurship. 

Additionally, under her tenure, Unity Bank 

became the first Nigerian bank to offer 

multi-lingual USSD banking in the three major 

Nigerian languages, aligning with the bank’s 

vision of being the preferred choice for all 

Nigerians. 

Mrs. Somefun demonstrated exceptional 

leadership during challenging times, 

particularly in 2016 and 2017 when Unity 

Bank faced financial hurdles due to a surge 

in non-performing loans. Her strategic 

insight helped navigate the bank through 

these troubled waters, safeguarding its 

capitalisation and ensuring its resilience. 

Recognitions and Honours 

Somefun's exceptional leadership has 

garnered widespread recognition, including 

the prestigious 2019 Top 25 CEOs Next 

Bulls award for Unity Bank's outstanding 

performance on the Nigerian Stock 

Exchange. Additionally, her inclusion among 

the top 25 most distinguished Chief Executive 

Officers of Nigerian companies underscores 

her enduring impact on the banking 

landscape. 

Moreover, Somefun's accolades extend 

to the esteemed BusinessDay Top 25 CEOs 

award in 2019, further solidifying her position 

as a trailblazer in the industry. Notably, she 

was conferred with an Honorary Degree of 

Doctor of Business Administration (D.BA) by 

Redeemer’s University (RUN), a testament 

to her outstanding contributions to the 

business sphere. 

18 | 


COVER 

Prof. Folasade Tolulope Ogunsola 

stands as a beacon of excellence 

in the fields of academic and 

medical Microbiology, and serving as 

the Vice-Chancellor of the prestigious 

University of Lagos. Born in 1958, she 

has dedicated her life to advancing 

the understanding and control of 

infectious diseases, particularly HIV/ 

AIDS, through her groundbreaking 

research and leadership. 

Academic and Career 

Excellence 

Ogunsola's academic journey began to 

soar with her first degree from the University 

of Ife, followed by a master's degree from 

the College of Medicine, University of Lagos. 

Her quest for knowledge led her to pursue a 

doctorate at the University of Wales, where 

she further honed her expertise in Disease 

Regulation and Management. 

Throughout her career, Ogunsola has 

held various positions within the academic 

and healthcare sectors. Notably, she made 

history as the first woman to occupy the 

position of Provost of the College of Medicine, 

University of Lagos, where she demonstrated 

exceptional leadership. 

Her research efforts have centred 

on the regulation and management of 

viral diseases, with particular focus on 

HIV. As the principal investigator at the 

AIDS Prevention Initiative in Nigeria (APIN), 

based at the University of Lagos, she has 

spearheaded numerous initiatives aimed 

at combating the spread of HIV/AIDS and 

improving healthcare outcomes for affected 

populations. Ogunsola's contributions extend 

beyond the confines of the laboratory, as 

she has served as the chairman of the 

Infection Control Committee of Lagos 

University Teaching Hospital, where she 

has played a pivotal role in implementing 

strategies to prevent infectious diseases. 

Prof. Folasade 

Tolulope 

Ogunsola, 

Vice Chancellor of 

University of Lagos 

Honours 

In recognition of her outstanding 

achievements and dedication to public 

service, Ogunsola was honoured as an 

Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) by 

Nigeria's former President, Muhammadu 

Buhari, in May 2023. As the first woman to 

hold the position of Vice-Chancellor in the 

University of Lagos's history, Prof. Folasade 

Tolulope Ogunsola OON continues to inspire 

future generations of scholars through her 

exemplary leadership and unwavering 

dedication to the betterment of society. 


| 19

COVER 

2003. At Access Bank, she began 

her ascent as an Assistant 

General Manager. 

Agbede's tenure at Access Bank 

has been marked by impactful 

initiatives. She played a pivotal 

role in integrating acquired 

banks, fostering a cohesive 

staff culture within the growing 

organisation. As Head of Human 

Resources for the Access Bank 

Group, from 

2010 to 2022, she 

spearheaded innovative 

programmes like the Access 

Women Network, promoting 

gender diversity within 

the workforce. Also, she 

implemented progressive 

policies like extended parental 

leave, demonstrating her 

commitment to employee wellbeing. 

Bolaji Olaitan Agbede, 

Acting MD/Group CEO of 

Access Holdings 

Bolaji Agbede's distinguished career in Nigerian banking 

embodies a compelling example of excellence and 

impactful leadership, particularly in empowering 

others within the industry. Her journey began in Lagos, 

Nigeria, where a foundation in education and integrity 

shaped her into the accomplished leader she is today. 

Agbede earned a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics 

and Statistics from the University of Lagos in 1990. This 

foundation was further bolstered by a Master of Business 

Administration (MBA) from Cranfield University in the United 

Kingdom in 2002. 

Exemplary Career 

Bolaji Agbede boasts over 27 years of experience in the Nigerian 

banking industry, making significant contributions at renowned 

institutions like Guaranty Trust Bank before joining Access Bank Plc in 

Recognitions 

Agbede's exceptional 

leadership has garnered 

recognition on both national 

and international stages. She 

has been awarded HR Leader of 

the Year by HR People Magazine 

and was included in Leading 

Ladies Africa's prestigious list of 

Top 50 Most Influential Women 

in Nigeria. 

In February 2024, following 

the passing of the former Group 

CEO, Herbert Wigwe, Agbede 

stepped up to assume the 

role of Acting Group Executive 

Officer of Access Holdings. 

That elevation solidified her 

position as a true leader and 

a respected figure within the 

Nigerian banking landscape. 

Bolaji Olaitan Agbede's 

career trajectory embodies a 

relentless pursuit of excellence. 

Her dedication serves as an 

inspiration to aspiring leaders 

across Nigeria. Her leadership 

continues to shape the future of 

the nation's business landscape. 

20 | 


COVER 

Miriam Olusanya is not 

just the Managing 

Director of Guaranty 

Trust Bank; she's a remarkable 

achiever in the world of 

finance, marking a significant 

milestone as the first woman 

to hold this esteemed 

position in that bank. With 

a background in Pharmacy 

from the University of Ibadan 

and a Master of Business 

Administration degree from 

the University of Liverpool, 

Olusanya embarked on a 

journey that has reshaped the 

financial industry in Nigeria. 

Shining Career 

Starting her career as an executive 

trainee at Guaranty Trust Bank in 

1998, Olusanya quickly rose through 

the ranks, showcasing her leadership 

skills and unwavering dedication to 

excellence. Prior to her appointment 

as managing director, she served 

as an executive director at the bank, 

accumulating a wealth of experience 

and expertise along the way. Miriam 

Olusanya's rise to the top is a 

testament to her relentless pursuit of 

success. With a keen eye for emerging 

trends and an understanding of the 

intricacies of the financial sector, she 

has led Guaranty Trust Bank into a new 

era of growth and innovation. 

As Managing Director of Guaranty 

Trust Holding Company, Olusanya 

spearheads the institution's strategic 

vision with conviction. Under her 

leadership, the company has solidified 

its position as a powerhouse in the 

financial world, setting new standards 

of excellence. 

not just a respected leader but also a role model 

for many. Miriam Olusanya's journey from a smalltown 

scholar to the helm of Guaranty Trust Bank is 

an inspiring tale of resilience, and leadership. With 

her visionary guidance, Guaranty Trust Holding 

Company is poised for a future filled with continued 

success. 

Miriam 

Olusanya, 

Managing Director 

of GT Bank Plc 

Role Model 

Beyond her professional 

achievements, Olusanya is a 

champion for empowerment and 

inclusivity, actively working to mentor 

and groom the next generation 

of leaders. Her warm demeanour, 

humility, and approachability make her 


| 21

COVER 

University of Jos, a Bachelor's 

degree in Accounting, and a First- 

Class honours degree in Law from 

Baze University, Abuja. 

Additionally, she earned a 

Master of Laws from the University 

of Salford, United Kingdom, and a 

Master of Business Administration 

from the University of Calabar. Her 

pursuit of knowledge didn't stop 

there as she obtained a doctorate 

in Business Administration from 

Apollos University, USA. 

Umeoji is an alumna of 

prestigious institutions such as 

Harvard Business School, where 

she completed the Advanced 

Management Programme, and 

Columbia Business School, where 

she earned a certificate in the 

Global Banking programme. 

She also holds certificates from 

renowned institutions like MIT 

Sloan School of Management and 

Wharton Business School, USA. 

Dr Adaora Umeoji, 

GMD/CEO of Zenith Bank Plc 

Dr. Adaora Umeoji's appointment as the Group Managing 

Director and Chief Executive Officer of Zenith Bank Plc marks 

a historic moment, as she becomes the first woman to hold 

this esteemed position in the bank's history. With nearly three 

decades of experience in the banking industry, Umeoji brings a 

wealth of expertise and a sterling track record of leadership to her 

new role. 

A seasoned professional, Umeoji's journey in banking began 

over 30 years ago, with 26 of those years dedicated to Zenith 

Bank. Prior to her appointment as Group Managing Director, she 

served as the Deputy Managing Director, a position she held since 

October 28, 2016. 

Academic Attainments 

Umeoji's academic credentials are as impressive as her professional 

achievements. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Sociology from the 

Professional 

Successes and 

Advocacy 

Her commitment to 

professional development is 

evident through her membership 

of esteemed professional bodies 

such as the Chartered Bankers 

Institute, United Kingdom; 

Chartered Institute of Bankers of 

Nigeria, and the Nigerian Institute 

of Management, among others. 

Outside of her professional 

endeavours, Umeoji is a 

passionate advocate for peace, 

holding a position as a peace 

advocate of the United Nations 

Positive Livelihood Award Centre 

(UN-POLAC). She is also the 

founder of the Catholic Bankers 

Association of Nigeria (CBAN), 

where she champions ethical 

banking practices and service to 

humanity. 

Dr. Adaora Umeoji's legacy 

as a trailblazer and advocate for 

positive change is sure to leave 

a lasting impact on the banking 

sector and beyond. 


COVER 

Meet Mrs. Toyin Olajide, a fearless 

pioneer who orchestrated 

Nigeria’s inaugural "all-female 

flight crew" moment. It was a historic 

occasion when Air Peace orchestrated 

a round trip from Lagos to Abuja, 

culminating at Owerri Airport in Imo 

State - amidst jubilant celebrations. 

This remarkable project etched its 

mark in Nigeria’s aviation chronicles 

and showcased Mrs. Olajide's visionary 

leadership. 

Certifications 

Armed with a First Class Honours degree in 

Chemical Engineering from the University of 

Lagos and an impressive array of over 20 aviation 

industry certifications, she has spearheaded one 

groundbreaking achievement after another. 

Role and Responsibilities 

Oluwatoyin Olajide, the powerhouse behind Air 

Peace’s operations, holds the esteemed Chief 

Operating Officer (COO) position, ranking second 

only to Allen Onyema, the airline's Chairman/Chief 

Executive Officer. In her capacity as COO, Olajide 

efficiently manages the day-to-day affairs of Air 

Peace, directly reporting to Mr. Onyema. With her 

expertise and understanding, she has steered 

the airline's trajectory from its nascent stages to 

becoming a juggernaut in West Africa's aviation 

landscape. 

Mrs. Olajide's rise within Air Peace has been 

nothing short of meteoric. Joining the airline in 

2014 as the head of safety, she swiftly ascended 

to the role of COO within the same year. Her 

strategic leadership and vision have fueled Air 

Peace's exponential growth, transforming it into 

the largest airline in West Africa today. 

Despite ethnic differences with her employer, Mrs. 

Olajide's competence and qualifications eclipse 

any ethic barriers. Her merit-based appointment 

underscores Mr. Onyema's ethos of meritocracy 

and diversity in leadership. 

Yola and Akure. Makurdi will soon commence. We are still buying 

more planes because our route expansion requires much more 

equipment than we currently have. So far, we are still looking for 

more airplanes to satisfy the needs of the members of this blessed 

country. One of the reasons Air Peace was established is to unite this 

country and provide employment for Nigerians. We believe that the 

more airplanes we acquire, the more people we can give jobs to, 

the more we unite the country and the more routes we can fly into 

by connecting different countries. We have just acquired six ERJ 145 

planes, which is a lot. This particular airplane is going to unite this 

country. This means we can fly from Benin to Port Harcourt, Enugu to 

Kano, Sokoto to Abuja, Lagos to Makurdi, etc. The essence is to unite 

Nigerians. Air Peace, as of today, has over 2,000 staffers from different 

parts of this country. It is one airline that is very gender sensitive. We 

love and respect our women because they are very committed.” 

Beyond Business Success 

Mrs. Olajide's impact transcends corporate realms. She epitomises 

resilience and empowerment, inspiring women to excel in maledominated 

sectors while balancing familial responsibilities. Her 

remarkable journey is a beacon of hope and empowerment for 

aspiring female leaders. 

Toyin Olajide, 

Chief Operating Officer 

of Air Peace 

The Famous Isiagu Uniform 

and Aircraft Acquisition 

One of Mrs. Olajide's notable initiatives was the 

introduction of the isiagu flight crew uniform for 

Air Peace, a move that symbolises Nigeria's rich 

cultural tapestry. This initiative, endorsed by Mr. 

Onyema, underscores Air Peace's commitment 

to embodying Nigeria's diverse heritage and Mrs. 

Olajide's dedication to fostering inclusivity within 

the company. 

Some years back, Mrs. Olajide was interviewed 

and asked, “How has it been being the arrowhead 

of a leading airline in Nigeria in the past four 

years?” 

