, she is a recipient of several awards and has spoken at several national and international events. In this interview, she talks about leaving the corporate world for entrepreneurship, youth leadership, tips for women entrepreneurs, how the government can grow the economy by supporting female-led SMEs amongst other issues.I am the first of five children and the only daughter of a businesswoman mother and a Chartered Accountant father.
I was raised by disciplinarians who inculcated positive life, cultural and human values in us. Growing up, things weren’t so rosy, we had to work really hard as a family to survive and “hustling” was the name of the game from a young age. The family also took education as a matter of utmost importance because it was our chance to a better life.
I have also learnt and believe very strongly that “everything rises and falls on Leadership”; this belief helps me learn to take responsibility and ownership for my actions as well as that of team members.he Not Too Young To Run Bill was signed shortly before this year’s elections, would you say this has had any impact in youth representation during the elections?
As young people of Nigeria, we should be proud of how well we fared in the 2019 elections and the far-reaching effects