Her response: “In the last four years, Air Peace has 

achieved a lot. We have increased our routes 

on the West Coast to Banjul, Freetown, Dakar in 

Senegal and Accra, Ghana. We increased our 

fleet from 7 to 24 aircraft and are still going. We 

have also created domestic routes such as Kano, 


| 23

COVER 

Yemisi Edun, 

Managing Director/CEO of 

First City Monument Bank 

The Nigerian banking industry has seen a surge in female leadership 

in recent years, a development celebrated nationwide. Notable 

figures like Yemisi Edun of First City Monument Bank Plc exemplifies 

this trend as women assert their presence in leadership roles across the 

industry. Yemisi Edun stands out as one such trailblazer. Her ascent to 

the position of managing director (MD), in July 2021, followed a transition 

prompted by the departure of the previous MD, Adam Nuhu. 

Education & Family Background 

Edun's upbringing in Nigeria was shaped by the influence of her strict, 

education-oriented father, who envisioned a life of excellence for his 

children. She has openly shared anecdotes from her early years and 

recounted the challenges in her career journey. 

Despite receiving her primary, secondary, and tertiary education 

in Nigeria, Edun pursued her Master's degree abroad, highlighting her 

commitment to academic and personal growth. Her academic background 

in Chemistry from the University of Ife, Osun State, Nigeria, preceded her 

Master's studies at the University of Liverpool, United Kingdom. Yemisi Edun is 

a devoted wife and mother, with her family rooted in Nigeria. 

Her Career Trajectory 

Edun embarked on her professional 

journey in 1987 at Akintola Williams 

Deloitte, a Deloitte Touché Tohmatsu 

member firm. There, she immersed 

herself in corporate finance activities, 

laying the foundation for her future. 

Throughout her career, Edun also 

audited banks and other financial 

institutions, honing her expertise in 

financial management. 

Her tenure at First City Monument 

Bank (FCMB) commenced in 2000, 

when she assumed the role of 

Divisional Head of Internal Audit and 

Control. Swiftly rising through the 

ranks, she soon transitioned to the 

position of Chief Financial Officer, 

showcasing her aptitude for strategic 

financial management. 

Edun's professional accreditations 

include the prestigious Chartered 

Financial Analyst (CFA) designation 

and being an associate member 

of the Chartered Institute of 

Stockbrokers. Additionally, she has 

earned recognition through various 

honours and memberships, further 

solidifying her standing in the 

financial sector. 

Professional Accolades 

and Affiliations 

Yemisi Edun's professional credentials 

include holding a Chartered Financial 

Analyst (CFA) designation and 

membership of various professional 

organisations: 

• Associate Member of the Chartered 

Institute of Taxation of Nigeria; 

• Fellow of the Institute of Chartered 

Accountants of Nigeria; 

• Member of the Information Systems 

Audit and Control, USA; and, Certified 

Information Systems Auditor. 

Present Role and 

Contributions 

Currently serving as the Managing 

Director of FCMB, Yemisi Edun brings 

her wealth of experience and 

expertise to steer the bank towards 

continued success. Since assuming 

the position in July 2021, her leadership 

has been instrumental in driving the 

bank's strategic initiatives forward. 

24 | 


COVER 

Yetunde Oni is a name 

synonymous with 

excellence in the Nigerian 

banking sector. Recently 

appointed Managing Director 

and Chief Executive Officer 

of Union Bank Plc, her journey 

to the helm is a testament to 

dedication, strategic thinking, and 

a commitment to innovation. 

Earning Needed 

Knowledge 

Oni's academic prowess laid the 

groundwork for her success. Earning 

an Economics degree from the 

prestigious University of Ibadan in 

1991, she further honed her skills with 

an Executive Training Programme at 

Oxford University in 2016. Her thirst for 

knowledge culminated in an MBA from 

Bangor University in 2020, solidifying her 

expertise in business administration. 

Steering Union Bank With Dynamism 

A new chapter unfolded in January 2024. The Central Bank of 

Nigeria appointed Oni as the MD/CEO of Union Bank, placing 

her at the forefront of navigating the bank through a period 

of change. Her extensive experience and proven ability to 

lead through challenges make her the ideal candidate for this 

critical role. 

Yetunde Oni's impact on the banking sector extends 

far beyond her impressive titles. Throughout her career, 

she has championed client solutions, talent development, 

and innovative leadership. As she guides Union Bank, her 

unwavering dedication and strategic vision promise to shape 

a bright future for the institution. 

Yetunde Oni, 


CEO of Union Bank Plc 

A Flourishing Career 

Oni's 29-year career in the financial 

sector is a masterclass in navigating 

the complexities of emerging 

markets. Starting in 1994, at Ecobank 

Transnational Incorporated, she 

steadily honed her relationship 

management, client solutions, and 

leadership skills. For eleven years, she 

excelled, showcasing her talent for 

building strong client relationships and 

fostering team growth. 

In 2005, Oni joined Standard 

Chartered Bank Plc, where her 

leadership qualities flourished. She 

tackled diverse roles, from Senior 

Relationship Manager to spearheading 

the bank's local corporate portfolio. A 

pivotal moment arrived in 2010 when 

she became Country Head, Local 

Corporates, marking the beginning of 

her ascent to leadership positions. 

Oni's exceptional performance 

propelled her to the position of 

Managing Director & Country Head, 

Commercial Banking West Africa in 2014. 

Breaking new ground, she became the 

first female Managing Director and 

Chief Executive Officer of Standard 

Chartered Bank in Sierra Leone in 2021, a 

historic achievement by any standard. 


| 25

COVER 

Bank, ushering in a new era of strategic 

leadership. Under her stewardship, FSDH 

continues to thrive as a financial services 

powerhouse, delivering expert solutions to 

clients across Nigeria and beyond. 

Philanthropy and 

Mentorship 

Beyond her corporate responsibilities, 

Smith is deeply committed to giving back 

to society. She serves on the boards of 

Women in Successful Careers (WISCAR) 

and the Toyin Oni Foundation, where she 

champions causes like cancer awareness 

and women empowerment. As a mentor, 

she inspires and guides young women, 

nurturing the next generation of leaders 

within and outside banking circles. 

Bukola Smith, 

Chief Executive Officer 

of FSDH Merchant Bank 

Bukola Smith, the Chief Executive Officer of FSDH Merchant 

Bank Limited, is a seasoned professional with a wealth of 

experience spanning 29 years in the banking industry. 

Armed with a B.Sc. in Economics from the University of Lagos and 

an MBA from Alliance Manchester Business School, University 

of Manchester in the United Kingdom, Smith has carved a 

distinguished career path marked by strategic planning, 

purposeful execution and impactful leadership. 

Professional Journey 

Smith's journey in banking began at FSB International Bank, where she honed her 

skills across various departments, including treasury operations, international 

trade services, and relationship management. Later, she transitioned to 

Fidelity Bank Plc, enriching her expertise in areas such as bond trading and 

correspondent banking. 

In 2006, Smith joined First City Monument Bank Plc (FCMB), where she held pivotal 

portfolios, including Executive Director, Business Development. Her tenure saw 

remarkable achievements, including the elevation of the bank's SME-focused 

team to the top position in the industry. She spearheaded initiatives like the FCMB 

Women in Business Desk, empowering female entrepreneurs; she played a key 

role in establishing FCMB Trustees and FCMB Custody. 

In April 2021, she assumed the role of Managing Director/CEO at FSDH Merchant 

Insights, Perspectives and 

Family Life 

In a recent interview with African Leaders 

Magazine, she reflected on her career 

journey, childhood memories, and vision 

for the banking sector. She highlighted 

the pivotal role of her supportive family in 

shaping her professional trajectory and 

shared valuable insights on navigating 

challenges and fostering growth in the 

banking industry. 

Juggling a demanding career with 

family commitments, Smith emphasises 

the importance of a supportive network 

and effective time management. With 

three children and a bustling career, she 

epitomises the art of maintaining balance 

and investing in quality time with loved ones. 

Legacy and Vision 

As she steers FSDH Merchant Bank towards 

greater heights, her focus remains on 

strategic innovation, talent development, 

and leveraging technology to drive 

sustainable growth. With a steadfast 

commitment to excellence and a passion 

for impactful leadership, she continues 

to inspire and empower others on their 

journey to success. 

Bukola Smith's career trajectory serves 

as a beacon of inspiration for aspiring 

professionals, especially women in 

the banking sector. Through resilience, 

dedication, and a relentless pursuit of 

excellence, she has cemented her legacy 

as a visionary leader and change agent in 

the financial landscape of Nigeria. 

In her leisure time, she enjoys swimming, 

reading, and engaging in mentorship 

activities, reflecting her unwavering 

dedication to personal growth and 

community impact. As she continues to 

chart new horizons, her journey serves as 

a testament to the transformative power 

of leadership and the limitless potential of 

those who dare to dream. 

26 | 


COVER 

Ireti Samuel-Ogbu stands 

as a beacon of success and 

leadership in the realm of 

finance, notably as the CEO & 

Country Officer for Nigeria & 

Ghana at Citibank/Citigroup 

Inc. Her journey into the 

financial world is marked by 

a commitment to education 

and an unyielding pursuit of 

excellence. 

Exceptional Leadership 

Abilities 

Having likely embarked on her 

academic journey with a focus on 

Finance or Business Administration, 

Samuel-Ogbu laid the groundwork 

for her future endeavours through 

dedication to learning and 

personal growth. Her journey into 

the professional arena began at 

Citibank/Citigroup Inc., where she 

cultivated invaluable experience 

and insights into the intricacies of 

the financial sector. 

Through her resilience, 

determination, and exceptional 

leadership abilities, Samuel- 

Ogbu ascended the ranks within 

Citibank/Citigroup Inc., assuming 

increasingly challenging roles 

along the way. Her appointment as 

CEO & Country Officer for Nigeria & 

Ghana speaks volumes about her 

strategic vision and capacity for 

transformative leadership. 

In her pivotal role, Samuel-Ogbu 

oversees Citibank/Citigroup Inc.'s 

operations in Nigeria and Ghana, 

playing a vital role in driving growth, 

nurturing client relationships, and 

ensuring operational excellence. 

Under her stewardship, the 

company likely experienced 

notable successes, solidifying 

its position as a trusted financial 

partner in the region. 

and inclusion within the organisation. Her strategic 

foresight has enabled Citibank/Citigroup Inc. to navigate 

challenges effectively and seize emerging opportunities. 

Beyond her professional achievements, Samuel- 

Ogbu is involved in initiatives aimed at promoting 

financial literacy, women's empowerment, and socioeconomic 

development in Nigeria, Ghana, and beyond. 

Her passion for making a meaningful difference 

underscores her status as not only a business leader 

but also a catalyst for positive change within her 

community and society at large. 

Ireti Samuel 

-Ogbu, 

CEO & Country 

Officer for Nigeria & 

Ghana at Citibank/ 

Citigroup Inc 

Rising to the Occasion 

Samuel-Ogbu's leadership 

is characterised by integrity, 

resilience, and a deep commitment 

to driving positive change. 

She is known for inspiring and 

empowering her team, fostering 

a culture of excellence, diversity, 


| 27

COVER 

with a Bachelor of Law (LLB) from the 

University of London. 

Bawuah's commitment to 

continuous learning is evident in 

her additional qualifications. She 

holds a Diploma in Marketing from 

the Ghana Institute of Management 

and Public Administration (GIMPA) 

and an Executive Master of Business 

Administration (EMBA) in Finance 

from the University of Ghana. She 

has also honed her leadership skills 

through programmes at prestigious 

institutions like Harvard Business School, 

Columbia University, Institut Européen 

d'Administration des Affaires (INSEAD) in 

Fontainebleau, France, and Institut Villa 

Pierrefeu in Switzerland. 

Marufatu Abiola 

Bawuah, 

Managing Director/CEO of 

United Bank for Africa (UBA) 

Marufatu Abiola Bawuah is a Ghanaian banker if 

repute. She's also a businesswoman and finance 

professional who has made a significant impact 

on the African banking sector. When in 2014, she became 

the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of United 

Bank for Africa Plc, (UBA), it was a glass ceiling shattering 

development. Indeed, she was the first woman to hold that 

lofty portfolio! 

Early Life and Education 

Born on September 26, 1968, Bawuah's upbringing in Aflao, Ghana, instilled 

in her a strong work ethic. Despite facing challenges like early marriage 

expectations, she persevered. She excelled academically, attending 

Achimota School, Accra, Ghana, for her secondary education. Her thirst 

for knowledge led her to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Actuarial Science 

from the University of Lagos in Nigeria. She further bolstered her credentials 

Accomplishments and 

Recognition 

Bawuah's leadership at UBA has 

been nothing short of exemplary. Her 

contributions were instrumental in the 

bank's expansion across West Africa. In 

recognition of her achievements, she 

has received numerous accolades, 

including: 

• 2016 Chartered Institute of Marketing 

Ghana (CIMG) Marketing Woman of the 

Year 

• Ghana Accountancy and Finance 

Finance Personality of the Year Award 

• Named one of Africa's 50 Influential 

Women in Business by The Africa Report 

in 2018. 

As Role Model 

She currently serves as the Regional 

Chief Executive Officer, West Africa for 

UBA. In this capacity, she oversees the 

bank's operations in nine West African 

countries. Her dedication to financial 

inclusion and economic development 

across the region continues to be a 

driving force in her career. 

Bawuah is a role model for aspiring 

business leaders, particularly women. 

Her memoir, titled "Chosen From The 

Darkness," chronicles her life's struggles 

and her remarkable rise to success. The 

book's foreword is written by Samira 

Bawumia, the Second Lady of Ghana. 

Marufatu Abiola Bawuah's story is an 

inspiration to all who dare to dream big 

and defy limitations. Her unwavering 

commitment to excellence and 

her passion for Africa's economic 

empowerment make her a true 

trailblazer in the continent's financial 

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| 29

DIASPORA AFRICAN 

EEver heard of Dr. Omolade 

Saliu? Well, let me introduce 

you to this exceptional mind. 

Dr. Saliu is not your average 

tech enthusiast; he's the Executive 

Data Scientist and the Head of Data 

Science at IBM Canada’s Artificial 

Intelligence & Advanced Analytics 

Practice. Leading a team of 

brilliant minds scattered across 

Canada, he spearheads the 

delivery of groundbreaking AI 

solutions. 

With over two decades of 

experience in consulting 

and research, Dr. Saliu has 

etched his name in the 

annals of artificial 

intelligence and machine 

learning. His journey at 

IBM involves pioneering 

the development of 

AI-at-scale offerings 

in Canada. Dr. Saliu 

boasts six US patents 

under his belt, with 

two more pending, 

all stemming from 

his 

groundbreaking 

work applying 

AI/ML to 

intricate 

industry 

challenges. 

Meet 

Omolade Saliu: 

Engineer Extraordinaire at IBM 


A Scholar and Thought Leader 

Not just a practitioner, Dr. Saliu is 

also a prolific author, with his works 

gracing international journals, 

conferences, and books. He's been 

featured in the esteemed Alberta 

Oil Magazine, shedding light on the 

transformative potential of AI and 

ML in the energy and mining sector. 

Certified as an IBM Data Scientist 

Thought Leader, his insights are 

highly regarded in the tech 

community. 

Leading the Charge at IBM 

As an IBM Distinguished Engineer & 

Chief Data Scientist, Dr. Saliu plays a 

pivotal role in shaping the 

landscape of Artificial Intelligence 

and Data Science. Heading the 

Generative AI Centre of Excellence 

in Canada, he's at the forefront of 

talent recruitment and 

development. His expertise spans 

from formulating data science 

strategies to implementing 

predictive models aimed at driving 

tangible business outcomes for 

clients. 

Beyond his technical prowess, Dr. 

Saliu is a beacon of diversity and 

inclusion. He champions team 

building and advocates for a more 

inclusive work environment. His 

holistic approach encompasses 

end-to-end AI strategies, covering 

everything from talent acquisition 

to technology implementation. 

Recognitions and Achievements 

Dr. Saliu's contributions have not 

gone unnoticed. With many 

publications, eight US patents, and 

three intellectual properties (IPs) to 

his credit, he's a force to be 

reckoned within the tech sphere. 

Honoured as a Canada NSERC and 

Alberta iCORE scholar, his impact 

reverberates far beyond the 

confines of IBM. 

Specialties and Clientele 

In the field of Data Science, Dr. 

Saliu's expertise knows no bounds. 

From machine learning to business 

intelligence, his skill set is as diverse 

as it is deep. His clientele reads like 

a who's who of industry giants, 

including Bombardier, Air Canada, 

and TD Bank Group. 

Dr. Omolade Saliu epitomises 

innovation and excellence in 

artificial intelligence and data 

science, leaving an indelible mark 

wherever he goes. 

Omolade Saliu's Career Journey: 

IBM Tenure 

• Distinguished Engineer & Chief 

Data Scientist at IBM (Mar 2024 - 

Present): Steering IBM 

Canada's AI and analytics 

capability, leading a team of 50+ 

data scientists and machine 

learning engineers, and nurturing 

talent through training initiatives 

and community engagement. 

• Canadian Technical Leader at 

Generative AI Centre of Excellence 

(Jul 2023 - Present): Spearheading 

the development of AI competency 

in Canada, focusing on talent 

recruitment and competency 

building. 

• Executive Data Scientist & Head of 

Data Science (Jan 2020 - Mar 2024): 

Orchestrating IBM's AI solutions 

delivery, building innovative 

enterprise-scale AI solutions, and 

fostering a vibrant data science 

technical community. 

Senior Management Roles 

• Senior Manager, Data Science & 

Enterprise Machine Learning (Apr 

2016 - Jan 2020): Delivering 

innovative analytics solutions for 

clients in Calgary and Alberta, 

including predictive modeling for 

gold and nickel drilling targets and 

implementing AI platforms for 

energy and mining consortiums. 

• Manager, Data Science & 

Engineering (Jan 2013 - Apr 2016): 

Leading advanced analytics 

projects for clients like Husky Energy 

and Suncor Energy; focusing on 

predictive analytical models and 

optimisation frameworks. 

Industry Advisory & Consulting 

• Industry Advisory Board Member, 

Computer Science Department, 

University of Calgary (Apr 2020 - 

Present): Contributing to the 

academic field by advising on 

industry trends and best practices. 

• Senior Consultant, Data Science & 

Engineering (Jun 2010 - Jan 2013): 

Led BI analytics and reporting 

teams for clients like Suncor Energy 

and TD Bank Group, developing 

data and analytics roadmaps and 

DIASPORA AFRICAN 

overseeing program management 

activities. 

• Senior Consultant, Data & Analytics 

(Oct 2007 - Jun 2010): Designing BI 

reporting architectures and leading 

business analysis for clients like 

Spectra Energy and Alberta Health 

Services. 

Academic & Research Roles 

• Analytics Research Associate 

(NSERC/iCORE), University of Calgary 

(2004 - 2007): He engaged in 

analytics research and contributed 

to academic initiatives. 

• Visiting Researcher, Fraunhofer, 

USA (Jul 2006 - Aug 2006): 

Collaborating on research projects 

in the Washington D.C., Metro Area. 

• Faculty Lecturer, King Fahd 

University of Petroleum & Minerals 

(May 2003 - Dec 2003): Sharing 

data science and engineering 

expertise. 

Early Career 

• Graduate Research Assistant, The 

University of Calgary (Jan 2001 - Apr 

2003): Participating in research 

projects and academic pursuits. 

• Software Engineer / Programmer, 

SystemSpecs (Mar 1999 - Jan 2001): 

Gaining experience in software 

development and programming. 

HARRY CHOMS 


Harry Choms is a freelance writer 

with a passion for words and a 

keen eye for details, an editor, and 

an avid tech believer. His works 

can be seen on EntrepreneurNG. 

com, Imautomator, Secureblitz, 

Withinnigeria, Feelgospel, 

Kemifilani, and Glamsquad 

Magazine. He is the Webmaster 

and sole owner of Matrismart.com 

and biowiki.com.ng. 


| 31

CELEBRATING 

ACCOMPLISHMENTS 

Dr. Ugochi Nwizu 

2023 Best UNN Graduating Doctor 

We have been witnessing 

recurring cases of people 

who have given up on 

pursuit of excellence in our country. 

This is so because, citizens now seem 

to look for excuses why they shouldn't 

pay the price for excellence, alluding 

to the near lack of encouraging 

or inspiring rewards for attaining 

anything beyond the ordinary. 

Indeed, over 95 per cent of students 

would tell you that they have no 

motivation to pursue academic 

excellence. They ask: Why should I 

go through the trouble of making 

sacrifices to earn a first class degree 

only to get a paltry reward of ten 

thousand naira as prize from the 

university? 

What students who think in such 

manner don't realise is that the 

seeming 'paltry' award some 

universities offer is only a peripheral 

part of the benefits they would get 

for achieving enviable academic 

results. Indeed, the benefits keep 

coming through several years and, 

certainly, from quarters far beyond 

the universities such students 

attended. It's in the light of this that we 

celebrate a truly deserving academic 

champion from the University of 

Nigeria, Nsukka. 


Tunde Onakoya's 

60-Hour Record 

Under the bright lights of 

New York's Times Square, 

Nigerian chess master, Tunde 

Onakoya, did not merely break a 

record, the Guinness World Record 

for the longest marathon chess 

game; he shattered it. Clocking 

in at an astonishing 60 hours, 

Onakoya not only surpassed 

the previous record of 56 hours 

but also utilised the platform to 

highlight a vital cause: education 

for underprivileged children in 

Africa. 

This was not simply a test of 

endurance; it was a strategic 

move for social change. Onakoya, 

a product of the slums of 

Lagos himself, understands the 

transformative power of chess. 

His charity organisation, Chess 

in Slums Africa, equips children 

from impoverished communities 

with the tools and skills they need 

to succeed, both on and off the 

chessboard. 

Onakoya's story is a powerful 

reminder that true leadership 

extends beyond corporate 

boardrooms and celebrity 

mansions. We need more elites 

and blue-chip companies to follow 

his example. Imgine the impact that 

would be made if captains of industry 

utilised their resources and influence 

to champion causes like educational 

equity. They could: 

- Fund initiatives like Onakoya’s, 

providing crucial support for 

educational programmes in 

underserved communities. 

- Offer mentorship to students, 

sharing their knowledge and 

experiences to inspire the next 

generation. 

- Advocate for policy changes that 

promote equal access to quality 

education; and more! 

Onakoya’s 60-hour marathon 

transcended the realm of 

chess. It was a potent call to 

action, urging those with 

privilege to step up and 

play their part in creating 

a brighter future for 

all. By combining their 

resources, influence, 

and ingenuity, elites and 

corporations have the 

potential to checkmate 

poverty and inequality, 

delivering true victory for 

society. 

Dr. Ugochi Nwizu hails from Anambra 

state, Nigeria. She personally 

experienced the consequences of 

inadequate access to health care 

and decided to seek a profession 

in public health. She aspired to see 

to a reduction of the gaps in that 

sector and worked quite hard to 

stand out. Today, she has a Bachelor 

of Dental Surgery (BDS) degree from 

the College of Medicine, University 

of Nigeria (UNN) with multiple 

distinctions in some of her major 

courses. Nwizu went through 16 

courses and earned distinctions 

in 8 of her major courses: Oral 

Biology, Anatomy, Biochemistry, 

Pharmacology, Pathology, Oral and 

Maxillofacial Pathology, Oral and 

Maxillofacial Surgery, and Child Dental 

Health. 

Indeed, she put in needed extra 

efforts and, year after year, her 

diligence and well-rounded 

knowledge was evident in her 

academic results and clinical 

rotations. It was, therefore, no 

surprise that she bagged the 2023 

Best University of Nigeria Nsukka 

Graduating Doctor. 

Her lecturers and co-workers 

have repeatedly acknowledged 

her dedication to excellence and 

capacity to go above and beyond in 

her studies. Indeed, her commitment 

to expanding her knowledge and 

skills distinguishes her as a very 

remarkable student and future 

physician. Dr. Nwizu is, clearly, an 

inspiring role model for future 

generations of medical professionals. 

Her academic performance is also 

a reminder of the true value of hard 

work, tenacity, and a desire to make 

impact in one's environment. 

As she begins to chart her 

professional path, there is little doubt 

that Dr. Nwizu will continue to have 

a lasting influence in the medical 

industry and beyond. She will surely 

continue to make substantial 

contributions to the medical sector 

as she moves forward in her career. 

Her enthusiasm for helping others 

and unrelenting commitment to 

excellence will definitely set her apart 

in her chosen industry. 

Accomplish Magazine 

congratulates Dr. Ugochi Nwizu on her 

outstanding achievements and wish 

her the best for a fruitful and more 

rewarding future. 


| 33

Oluchukwu 

First Nigerian Femal 

Cadet to Graduate fr 

Mustapha Gajibo 

Pioneering Development of 

Electric Vehicles 

Mustapha Abubakar Gajibo 

stands at the forefront of a 

transformative movement in 

Nigeria and across Africa, pioneering 

the development of electric vehicles. 

With the inception of African Motor 

Works and M-Tech Renewables 

Ltd., he has embarked on a mission 

that not only addresses the nation's 

pressing energy challenges but also 

redefines transportation, one electric 

vehicle at a time. 

In a country where queues for petrol 

seem endless and the volatility 

of bus fares is a daily struggle, 

Gajibo's vision is a beacon of hope. 

In light of Nigeria's status as a 

major oil producer, its citizens have 

long endured the consequences 

of unreliable fuel access. Gajibo 

recognised this disparity and 

seized the opportunity to introduce 

sustainable solutions through his 

start-up, Phoenix Renewables Limited, 

based in the northeastern city of 

Maiduguri. 

His journey began with a bold step 

away from conventional academia, 

as he dropped out from the University 

of Maiduguri to pursue his aspirations. 

Undeterred by scepticism and the 

lack of infrastructure, Gajibo began 

his venture by retrofitting commonly 

used vehicles with electric engines, 

focusing initially on mini-buses and 

motorised tricycles. 

The initial challenges were 

formidable, particularly the absence 

Officer Cadet Oluchukwu 

Owowoh has made history 

by becoming the first 

Nigerian female officer to graduate 

from the prestigious Royal Military 

Academy, Sandhurst (RMAS) in 

the United Kingdom. At the age 

of 24, Owowoh joined 134 other 

officer cadets in London for the 

Sovereign's Parade, which marked 

the end of 44 weeks of rigorous 

training as part of Commissioning 

Course 232. Her achievement 

not only adds to the legacy of 

Nigerian officers at RMAS, which 

includes notable figures such as 

former Nigerian Head of State, 

Yakubu Gowon, and Major General 

Emmanuel Undiandeye, but also 

demonstrates the UK's ongoing 

commitment to supporting 

Nigeria's military education and 

training. 

In 2018, she began her career at 

the Nigerian Defence Academy 

in Kaduna State, where she 

immediately rose to prominence. 

From Cadet Lance Corporal in her 

of adequate charging infrastructure. But, 

Gajibo never gave up, and eventually, 

his efforts started to pay off as more and 

more people became interested in his 

projects to use electricity for vehicles. 

Leveraging locally sourced materials 

and innovative design, he introduced 

the first electric vehicle, a 12-seater 

bus equipped with a solar-powered 

charging system. 

The impact of Gajibo's initiatives extends 

beyond mere technological innovation; it 

embodies a commitment to addressing 

local needs and promoting sustainable 

development. Integrating solar power 

into his vehicles, he improves their 

efficiency and provides a viable 

alternative to fossil fuels, especially in a 

country blessed with abundant sunlight. 


Owowoh 

e Officer 

om Sandhurst 

second year to the renowned 

position of Company Senior 

Under Officer Charlie in her fifth 

year, she continually smashed 

bounds. Owowoh graduated 

with First-class Honours in 

Biological Sciences, displaying 

her commitment and talent. 

Her graduation as the 190th 

Nigerian graduate from RMAS 

is not only a personal success, 

but also a reflection of the UK- 

Nigeria defence and security 

collaboration. 


congratulates the first 

Nigerian female officer to 

be commissioned from the 

prestigious Royal Military 

Academy Sandhurst. As 

Princess Oluchukwu Owowoh 

looks ahead into the future, 

we know that she would be 

representing Nigeria with pride, 

making a positive difference 

in the country and the world, in 

general. 

Eniola 

Aluko 

First Black 

Female 

Football Club 

Owner in 

Italy 

Eniola Aluko's name 

reverberates throughout 

English football history. 

She graced the fields with 

her talent, determination, 

and unwavering dedication. 

Aluko was a forward who 

played for top clubs such as 

Chelsea and Juventus. 

She was born in Nigeria 

and grew up in England. 

In England, she developed 

interest in soccer and 

eventually played for a 

number of teams and the 

English female national 

team. She later served as 

Sports Director at Aston Villa 

Women Football Club and 

Angel City Football Club. 

She was also a remarkable 

The reception from the community 

has been overwhelmingly positive, 

with residents recognising the tangible 

benefits of Gajibo's electric vehicles. 

Even with some hurdles, Gajibo remains 

resolute in his mission to make electric 

vehicles accessible to all Nigerians. 

Gajibo's efforts have not gone unnoticed 

by governmental authorities, with 

both state and federal governments 

recognising the transformative impact 

of his work. The support received from 

entities like the Nigeria Automotive Design 

and Development Council highlights the 

crucial role of collaboration in advancing 

sustainable initiatives. Accolades and 

awards bestowed on Gajibo serve as 

testament to the significance of his 

contributions, with government officials 

acknowledging his role in shaping 

Nigeria's automotive industry. 

The recent endorsement from the 

governor of Borno State further 

validates Gajibo's vision, providing 

both financial support and land for 

future expansion. 

Looking ahead, Gajibo remains 

steadfast in his commitment to 

innovation. With plans to scale up 

production and expand distribution 

across multiple cities, he envisions a 

future where electric vehicles are not 

just a novelty but a cornerstone of 

Nigeria's transportation infrastructure. 

As he continues to defy expectations 

and push the boundaries of 

possibility, Mustapha Abubakar 

Gajibo stands out as a visionary 

leader, steering Nigeria towards a 

sustainable and electrifying future. 


| 35

sports commentator for both 

male and female games. 

Her zeal for women's football 

was almost as astonishing as 

her ability to score goals. She 

was also a voice for equality, 

shattering stereotypes and 

challenging boundaries. Her 

impact extended beyond the 

ninety-minute duration of each 

game! 

Today, Eniola Aluko has made 

history in a boardroom away 

from the roar of stadiums. 

She became the first Black 

woman football club owner 

in Italy - after she purchased 

majority shares of FC Como 

for Women, a team based in 

Italy's Lombardy 

area. This action's 

importance 

cannot be 

overstated. 

In addition to 

becoming the 

first black woman 

to run a football 

club in Italy, Aluko 

broke through the 

long-standing 

glass ceiling that 

barred women from holding 

positions of power in sports 

management. 

She did not pursue a lone 

ownership path. She teamed 

up with Mercury 13, a group 

of investors committed to 

revolutionising women's 

football. What are they trying 

to achieve? To put more than 

$100 million into women's clubs 

in Latin America and Europe. 

Aluko's engagement in Mercury 

13 displays her belief in women's 

football's untapped potential. It's 

a deliberate decision designed 

to improve the game, offer 

players greater power, and 

create a lasting impression. 

When young players see Aluko, 

a woman of colour, running a 

club, they get a glimpse of a 

future in which their opinions 

and ideas are valued. The 

purpose of Aluko's expedition is 

to open additional doors rather 

than only gather gifts. She 

advocates for others, mentors 

them, and paves the way for 

others who will follow her. Her 

ownership is a driving force 

behind transformation, not a 

one-time occurrence. 


acknowledges the true value 

of Eniola Aluko's trend-setting 

investment and wishes her 

the best as she bears the 

responsibility of being a soccer 

club owner, balancing the 

weight of the past with the 

potentials of the future. From the 

green field to the boardroom, 

her journey serves as an 

inspiration to anybody with the 

confidence to dream big. She 

isn't just rewriting history; she's 

leaving a legacy that values 

diversity, empowers women, 

and inspires future generations. 

TOLULOPE AKINRULI 


My love to impact knowledge 

to the young and old led me to 

research and writing. Also, l 

have been business-oriented, 

right from childhood, which 

made me focus more on driving 

the business world and also to 

help people grow their business. 

As a writer, I aim to create an 

insightful image in the minds 

of every reader for maximum 

wealth and health. 


FEATURE / ANALYSIS 

• Haitian National Palace 

Reversing The 

Instalmental 

Death Of Haiti 

By Dr. Chido Nwangwu 

For Haiti, a predominantly 

African-Igbo-Caribbean 

heritage country, the months 

of February and March 

2024, were wrecked by gangsters, 

criminals, political goons and selfhating 

squads of evil doers! It’s been 

an unrelenting, agonising and brutal 

struggle for Haitians to sustain 12 

hours of one day as a period of 

normalcy! 

For Haitians, through its recent 

history, there are no years of 

calm without the bloodshed and 

freelance killings by purposeless 

gladiators for power. A look at its 

past shows the brutal exploitation 

and hijacking of the financial and 

mineral resources of Haiti by France, 

the United States and a couple of 



• Karine Jean-Pierre 

• Fritz Bélizaire 

Europeans. There have been 

questions about the battle 

over the control of the rare 

and rich mineral, iridium as a 

major issue in the decimation 

of Haiti. 

Currently, what Haiti’s 

alliances of gangs are doing 

to Haiti and Haitians are 

terrible crimes! They do not 

allow for the distribution of 

foods, humanitarian supplies 

and medical aid. They make 

such needed activities 

unsafe. The gangs are taking 

instalmental control over 

many areas and airports. 

Amidst those escalating 

violence, United States 

Republicans in the Congress 

continue to block the U.S. 

State Department request 

for $40 million to deploy 

a multinational security 

support mission to Haiti - led 

by Kenya’s contingent of 1,000 

police officers. It’s difficult 

to justify or understand 

Republican opposition 

to assist its traumatised 

hemispheric neighbour, Haiti. 

Again, I ask: are Haitians the 

children of a lesser God? No! 

Meanwhile, White House 

Press Secretary, Karine Jean- 

Pierre, (who has Hatian roots/ 

heritage) has reiterated 

President Joe Biden’s position: 

“Our support is intended to 

help Haitians restore security, 

order and the rule of law 

and protect civilians, while 

at the same time remaining 

committed to supporting 

Haitian-led effort for a 

peaceful transition of power.” 

Sadly, the once historic 

Haiti remains, these days and 

years, a very dangerous and 

difficult case! It’s unfortunate 

but true that except for a 

few decades of nationalist 

progress, most of Haiti’s 

history and political contests 

have been chronicles of 

cataclysmic events! Literally, 

bloodstains are the most 

common marks of almost 

every flag and banner in 

Haiti’s history. 

To make matters worse, the 

geographical location of Haiti 

on the venomous pathways 

of nature’s seismic violence, 

decades of exploitations 

and post-colonial mauling 

of the country, the brutal 

domination of its leaderships, 

mainly, by self-serving 

Haiti remains, 

these days and 

years, a very 

dangerous and 

difficult case! It’s 

unfortunate 

but true. 

politicians and gangs 

have, nakedly, shown all the 

familiar manifestations of the 

failed state! Yet, I am hopeful 

that despite the grim realities 

surrounding Haiti, today, a 

renewal of Haiti is possible! 

CHIDO 

NWANGWU 


Dr. Chido Nwangwu, author 

of the forthcoming 2024 book, 

MLK, Mandela & Achebe: Power, 

Leadership and Identity, is 

Founder of the first Africanowned, 

U.S-based newspaper on 

the internet, USAfricaonline.com. 

He has appeared as an analyst 

on CNN, ALJazeera, SKYnews, etc. 

Follow him on X (Twitter) 

@Chido247. 


| 39


More Women As CEO of 

Nigerian Banks: 

Why They Can't 

Afford to Fail 

By Harry Choms 

In the Nigerian banking 

industry, where resilience 

is paramount amidst 

both local challenges and 

global uncertainties, a 

notable trend is emerging 

– a surge towards gender 

diversity in leadership roles 

traditionally dominated by 

men. The Central Bank of 

Nigeria's concerted efforts 

to foster gender inclusivity in 

top-tier positions within the 

banking sector seem to be 

showing promising results. 

The CBN mandated a 

minimum of 30% female 

representation on boards 

and 40% at the upper 

echelons of management 



within banking institutions. 

Today, the ascent of female 

chief executives within 

Nigerian banks signifies a 

profound acknowledgement 

of women's capabilities and 

their pivotal role in driving 

economic progress. It marks 

a significant departure 

from old norms towards a 

more inclusive and diverse 

corporate governance 

framework. 

Over the recent years, 

there's been a resounding 

call for increased female 

representation in leadership 

roles, particularly as CEOs, 

within Nigerian banks. This 

movement towards greater 

gender diversity in corporate 

governance isn't just about 

achieving numerical equality 

but acknowledging women's 

indispensable contributions 

to the banking sector and 

the broader economy. 

Currently, 11 Nigerian 

women have assumed 

the esteemed positions of 

managing directors and 

chief executives in various 

banks, heralding a positive 

shift for the industry and the 

country. 

Challenges Encountered 

by Women in Leadership 

• Gender Stereotypes and 

Biases 

A significant hurdle faced by 

women aiming for leadership 

positions in Nigerian banks 

stems from pervasive gender 

stereotypes and biases. 

Despite strides in gender 

equality, entrenched societal 

norms often reinforce the 

notion that men are better 

suited for leadership roles, 

especially in traditionally 

male-dominated sectors like 

banking. 

• Struggles with Work-Life 

Balance 

Another notable challenge 

for women aspiring to 

lead Nigerian banks as 

CEOs is balancing their 

professional commitments 

and personal responsibilities. 

The demanding nature of 

executive roles, combined 

with traditional gender 

expectations that place a 

disproportionate burden 

on women for caregiving 

and household chores, can 

hinder their pursuit of career 

advancement opportunities. 

• Limited Access to Networks 

and Mentorship 

Access to influential networks 

and mentorship is crucial 

for career progression in 

any industry, yet women 

in Nigerian banks often 

encounter barriers in this 

area. The scarcity of female 

role models and mentors at 

the executive level, coupled 

with a tendency for men to 

mentor other men, can leave 

women feeling isolated and 

unsupported in their career 

journeys. 

• Celebrating Women CEOs' 

Success Stories 

Despite these obstacles, 

inspiring success stories 

exist of women who have 

ascended to top leadership 

positions in Nigerian banks 

and achieved remarkable 

success. Visionary leaders 

like Ibukun Awosika, former 

Chairman of First Bank of 

Nigeria Limited, and Yemisi 

Edun, the current CEO of the 

same bank, have shattered 

glass ceilings, demonstrating 

that gender poses no barrier 

to effective leadership. 

Advantages of Having 

More Women as CEOs 

• Diversity and Inclusion 

A notable advantage of 

having more women serve 

as CEOs in Nigerian banks 

is promoting diversity and 

inclusion within the industry. 

Research shows that diverse 

leadership teams are more 

innovative, adaptable, 

and better equipped to 

tackle complex challenges, 

ultimately leading to 

improved business results. 

• Enhanced Decision- 

Making and Innovation 

Women bring unique 

perspectives and insights, 

fostering more informed 

decision-making and 

catalysing innovation within 

Nigerian banks. By nurturing 

an environment where 

diverse voices are heard 

and valued, female CEOs 

can stimulate creativity and 

collaboration among their 

teams, fostering sustainable 

growth and competitiveness. 

• Positive Impact on 

Organisational Culture 

Female CEOs often prioritise 

values such as empathy, 

communication, and team 

work, which can profoundly 

influence the organisational 

culture of Nigerian banks. 

Women leaders can 

cultivate a more engaged 

and motivated work force 

by championing a culture 

of inclusivity, transparency, 

and accountability, resulting 

in heightened employee 

satisfaction and retention 

levels. 


| 41


Incoming GMD/CEO, 

Zenith Bank Plc, 

Adaora Umeoji 

In a groundbreaking move, 

Zenith Bank Plc announced the 

appointment of Dr. Adaora Umeoji 

as its Group Managing Director/ 

Chief Executive, effective June 1, 

2024. Pending approval by the 

CBN, Umeoji will become the 

bank's first female GMD/CEO in its 

history. 

Managing Director/CEO, 

Guaranty Trust Bank, 

Miriam Olusanya 

Miriam Olusanya's appointment 

as the Managing Director/CEO 

of Guaranty Trust Bank marked 

a historic moment, making her 

the first female MD in the bank's 

history. With over 23 years of 

banking experience, Olusanya is 

recognised for her exceptional 

leadership across various banking 

functions. 


Fidelity Bank, 

Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe 

Dr. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe made 

history as the first female Managing 

Director/Chief Executive of Fidelity 

Bank Plc in January 2021. Renowned 

for her visionary leadership and 

commitment to leveraging 

technology, Onyeali-Ikpe has 

steered the bank towards digital 

innovation and financial inclusivity. 


Lotus Bank, 

Kafilat Araoye 

Appointed as Managing Director/ 

CEO of Lotus Bank in 2022, Kafilat 

Araoye brings over 30 years 

of banking experience. With a 

background in History from the 

University of Ife and an M.Sc. in 

Industrial Relations & Personnel 

Management from the University of 

Lagos, Araoye's dedication to ethical 

banking and social responsibility is 

evident. She champions sustainable 

financial practices and actively 

promotes investment in community 

development projects, reflecting her 

commitment to making a positive 

impact. 


CEO, FCMB, 

Yemisi Edun 

Yemisi Edun assumed the role 

of Managing Director and 

Chief Executive Officer of First 

City Monument Bank Limited, 

becoming the first female 

chief executive of the bank. 

With over three decades of 

experience, Edun's leadership 

is characterised by her 

expertise in finance and 

strategic insight. 

Managing Director/ CEO, 

SunTrust Bank, 

Halima Buba 

Halima Buba's appointment as 

Managing Director/CEO of SunTrust 

Bank in January 2020 marked 

another significant milestone. With 

over 20 years of experience in the 

private and public sectors, Buba's 

expertise as a financial expert and 

seasoned banker has propelled 

her to this leadership role. As a 

co-founder of TAJ consortium and 

a non-executive director on the 

board of the Nigerian Sovereign 

Investment Authority (NSIA), Halima 

is actively involved in shaping critical 

decisions to optimise the nation's 

wealth for future generations. 




Unity Bank Plc, 

Oluwatomi Somefun 

Oluwatomi Somefun assumed 

the Managing Director/CEO role of 

Unity Bank Plc in August 2015. With 

over three decades of experience 

in the finance industry, including 

a distinguished career with United 

Bank for Africa, Somefun's strategic 

vision and leadership have been 

instrumental in driving Unity Bank's 

growth and success. Her depth of 

experience and knowledge of the 

banking sector position her as a key 

leader in shaping the future of Unity 

Bank. 


Citibank Nigeria, 

Ireti Samuel-Ogbu 

In August 2020, Ireti Samuel-Ogbu 

made history as the first woman 

appointed as Managing Director/ 

CEO of Citibank Nigeria after 36 

years of the institution's operation in 

the country. Armed with a Bachelor 

of Arts in Accounting and Finance 

from Middlesex University, UK, and an 

MBA from the University of Bradford, 

UK, Samuel-Ogbu brings a wealth of 

experience in international banking 

to the Nigerian market. Under her 

leadership, Citibank is prioritising 

innovative financial solutions and 

leveraging technology to enhance 

customer experiences. 

CEO, FSDH Merchant 

Bank, 

Bukola Smith 

Bukola Smith's appointment 

as Managing Director/CEO of 

FSDH Merchant Bank in April 

2021 underscores her 29 years 

of progressive experience in the 

banking industry. With a track 

record of strategic execution and 

leadership, Smith has propelled 

FSDH Merchant Bank to new 

heights. As a Fellow of the Institute 

of Chartered Accounts of Nigeria 

(ICAN) and an Honorary Member 

of the Chartered Institute of 

Bankers, Smith's expertise and 

leadership are invaluable. She 

actively contributes to various 

initiatives, including serving on 

the Women in Successful Careers 

(WISCAR) boards and the Toyin 

Oni Foundation, demonstrating 

her commitment to mentorship 

and societal impact. 

Acting GMD/CEO, 

Access Holdings Plc, 

Bolaji Agbede 

Following the unexpected passing 

of its former Group Chief Executive 

Officer, Dr. Herbert Wigwe, Access 

Holdings Plc appointed Bolaji 

Agbede as its Acting Group Chief 

Executive Officer. With nearly three 

decades of experience, Agbede 

brings expertise to her new role. 


Union Bank, 

Yetunde Bolanle Oni 

In January 2024, Yetunde Bolanle 

Oni took the helm as Managing 

Director/CEO of Union Bank, 

marking a significant milestone in 

the bank's leadership. Armed with 

degrees in Economics and Business 

Administration, including executive 

training at Oxford University, Oni's 

appointment signals a strategic 

direction for Union Bank's future. Her 

extensive academic background 

and experience position her to 

shape Union Bank's strategic 

direction and drive growth. 

HARRY CHOMS 


Harry Choms is a freelance 

writer with a passion for 

words and a keen eye for 

details, an editor, and an avid 

tech believer. His works can 

be seen on EntrepreneurNG. 

com, Imautomator, Secureblitz, 

Withinnigeria, Feelgospel, 

Kemifilani, and Glamsquad 

Magazine. He is the Webmaster 

and sole owner of Matrismart. 

com and biowiki.com.ng. 


| 43


IF NIGERIA 

MUST 

SURVIVE 

By Victor Olewunne 

Recent happenings in 

Nigeria have put a huge 

question mark on whether 

the country will survive or 

not. Will its people survive 

the very threat to their existence? 

Will the units and splinters that 

make up the entity survive in their 

tribal but proud small states? Will 

the entire entity, Nigeria, survive as 

one nation, one people? The 

commonest answer you can find 

out there is: "Let us wait and see". 

Even when not spoken, the ominous 

silence or self contradictory 

answers scream it loud. This 

attitude pervades the entire 

spectrum of confusion found in 

Nigeria. 

Right now, everyone anticipates the 

worst, including my humble self. 

And in preparation for the worst, 

nobody is looking up to Nigeria, 

either as a government or a nation. 

Individual survival of the multiplicity 

of tribes, interest and nations is 



playing out and people are psychologically preparing for their own selfpreservation. 

This is even more obvious amongst the ruling class in the country. This 

scenario does not lend credence to the possibility of a Nigeria that will survive. In 

other words, if nobody is committed to the survival of the entity called Nigeria, her 

chances are next to zero. 

With a deep sense of history, not the history of Nigeria as a 

country, but the history of the numerous tribal nations, 

feudal empires, oligarchies, monarchies etc. that make 

up the Nigeria of today, this is my submission 

about what I think must be done if Nigeria 

must survive on any of the three levels of 

survival mentioned earlier. 

Nigeria is a country in denial of 

what she is. No one in Nigeria is a 

Nigerian deep down in his 

soul. Every one of us has one, 

two, or three layers of 

more important 

identities before the 

whole called Nigeria. 

That the British 

colonialists 

initiated the 

denial process, 

ignored these 

identities, 

formed 

alliances with 

some of the 

identities for 

their own 

interest did 

nothing, I 

mean 

absolutely 

nothing, to 

extinguish 

or even 

diminish 

this 

primordial 

sensibilities 

and loyalties 

to tribal 

identities. 

They know that 

attempting 

that would have 

taken them 

forever to 

accomplish. They 

only hoped and 

prayed that their 

contraption will hold 

long enough to yield the 

expected returns. 

The nation-state having been 

put in place, the first and most 

important pre-occupation of 


| 45


government, since then, has been 

to perpetuate the denial, both for 

the interest of the ruling class and 

western interests. While these 

interests are being served, the 

country, if ever there was one, is 

bleeding to death. Serving these 

interests is never known to bring 

development to any country. So, 

externally we are one country, but 

internally we are several nations 

living in mutual suspicion - who 

cannot articulate, uphold and 

commit to any shared vision. 

Nigeria has so far been held together 

by an overwhelming sense of the 

victor and the vanquished, the rulers 

and the ruled. But things have 

changed, and forever if I may add. 

The ruled have tasted rulership, the 

‘slaves’ have tasted freedom. The 

resulting awakening of right-to-rule 

on equal terms and of economic 

ownership and power based on 

natural equity is known to be 

irreversible in human history. Any 

attempt to reverse this leads to 

Nigeria is a 

country in denial 

of what she is. No 

one in Nigeria is 

a Nigerian deep 

down in his soul. 

Every one of us 

has one, two, or 

three layers of 

more important 

identities before 

the whole called 

Nigeria. 

nothing but anarchy. Let it be said, 

that I said, the present insurgency in 

the North East of Nigeria will pale to 

nothing compared to the 

conflagration that will follow any 

determined attempt to reverse the 

awakening. That conflagration is here 

already triggered by the actions of 

the present government. 

For Nigeria to Survive, many 

bitter pills must be swallowed: 

1. We must go back over one hundred 

years and pretend that the entity 

called Nigeria had never been 

created. Be patient. Do not say that 

cannot be. How, you may ask? 

Something existed before the 

Northern and Southern Protectorates 

were concocted; which eventually 

merged to be called Nigeria. What 

existed were tribal nations; proud 

small and large entities with a clear 

sense of their history and their 

identities. They were bonded by very 

elaborate cultures and 

distinguishable languages. They were 



occupying unique geographical 

areas and engaged in economic 

activities that are in sync with their 

peculiar environment. Each had an 

ecosystem within which they thrived. 

For Nigeria to survive, we must first 

establish a formal process for 

recognising these tribal nations of 

the 16th to 20th centuries that are in 

the present-day Nigeria, no matter 

how big or small they may be. Size is 

completely of no consequence in this 

process. 

2. The formal recognition of these 

tribal nations will not only be 

celebrated but accorded all the 

autonomy and powers of self 

determination. Having 

achieved 

sense of 

this 

psychological freedom and identity, 

the issue of the formation of modern 

nation state can then be considered. 

3. The decision to form or not to form 

a nation-state will be 100% at the 

discretion of these tribal nations. 

Some may simply convert their tribal 

empire etc. into nation states. Some 

may decide to form alliances with 

their neighbours to gain size and or 

economic benefits in the resultant 

nation-state. This simply implies the 

dismantling of the current political 

structures. It will be left to the tribal 

nations to elect, select or appoint 

their own leaders or representatives. 

On conclusion of this most 

crucial stage, we move on 

to the next. 

4. The next question will 

be: Are some or all of 

the nation-states 

interested in forming a 

federation? The 

emerging nation 

states can then 

decide, through 

their own internal 

democracy, oligarchy, 

monarchy or whatever system of 

governance they practice, whether 

to be part of any federation or go on 

alone. This process must be 

completely devoid of coercion or 

intimidation of any kind. It must be by 

consent of the entire nation-state. 

5. The final process will be that of 

taking stock to know who is within the 

federations, how many federations, 

how many independent states etc. 

The federations and independent 

states will automatically become 

sovereign states. One would expect, 

at this juncture, that the people will 

be too preoccupied with internal 

considerations for cohesion and 

external considerations for alliances 

to be concerned with the whole 

presently called Nigeria. Standard 

international diplomatic relations will 

be encouraged between units of the 

new sovereign states. 

6. The big question in the mind of 

most people at this point would be: 

Who will midwife this process? In 

response, it cannot be managed by 

the government of the day. The 

legislators cannot do it. Past 

administrators or so-called elder 

statesmen cannot do it. The military 

cannot do it. It can only be set in 

motion through a referendum 

conducted by an unbiased United 

Nations (UN). Once the parameters 

and processes have been agreed 

and started, the UN can only stand 

aside and watch. They may also call 

to order any section that crosses the 

set boundaries in the process. 

The primary purpose of all these 

elaborate processes is simply to 

maintain relative peace and avoid 

bloodshed while the people jostle 

with one another on whether to 

remain together or part ways as 

different independent nations. And, 

any part or section of the present 

contraption called Nigeria that thinks 

it can intimidate or subdue another 

part will necessarily live through a 

nightmare for a long time. By the time 

they wake up, they would have lost 

both their nation and their identity. 

The UN will have to police the process. 

Let Nigeria and Nigerians stop living in 

denial, pick up courage and do, now, 

what must eventually be done. 

Pre-emptive action will give the 

country the opportunity to do it 

deliberately and peacefully. 

VICTOR 

OLEWUNNE 


Victor Olewunne, the Ethicist, 

is a public affairs analyst and 

Founder, African Foundation for 

Ethics and Social Responsibility. 


| 47


The 

'White Lions' 

Meows 

By Dave Baro-Thomas 

The contradictory 

symbolism of 

the 'white lion' is 

both intriguing 

and instructive 

because, in some 

African cultures, it represents 

pristine leadership, pride, 

and royalty, and for others, it 

traps a deadly double-edged 

sword that bestows mythical 

status on the revered lions yet 

leaves them most vulnerable. 

Since this democratic 

dispensation, only one 'white 

lion' has trudged the political 

space with so much audacity 

and uncommon penchant 

with outcomes of his (mis) 

adventures now matters of 

heated national debate! 

Yahaya Bello, the self- 

proclaimed 'white lion', 

who became the youngest 

governor among his class of 

2015 governors, is in the eye 

of the storm after completing 

his eight-year tenure of 

ruling Kogi State with an iron 

fist. Probably, the first and 

only state governor with a 

female aide-de-camp, ADC, 

the circumstances around 

attempts to arrest him by the 

EFCC are putting pressure on 

constitutional jurisprudence 

as court orders and counter 

orders are flying everywhere, 

leaving legal giants in fisticuffs, 

media agog, but the ordinary 

man on the street is perplexed 

at such shenanigans, 

demanding ‘bring back our 

money’ if any was stolen, in the 



first place. 

The details of the entire drama 

in Kogi State are in the public 

domain, but it is laughable 

that such could be a national 

dilemma in a country gripped 

by poverty and worsening 

economic scenarios. For the 

ordinary man, the law is not 

only an ass, but in this country, 

some of those saddled 

with its interpretations and 

executions are worse asses! In 

the first instance, why would 

a man who held public office 

in trust and administered 

billions of naira ever get legal 

protection not to be called for 

questioning even if it means 

getting arrested for 48 hours 

to commence the process; 

ironically, in the same country 

whose laws established a 

financial crime commission 

for that same very purpose? 

I hate to hear "who did this 

to us?" - when we are the 

very people either directly 

messing up the whole thing or 

condoning it. 

Will Yayaha Bello be the first 

governor in this country to 

be invited by the anti-graft 

commission, after office, 

to give an account of his 

stewardship? Even if the 

allegations are false, why 

all this public nuisance by 

a former governor who 

should walk across to the 

agency's office and defend 

his innocence or otherwise - 

at the same agency where 

people like the Cubana high 

priest went to, crossed his legs, 

had tea and is back home 

and going about his lawful 

business until the next move 

by the agency. 

For the ordinary 

man, the law 

is not only 

an ass, but in 

this country, 

some of those 

saddled with its 

interpretations 

and executions 

are worse 

asses! 

We must commend the 

Inspector General of Police, 

Olukayode Egbetokun, for 

mopping up those police 

officers who prevented the 

arrest of Yahaya Bello. The DSS 

should do the same if its men 

were involved. This charade 

among security agencies 

must stop! 

If Mr. Yahaya Bello is tired of 

maintaining the 'white colour 

of the lion' and is meowing 

about like a big cat, he should 

come out clean with his 

current status. 

While we should not condone 

media trials and intimidation 

by the EFCC, it appears their 

actions are causal, most times, 

giving room for resistance to 

arrest by alleged offenders. If 

the supposedly 'white lion' had 

walked into the EFCC office 

and submitted himself to its 

officers as the 'roaring lion', 

Ayo Fayose, did after office, 

then the nation would not 

be distracted from burning 

questions like: Why is it taking 

Port Harcourt Refinery forever 

to work? If Dangote Refinery 

could drag down the price 

of diesel, can’t we get better 

deals from NNPC? Can the 

progress with the fall of forex 

prices deepen further instead 

of the noise about one former 

governor acting rascal? 

Unfortunately, it seems it is 

very few past governors EFCC 

drags around, most times, in a 

country where most governors 

are the bane of development. 

The current leadership of the 

EFCC talks tough and appears 

sincere with his remit, but 

time will tell if the agency will 

not suffer another leadership 

shame. We pray for them. 

DAVE 

BARO-THOMAS 


A Banker, Special Project 

Executive (BusinessDay Media) 

and Event/Conferences Manager 

(Vanguard Newspapers). A 

Producer, Editor, Author/ 

Publisher, (Development 

Post & Agrobusiness Times) 

Columnist, Voice-over artist, 

Content Specialist (Pan Atlantic 

University), Trainer, and 

Media Entrepreneur (GreenStel 

Communication/Zemeef 

Communications) with a strong 

flare for marketing 

and research. 


| 49

GL BAL InfoDIGEST 

WHY SHOULD AFRICA BE 

BLAMED FOR THE TRANS- 

ATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE? 

Bluntly, because it was their fault. 

Europeans did not go to Africa, enslave people and 

start shipping them across the Atlantic. They went to 

Africa and found thriving slave markets that already 

existed. The slaves were deprived of their freedom 

by Africans. They were sold to buyers - either 

Europeans or, more often, Arabs - by Africans. 

Europeans simply bought something that Africans 

had already been selling for hundreds of years. 

Editor's Note: This opinion was posted by Fergus 

Mason on the Quora website. We would like to 

receive reactions to this opinion. 

HOW DID AF 

NATIVE AME 

Some African 

slaves escaped 

and took refuge 

with the 

Indigenous 

Americans. Sometimes, 

they were free and 

sometimes, they became 

their slaves. At times, a 

mixture of both. 

I’m Black American and 



story but my dad has like 

36% Native American 

ancestry. He is descended 

from Creole people of 

colour. People either think 

he’s Black, Arab or Mexican. 

Back in the day, my dad had 

this big Afro but his curl 

pattern is all but gone now. I 

have my dad’s hair and I’m 

already noticing my curls 

losing their spring. I’m pretty 

bummed about that but it 

appears genetic. 

One of these days I’m going 

to hire a professional 

genealogist because I’ve hit 

a wall after only two years of 

research. 

RICAN SLAVES AND 

RICANS END UP MIXING? 

have a bit more Indigenous 

American ancestry than the 

usual and that was because 

on my maternal side, my 

ancestors were taking 

refuge with the Chickasaw 

and, apparently, there was a 

big stink - some kind of 

conflict with the nation and 

apparently there was this 

big storm too, so they left 

Oklahoma for Mississippi 

and when they left, a 

Chickasaw woman came 

with them because she was 

in love with one of my Black 

ancestors. That’s the story. 

I’m sure many Americans 

have some romanticised 

story like that but who 

knows if it is true. 

I’m not sure about my 

paternal side; there’s no 

“Records of contacts 

between Africans and 

Native Americans date to 

April 1502, when the first 

enslaved African arrived in 

Hispaniola. Some Africans 

escaped inland from the 

colony of Santo Domingo; 

those who survived and 

joined with the Native tribes 

became the first group of 

Black Indians.” (An Ancestry 

of African-Native 

Americans). Using 

government documents, 

author Angela Walton-Raji, 

traced her ancestors to the 

slaves owned by American 

Indians. 

Source: https://www. 

smithsonianmag.com/ 

history/an-ancestry-ofafrican-nativeamericans-7986049/. 

Published on Quora.com. 


| 51


WHAT WILL DEFINE YOU AS A 

STRONG PERSON? 

ARE IRANIANS SEMITIC? 

No, Iranians are not 

considered Semitic. 

Iranians belong to the 

Indo-Iranian branch of the 

larger Indo-European 

language family. The term 

"Semitic" is used to refer to a 

group of languages and 

peoples primarily associated 

with the Middle East, including 

the ancient and modern 

speakers of Semitic 

languages such as Arabic, 

Hebrew, and Aramaic. 

The major language 

spoken in Iran is Persian, 

which is an Indo-Iranian 

language. Iranians, including 

Persians and various ethnic 

groups in Iran, share linguistic 

and cultural ties with other 

Indo-European-speaking 

populations rather than 

Semitic-speaking ones. 

There are also other ethnic 

groups in Iran with their own 

languages and cultures, such 

as Azeri, Kurdish, Baluchi, and 

others. 

Editor's Note: This piece was 

originally published on 

Quora.com by Donald Aiden 

Michaels, Ph.D. 



• Always pay attention to whom you are 

talking, even if you are bored or tired. 

• Never attempt to prove your point by putdown, 

raising your voice, or any other rude 

behavior 

• Never talk about your business or yourself 

unless you are asked. If you are, be quick to 

turn the conversation back to them. 

• It is better to strive to be a good listener than 

a great speaker. 

• Never believe flattery. To do so, you admit to 

self-conceit. 

• Have strong beliefs, but never try to force 

them on anyone. It would be better to be 

thought a poor politician rather than be 

questioned if you are a gentleman 

• Never compare one person to anotherespecially 

your friends. 

• Never correct another's speech. 

• Never use scientific or technical terms 

around those who may not understand. 

• Never repeat a secret. 

• Don't try to impress people with talk of the 

places you've been. 

Editor's Note: This piece was originally written by 

Ayush Singh and posted on Quora.com by 

Human Mind Readers with the title: What Are 

Some Undefined Rules for A Strong Person?" 

ARE ZULUS 

DESCENDANTS 

OF ANCIENT 

EGYPTIANS? 

No. They are, primarily, descended from 

West African tribes that started moving 

south 3,000 years ago. They inter-mixed 

with San people, with Arabs and 

possibly with descendants of ancient 

Egyptians and Ethiopians. The latter is 

only a possibility. 

Genetically they are not related in any 

significant way to old or new kingdom 

Egyptians. 

Editor's Note: This piece was originally 

posted by Domnhall on Quora.com. 


| 53

GRAND DESIGN / ARCHITECTURE 

By Damian Ikenna Ngere 

• Inside the Innovative Architecture of Henning 

Larsen’s Forest Canopy at Volvo 

The architecture company, Henning 

Larsen, created a tree-inspired 

ceiling structure at the World of 

Volvo exposition and events facility in 

Gothenburg, Sweden, by spreading 

out mass-timber columns. For the 

Swedish automakers, Volvo Cars 

and Volvo Group, Henning Larsen 

designed the 22,000-square-metre 

circular construction out of crosslaminated 

timber (CLT) and glued 

laminated timber (glulam). 

World of Volvo, which will open to 

the public on April 14, as part of 

Volvo’s centenary celebrations, 

has adaptable spaces for hosting 

exhibitions, conferences, seminars, 

and events that highlight the brand’s 

heritage. 

Located in the heart of Gothenburg’s 

event zone, Henning Larsen wanted 

to design a facility that was both 

hospitable and had easy access 

to the outdoors. Henning Larsen 

clustered mass-timber columns into 

three tubular forms that reference 

tree trunks, drawing inspiration from 

the Swedish countryside and trees. 

These forms include exhibition rooms 

and stairs that ascend to an upper 

level. 

A glass facade encloses the building, 

while the columns rise and radiate 

outward to form the overhanging 

roof structure. 


GRAND DESIGN / ARCHITECTURE 

• Hypostyle: Contemporary Architects Reinterpret an 

Ancient Concept 

The hypostyle is a feature common to many 

ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Islamic religious 

buildings. This solution, defined as rows of 

columns supporting a roof, evolved in many 

cultures over time, explaining the range of 

materials, shapes, sizes, and distances between 

columns found all over the world. 

Famous examples of this concept include the 

Great Hypostyle Hall (c. 1290-1224 BC), which is 

part of the Karnak Temple Complex and one of 

Ancient Egypt's most visited monuments, and 

the Wooden Hypostyle Mosques of Mediaeval 

Anatolia (c. 13th and mid-14th centuries), a World 

Heritage Site in modern-day Turkey. 

There are many examples of this idea being 

revived in contemporary architecture. Some 

projects rely on the abstraction of the term 

through an interpretation that emphasises 

the pillars and their organisation in the space 

proposition, while others use it to refer to 

vernacular architectures that correspond to 

the same programme and use as the proposed 

building, like some mosques. All of them, however, 

demonstrate how closely, if not inextricably, 

modular design and hypostyle inspiration are 

related. 

DAMIAN 

IKENNA NGERE 


Ikenna is a graduate of Physics and Education, 

who works as a freelance writer. He has interest 

in technology, humanity and sports. 


| 55

THE INCUBATOR 

with Diiyi William-West 

SERIES 

What You Say And 

Do Reflects Your 

Knowledge-Bank 

Not all readers are leaders, but all 

leaders are readers - Harry S. Truman 

That statement by 

the 33rd President 

of the United States 

of America, Harry S. 

Truman, says a lot 

about how the knowledge-bank 

of a person affects how he or 

she does things or reacts to 

issues. Any keen observer can 

watch a person's actions and 

words to decipher the influences 

in the person's life. Simply put, 

the stuff we feed our minds with 

manifests in the way we behave 

and speak! 

Some weeks ago, I witnessed 

an argument between three 

people. One of them interjected 

occasionally in a manner that 

showed that he preferred 

to moderate the discussion 

though he could take sides if he 

wanted. The other two just let 

their thoughts on the subject 

of discussion run like a tap. 

Interestingly, while one was 

citing information from books, 

the news media and verifiable 

persons, the other person was 

only backed his talk with "They 

said..." or "Just imagine if..." 

It didn't take long before the 

latter got upset and began to 

get aggressive, repeating words 

like "Put grammar aside..." or "All 

these too know people..." From 

what his opponent kept saying, 

it was clear that this other guy 

never bothered to follow news 

or read books on any subject. 

I know that he spends hours 

on social media chatting or 

watching comedy skits and 

wrestling videos. That argument 

seriously exposed how 

knowledge-empty he was. The 

fact that he was using a "senior 

phone" didn't add quality to his 

postulations. And, his opponent 

kept driving this point home by 

asking: "What is your evidence?" 

That reminded me of my 

Literature in English and 

Government lecturers in my 

penultimate and final secondary 

school years. Whenever any of 

them they asked a question in 

class and a student responded 

"out of point", they would simply 

ask: "My friend, what have you 

been reading?" or, "What have 

you been listening to?" Well, in 

the early 1980s, there were no 

popular social media platforms; 

perhaps, those teachers might 

have also asked what students 

had been watching. 

As many research studies 

have shown, the human brain 

receives information from the 

eyes and ears most of the time. 

The brain goes on to assimilate 

the information received 

and presents a perception 


THE INCUBATOR SERIES 

of concepts to the mind and 

the mind manifests such 

concepts in action, words and 

more. Remember that saying - 

garbage in, garbage out? Well, 

it also implies: quality in, quality 

out! 

The question now is what do you 

make of all these information? 

What had, before now, 

As many research 

studies have 

shown, the human 

brain receives 

information from 

the eyes and ears 

most of the time. 

The brain goes 

on to assimilate 

the information 

received and 

presents a 

perception of 

concepts to the 

mind and the mind 

manifests such 

concepts in action, 

words and more. 

influenced your appreciation of 

issues? When people observe 

your actions and words, what 

do they perceive? Do you see 

a relationship between how 

you act/sound and how people 

relate with you? Depending 

on which side of the divide 

you belong to, can you now 

understand why some people 

always appear to dislike you? 

Can you connect this attitude 

towards you with the fact that 

some people do not stand 

fools gladly? Make no mistake 

or under-estimation of this: it's 

difficult to continue to mistreat 

anyone who adds brings quality 

to the table UNLESS the person 

doing the mistreatment is the 

one that lacks sufficient mindquality 

or knowledge-bank (that 

is, cutting edge knowledge)! 

Let's take another look at those 

evergreen words of Harry S. 

Truman: "Not all readers are 

leaders, but all leaders are 

readers". If you really want to 

influence and lead, and, I mean 

at any level, you can't afford to 

be less knowledgeable than the 

people you want to influence 

or lead. Can you imagine the 

impact a knowledge-driven 

office assistant can have during 

an office meeting where an issue 

concerning what he has been 

studying comes up? How long 

do you think he would continue 

to be an office assistant if he 

has also been engaging in self 

development trainings? 

While you ponder on these 

points, next time you want to 

take action about something or 

respond verbally to some issue, 

remember that people would 

estimate how developed your 

mind is by just observing and 

listening to you! 

DIIYI 

WILLIAM-WEST 


More fondly known as DDWEST, 

he has several years of media 

practice experience spanning 

magazines, newspapers, television 

and radio; laying emphasis 

on maintaining standards in 

media practice. He practised 

and lectured Public Relations for 

nearly a decade before going into 

leadership consulting and real 

estate consultancy. 


| 57

Ai TODAY & TOMORROW 

AI and Social 

Justice: 

Addressing Bias and 

Promoting Equity in 

Algorithmic Systems 

By Adebayo Afolabi 


Ai TODAY & TOMORROW 

Artificial intelligence (AI) 

has become an undeniable 

force in our 

lives, quietly shaping 

everything from the news 

we see to decisions that affect our 

future. AI systems are not neutral 

observers. They are built on data, and 

data, unfortunately, often reflects the 

biases of the real world. This raises an 

important question: can AI be a tool 

for social justice, or is it destined to 

perpetuate existing biases? 

The insidious nature of algorithmic 

bias lies in its invisibility. Unlike a 

person who might show bias in their 

actions or words, AI bias is hidden 

within the complex models it uses. 

These models, trained on historical 

data, can unwittingly perpetuate 

past injustices. For instance, an AI 

system used in criminal justice might 

be more likely to recommend harsher 

penalties for people from certain 

demographics if such patterns existed 

in the data it was trained on. 

Bias can manifest in various forms, 

including racial, gender, socioeconomic, 

and cultural biases, reflecting 

the prejudices and inequalities 

present in society. The consequences 

of bias can be far-reaching. It can 

limit access to opportunities, amplify 

social inequalities, and erode trust in 

institutions. Imagine a job application 

system that inadvertently screens 

out qualified candidates based on 

their gender or zip code. Or, a facial 

recognition system used by law 

enforcement that disproportionately 

misidentifies people of colour. 

These are not hypothetical scenarios; 

they are real-world examples 

of how algorithmic bias can have a 

detrimental impact on people and 

communities. 

AI, like any powerful tool, can be used 

for good or ill. While it isn't inherently 

biased, the impact of AI systems rests 

on the choices made by the people 

who design, train, and deploy them. 

The pitfalls of biased data are evident 

in real-world examples. Amazon's 

recruitment algorithm, for instance, 

prioritised resumes containing 

words like "executed" or "captured," 

terms more commonly found in 

male-dominated fields. This resulted 

in an unfair bias against female 

applicants. Similarly, Microsoft's Tay 

chatbot, designed to learn through 

user interaction, was quickly corrupted 

by exposure to racist and discriminatory 

language on Twitter. 

Fortunately, a growing awareness 

of algorithmic bias has sparked a 

movement towards fairer AI. Here are 

some strategies being employed: 

• Data Diversity: The foundation of 

any AI system is data. To create truly 

fair algorithms, the data used to train 

them must be representative of the 

real world. This means actively seeking 

out data sets that reflect the full 

spectrum of human experience, not 

just the dominant narratives. 

• Algorithmic Auditing: Just as 

financial institutions are audited; AI 

systems should be regularly evaluated 

for bias. This can involve running 

simulations with diverse data sets 

and analysing the outcomes for 

disparities. 

• Human oversight: AI should 

not operate in a vacuum. Human 

oversight is necessary to ensure 

fairness and accountability. Humans 

can identify biases in the development 

and deployment stages of AI 

systems. 

• Transparency: The inner workings 

of AI systems can be complex, making 

it difficult to understand how decisions 

are made. There's a growing 

need for "explainable AI" that allows 

humans to understand the rationale 

behind a particular decision made 

by an algorithm. 

• Public dialogue: A robust public dialogue 

is essential for addressing algorithmic 

bias. By raising awareness 

and encouraging open discussions, 

we can ensure that AI is developed 

and used in a way that benefits 

everyone, not just the privileged few. 

Addressing bias in AI is not simply 

a technical challenge; it's a social 

imperative. It requires a collaborative 

effort from governments, tech companies, 

researchers, and civil society 

organisations. 

Industry-wide ethical guidelines can 

act as a roadmap for developers. 

These guidelines should address 

aspects such as data privacy. 

Personal information used to train 

an AI system should be adequately 

protected. Ethical guidelines should 

also focus on building fairness into 

the design and development of AI 

systems. We need AI systems that 

can explain their reasoning, allowing 

us to understand how they arrive at 

decisions. This is particularly important 

for high-stakes applications, 

where transparency can build trust 

and guarantee fair outcomes. 

Investing in AI research holds 

immense potential. By dedicating 

resources to understanding the 

complexities of algorithmic bias, we 

can develop effective strategies to 

manage its impact. If researchers 

uncover the root causes of bias in 

specific AI systems; this knowledge 

can then be used to create solutions 

that prevent biased outcomes in the 

future. 

Public funding alongside collaboration 

between academia and industry 

can also accelerate progress in this 

area. Universities can provide the 

research expertise, while industry 

partners can offer real-world data 

and testing environments. These 

strategies, when implemented collaboratively, 

will pave the way for a 

more equitable AI future where the 

benefits of this powerful technology 

are accessible to all. 

The journey towards fair and equitable 

AI is ongoing. By acknowledging 

the challenges and working collaboratively, 

we can harness the power 

of AI for good. AI has the potential to 

change our world, but it can only do 

so if it serves all of us, not just a select 

few. The future of AI depends on our 

ability to untangle the code of fairness 

and ensure that these powerful 

tools are used to create a more just 

and equitable society. 

ADEBAYO AFOLABI 


I am a passionate business writer 

with a knack for translating 

complex concepts into accessible 

content. With a keen eye for 

detail, I deliver compelling 

content that educates, inspires, 

and drives positive change in the 

realm of finance and business. 


| 59

ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE 

GLUCOSE AND 

CANCER CELLS 

By Joel N. Logbo 

consumption, there is cancer. 

But how does cancer get glucose? A 

University of Colorado Cancer Centre 

study shows that leukemia undercuts 

the ability of normal cells to consume 

glucose, thus leaving more glucose 

available to feed its own growth. The 

centre said, "Leukemia cells create a 

diabetic-like condition that reduces 

glucose going to normal cells, and 

as a consequence, there is more 

glucose available for the leukemia 

cells." Literally, they are stealing 

glucose from normal cells to drive 

growth of the tumor! 

Like diabetes, cancer's strategies 

depend on insulin. Healthy cells need 

insulin to use glucose. In diabetes, 

either the pancreas under-produces 

insulin or tissues cannot not respond 

to insulin and so cells are left starved 

for energy while glucose builds up 

in the blood. The study showed that 

leukemia goes about creating similar 

conditions of glucose buildup in two 

ways. 

First, tumor cells trick fat cells into 

over-producing a protein called 

IGFBP1. This protein makes healthy 

cells less sensitive to insulin, meaning 

that when IGFBP1 is high, it takes more 

insulin to use glucose than it does 

when IGFBP1 is low. 

* A Rogue Cell 

Cancer needs energy to 

drive its out-of-control 

growth. It gets energy 

in the form of glucose. 

In fact, cancer simply 

looks for areas of extreme glucose 

for consumption; where there is 

Unless the supply of insulin goes up, 

high IGFBP1 means that the glucose 

consumption of healthy cells goes 

down. (This protein may also be a 

link in the chain connecting cancer 

and obesity: the more fat cells, the 

more IGFBP1, and the more glucose 

is available to the cancer.) Of course, 

cancer has a second strategy that 


ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE 

ensures insulin production does not 

go up to meet the need created by 

increased IGFBP1. In fact, cancers turn 

insulin production down. In large part, 

they do this in the gut. 

According to the researchers, "In 

the course of doing this systemic 

analysis, we realised that some of the 

factors that help regulate glucose are 

made by the gut or bacteria in the 

gut. We looked there and found that 

the composition of the microbiome in 

leukemic animals was different than 

(from) in control mice." One major 

difference in the guts of leukemic 

mice was the lack of a specific kind 

of bacteria known as bacteroids. 

These bacteroids produce shortchain 

fatty acids that, in turn, feed the 

health of cells lining your gut. Without 

bacteroids, gut health suffers. And 

the current study shows that without 

bacteroids, gut health suffers in ways 

that specifically aid cancer. 

One way is the loss of hormones 

called incretins. When blood glucose 

gets high, for example after you eat, 

your gut releases incretins, which 

tamp down blood glucose, reducing 

it back into the normal range. 

Working through the gut, leukemia 

inactivates these incretins, allowing 

blood glucose to remain higher 

than it should. Leukemia also nixes 

the activity of serotonin. Serotonin is 

well-known as a "feel good" chemical 

that helps to regulate mood and 

is found in many antidepressants. 

But serotonin is also essential for 

the manufacture of insulin in the 

pancreas, and by attacking serotonin, 

leukemia reduces insulin production 

(and thus, down the line, glucose use). 

The result of less insulin secretion and 

less insulin sensitivity is that cancer 

undercuts healthy cells' use of insulin 

from both sides: Healthy cells need 

more insulin, just as there is less 

insulin available. Less insulin use by 

healthy cells leaves more glucose 

for the cancer. "It's a classic parasite 

trick: Take advantage of something 

the host does and subvert it for your 

own purposes," the research findings 

show. 

Interestingly, just as a parasite 

might eat a host's food leading to 

malnourishment, cancer's energy 

theft may play a role in the fatigue 

and weight loss common in cancer 

patients. "The fairly prevalent 

observation is that cancer patients 

have a condition called cachexia, 

basically wasting away - you lose 

weight. If cancers are inducing 

systemic changes that result in 

depletion of normal energy stores, 

this could be part of that story," the 

researchers say. 

The researchers said that when they 

administered agents to recalibrate 

the glucose system, they found that 

they could restore glucose regulation 

and slow the growth of leukemia 

cells. These "agents" were surprisingly 

low-tech. One was serotonin. Another 

was tributyrin, a fatty acid found in 

butter and other foods. Serotonin 

supplementation replaced the 

serotonin nixed by leukemia and 

tributyrin helped to replace the shortchain 

fatty acids that were absent 

due to loss of bacteroids. 

The researchers added that 

understanding the mechanisms that 

cancer uses to unbalance the body's 

system of energy in their favour is 

helping doctors and researchers 

learn to thumb the scale in favour of 

healthy cells. This furthers the notion 

that you can do things, systemically, 

to disfavour leukemia cells and favour 

normal tissue. This could be part of 

limiting growth of tumors. 

JOEL 

N. LOGBO 


Dr. Joel N. Logbo is a patientcentred 

Natural Medicine 

doctor with 12 solid years of 

industry experience in Lagos, 

Nigeria and Wales, Scotland. 

He is currently seeking more 

international collaborations 

to provide holistic, noninvasive 

medical care for 

patients and the public on 

health promotion. 

His unique approach 

that has led to admirable 

achievements include 

meeting with patients to 

assess their health and 

wellness, learn their health 

goals and create treatment 

plans. He also collaborates 

with various teams of 

medical professionals 

to provide first-line and 

supplemental medical 

treatments through a holistic, 

natural approach.He loves 

traveling, adventures, 

cooking and driving. 


| 61

AFRICA RISING: NEWS ABOUT AFRICA 


BUSINESS AND FINANCE 

Niger Agrees Deal to Supply 

Mali with Diesel 

Following the two nations' 

Tuesday, April 16, agreement 

signing, Niger is scheduled to 

supply 150 million gallons of diesel 

to neighbouring Mali. 

Énergie du Mali (EDM-SA), the 

national energy provider of Mali, 

will receive the fuel because 

frequent power outages occur 

there. The highly indebted EDM- 

SA finds it difficult to reliably 

supply electricity to people in the 

capital and other cities in Mali. 

Niger's oil minister, Mahaman 

Moustapha Barke, and Colonel 

Assimi Goïta, the leader of Mali's 

junta, reached an agreement 

whereby Niger will sell diesel at a 

nearly 50% discount from its usual 

price.. 

essential minerals were the big 

thing. 

The Democratic Republic of 

the Congo (DRC) is home to the 

largest reserves of coltan, as 

well as enormous reserves of 

copper and lithium. Miguel Kashal 

Katemb, managing director of 

the DRC's regulatory authority 

for subcontracting in the private 

sector, calculated that the DRC 

alone possesses more than 

$20 trillion in untapped mineral 

reserves. Already, 70% of the 

world's cobalt production comes 

from DRC. 

Inflation Pressures Ease for 

South Africa in March 

Inflation in South Africa 

dropped to 5.3% annually in March, 

indicating that the continent's 

most developed economy was 

winning the battle on pricing. The 

headline rate of consumer inflation 

increased to 5.6% in February 

from 5.3% in January, according to 

statistics released by the statistics 

department on Wednesday, April 18. 

Even still, it is unlikely that the 

South African Reserve, which 

aims to reduce inflation to a level 

between 3% and 6%, will soon 

announce a reduction in interest 

rates. For a few months now, the 

bank has maintained its base 

interest rate at 8.25 per cent. 

The International Monetary 

Fund (IMF) reduced its growth 

prognosis for South Africa, bringing 

its estimates for the country's GDP 

growth in 2024 down to only 0.9%. 

Canadian Miners Look to 

Africa for Next Opportunity in 

Transition Mineral Market 

The 26,926 attendees at the 

2024 annual mining conference 

in Toronto, Canada, which is 

thought to be the largest annual 

mining event in the world, were 

an unparalleled number. And 


POLITICS 

TECHNOLOGY 

Japan's Private Sector Expanding 

in Africa 

"Africa-Plus-One" summits between 

a nation-state and the continent 

are now customary since Africa is 

the scene of ever-higher degrees of 

geopolitical rivalry. For instance, the 

Forum on China-Africa Cooperation 

last convened in 2021, while the US- 

Africa Leaders’ Summit was held in 

Washington in December 2022. Both 

the Saudi-Arab-African Economic 

Conference and the Russia-Africa 

Summit took place in Riyadh last year. 

Middle-ranking nations like Turkey and 

South Korea have also tried to start 

these kinds of conversations with the 

African continent.. 

Controversy in Burkina Faso as 

Three French Diplomats Expelled 

Three French diplomats were 

Gartner’s Vision for the Next Era of Electric Vehicles 

According to Gartner Inc., manufacturers will still be struggling in 

2024 with changes brought about by software and electrification's 

growing responsibilities, which will usher in a new era for electric 

vehicles (EVs). Information from Gartner says the average cost of 

producing next-generation battery electric vehicles (BEVs) will be 

lower than that of an equivalent internal combustion engine (ICE) by 

2027. 

In the upcoming years, BEV production costs will decrease 

significantly more quickly than battery costs as OEMs continue to 

disruptively modify their manufacturing processes in parallel with 

product design. 

expelled by Burkina Faso's military 

government on charges of subversive 

activities. Two political advisers among 

the ambassadors were issued a 48- 

hour notice to depart the nation. The 

details of their purported actions were 

kept a secret. 

Burkina Faso's relationship with 

France has been severely strained 

since the military junta seized power 

in 2022. The French ambassador was 

called back, several French media 

outlets were suspended, and French 

troops were previously driven out by 

the junta. 

According to sources, the 

ambassadors' interactions with 

representatives of civil society may 

have contributed to their removal. 

DAMIAN 

IKENNA NGERE 


Ikenna is a graduate of 

Physics and Education, 

who works as a freelance 

writer. He has interest in 

technology, humanity 

and sports. 


| 63

TECHNOLOGY 

GLOBAL NEW 


Motorola Collaborates 

with Bose for Moto Buds 

Plus Release 

The company unveiled two 

earbud sets: the more 

expensive model, known as the 

Moto Buds Plus which retails for 

$129.99, while the more 

affordable Moto Buds are 

limited to certain areas. 

However, the Plus stands out as 

the more intriguing device 

because Motorola and Bose 

collaborated to provide active 

noise cancellation and EQ 

tuning on these buds. On the 

carrying case, there is an 

emblem that reads "Sound by 

Bose." Although Motorola's 

store page states that the Moto 

Buds Plus "were certified by 

Bose to deliver an 

unprecedented audio 

experience," there isn't much 

information about the extent of 

this collaboration. 

BUSINESS AND 

FINANCE 

February Sees 

Economic Growth 

in UK, Signs Point to 

Recession Recovery 

TIn February, the United 

Kingdom's economy had a small 

growth, raising hopes that the 

recession there may be ending. 

According to official statistics, 

the economy expanded by 0.1%, 

helped by manufacturing and 

production in sectors like the 

automotive industry. However, 

the Office for National Statistics 

(ONS) stated that rainy weather 

hindered construction. While 

still preliminary, this assessment 

shows how the UK - which went 

into recession at the end of 2023 

- is doing. 

Bitcoin Rebounds 

Strongly, Surpassing 

$66,000 After Market 

Crash 

The cryptocurrency market 

is beginning to rebound after 

a weekend crisis on Saturday, 

April 13, that saw Bitcoin fall 

below $63,000. As of the time 

of publication, CoinGecko data 

shows that Bitcoin (BTC) is up 3.6% 

on the day and trading at roughly 

$66,610. It had dropped more than 

7% this week, meanwhile, from a 

weekly high of more over $72,000. 

All 20 of the cryptocurrencies 

by market capitalisation 

(excluding stablecoins) have 

increased in value over the last 

day, indicating that the broader 

crypto market has rebounded 

in tandem with the price of 

Bitcoin. All cryptocurrencies now 

have a $2.54 trillion market 

capitalisation, up 4.2%. 

POLITICS 

Supreme Court 

Strengthen Employee 

Rights to Sue 

Employers For Transfer 

Jobs 

On Wednesday, April 17, the 

United States Supreme Court 

paved the way for individuals 

to file discrimination lawsuits 

against their employers in cases 

where they are involuntarily 

moved. Justice Elena Kagan's 

unanimous ruling supported a St. 

Louis police sergeant who alleges 

her department discriminated 

against her by forcing her to 

transfer out of an intelligence 

branch while keeping her pay 

intact. 

The case concerned whether 

Jatonya Clayborn Muldrow 

could file a sex discrimination 

lawsuit despite the 8th US Circuit 

Court of Appeals' ruling that the 

move had not caused her to 

incur a "materially significant" 

disadvantage. 

President Biden Backs 

Houses' Aid Plan for 

Israel and Ukraine 

In a critical sign of bipartisan 

support for the the Executive's 

64 | 


S ROUND UP 

ENTREPRENEUR 

attempt to approve $95 billion in 

funding for the U.S. allies this week, 

President Joe Biden stated that he 

firmly supports Republican House 

Speaker Mike Johnson's proposal 

to provide help to Taiwan, Israel, 

and the Ukraine. 

Johnson had to decide 

between helping Ukraine and 

maybe losing his job before 

the possible weekend voting. 

He informed lawmakers early 

on Wednesday, April 17, that he 

will move forward in spite of 

mounting resentment on his right 

flank. The Democratic president 

firmly endorsed the aid package 

shortly after Johnson unveiled the 

measures. 

US Tightens Grip on 

Venezuelan Oil Sector 

with Reinstated 

Sanctions 

Reimposing sanctions on 

Venezuelan oil, the United States 

claims that the revolutionary 

socialist government of President 

Nicolás Maduro has "fallen short" 

of its pledge to organise a free 

and fair presidential election this 

year. By taking this action, the 

Biden administration is essentially 

admitting that, despite sanctions 

relief being granted half a year 

ago, Maduro has not yet been 

convinced to hold a really 

competitive election. 

Given the possibility that 

new sanctions on Venezuela 

could raise oil prices during 

an election year in the United 

States, Washington has decided 

to permit US major Chevron to 

maintain a joint venture with 

PDVSA, the national oil company 

of Venezuela, which has been 

gradually boosting output. 

Tensions Escalate as 

Hezbollah Targets 

Northern Israel 

Hezbollah, an armed group based 

in Lebanon, has taken credit for 

an attack on a military facility in 

northern Israel that resulted in the 

injuries of at least 14 troops. The 

group claims that the incident 

was carried out in reprisal for 

Israeli bombings that killed 

members of Hezbollah. 

Six of the Israeli military's 

fourteen wounded troops were 

listed as critically injured following 

the strike on Wednesday, April 17. 

Subsequently, the Israeli military 

claimed that its fighter jets had 

destroyed Hezbollah's "terrorist 

infrastructure" in eastern Lebanon. 

The attack occurs one day 

after three persons were killed 

by Israeli strikes in southern 

Lebanon, among them was a 

field commander for Hezbollah 

who the Israeli army identified as 

Ismail Yusaf Baz. 

Elon Musk Announces 

Tesla Workforce 

Reduction of Over 10% 

Billionaire entrepreneur, Elon Musk, 

has revealed plans to downsize 

Tesla’s global workforce by more 

than 10% as the demand for electric 

vehicles (EVs) slows. Musk emailed 

Tesla employees about this 

decision, citing the duplication of 

roles and the imperative to 

streamline costs as primary 

motivations for the cuts. The 

memo, as reported by Bloomberg, 

disclosed Musk’s intention to 

reduce Tesla’s headcount by over 

10%, potentially affecting more than 

14,000 employees out of the 

company’s total workforce of over 

140,000. 

This move follows Tesla’s recent 

announcement of its first yearover-year 

sales decline, reflecting a 

broader deceleration in EV sales. 

The company has cautioned 

investors that its sales growth in 

2024 may significantly lag behind 

its previous goal of achieving a 50% 

annual growth rate. 

DAMIAN 

IKENNA NGERE 


Ikenna is a graduate of Physics 

and Education, who works as a 

freelance writer. He has interest 

in technology, humanity 

and sports. 


LIFESTYLE 


ARTS & THE MASTERS 

• German Museum Staff Member Dismissed 

for Unauthorised Art Installation 

After sneaking in one of his own paintings and hanging it up in the gallery, which houses 

famous pieces by well-known artists like Leonardo Da Vinci and Henri Mattise, a German 

art museum employee and budding artist hoping for a big break was fired. In an attempt 

to achieve an “artistic breakthrough,” the 51-year-old worker at Munich’s Pinakothek der 

Moderne bored two holes in the wall to hang his picture, officials informed the German daily 

Süddeutsche Zeitung. 

However, a museum representative stated that guards saw irregularities right away: 

“Supervisors notice something like this immediately.” The individual identified himself as a 

freelance artist and worked for the technical services department of the gallery. 

The man lost his job and was barred from the gallery for life. The gallery is one of the biggest 

modern art galleries in Euro. 


LIFESTYLE 

• Rembrandt and Vermeer Works Take 

Centre Stage at the Frick Pittsburgh 

The first joint venture between the Frick 

Collection, started by billionaire Henry 

Clay Frick, and his daughter, Helen Clay 

Frick, founder of Frick Pittsburgh, is called 

“Vermeer, Monet, Rembrandt: Forging the 

Frick Collections in Pittsburgh & New York.” 

About sixty pieces total, including twelve 

from the Frick Collection, are included that 

come from both institutions. 

Among the works never before shown in 

public in Pittsburgh are a self-portrait by 

Rembrandt from 1658 and one of the three 

surviving paintings by the Dutch artist 

Vermeer, titled “Girl Interrupted at Her Music.” 

Paintings by Degas, El Greco, Titian, Whistler, 

Hals, Van Dyck, and J.M.W. Turner are also 

available for rental. 

DAMIAN 

IKENNA NGERE 


Ikenna is a graduate of Physics and Education, 

who works as a freelance writer. He has interest 

in technology, humanity and sports. 


| 67

LIFESTYLE 

FRUITS AND 

VEGGIES 

YOU SHOULD 

TAKE ALONG 

WITH WATER 

1. 

STRAWBERRIES: 

Strawberries in your water 

sweetens the water and keeps 

you feeling refreshed. Strawberries 

are normally used in dessert, 

smoothies, fruit salads, and yogurt. 

Adding it in your water will definitely 

be a great deal. 

by Simnom Joshua 

2. 

LIME: 

Lime adds delightful flavour 

to water even though it is not 

always used in water like lemon. 

Lime can be added together with 

lemon in order to get a refreshing 

citrus taste. 

3. 

MINT: 

Even though mint is a herb, you 

can add it to your water. To enjoy 

a fresh, low-calorie drink, put the 

mixture of mint and water in the 

fridge for a while. 


LIFESTYLE 

4. 

GRAPES: 

Grapes have highly healthprotecting 

antioxidants such as 

flavonoids and resveratrol. They 

are also low in calories. Freeze 

grapes in ice-cubes and add to 

your water 

5. 

6. 

ORANGES: 

GRAPE FRUIT: 

Grape fruit makes your water very delicious. If you are 

trying to lose weight, add grape fruit to your water 

because if its low calorie base with high acidity. 

Oranges are good source of vitamin 

C and help boost the immune system. 

They brighten up your water, making it 

more delicious. 

7. 

RASPBERRIES: 

Raspberries are rich in fibre, antioxidants and vitamins with 

numerous health benefits. They help to lower cholesterol in the 

system and prevent heart disease. You can add frozen or fresh 

berries to your water and enjoy a healthy drink anytime of the day. 

9. 

LEMON: 

8. 

Lemon is a common fruit 

to add to water. Lemon 

is low in calories and 

drinking lemon water 

helps in weight loss. 

Add a slice of lemon to 

your water and enjoy 

the refreshing feel of 

lemonade. Drinking lemon 

in water will helps to 

strengthen your immune 

system. 

CUCUMBER: 

Cucumbers contain vitamin 

B. Cucumbers also have 

anti-cancer components 

of caffeic acid, lutein, 

and fisetin. Adding 

cucumber to water 

can improve the taste 

of your water. 

Note: Most people are guilty of not drinking 

enough water during the day; a situation 

that isn't right for their health. If you fall into 

this category, it is likely that you would find 

these suggestions quite useful. 

SIMNOM JOSHUA 


Simnom Josephine Joshua began 

her journey as a chef with just 

loving to cook. She loves creating 

new recipes and gets satisfaction 

from making great meals. Though 

she has years of experience in 

broadcasting and marketing, 

both fields of endeavour 

don't give her the happiness 

she feels when 

people around her 

enjoy her dishes. 


| 69

ACCOMPLISH Magazine May 2024

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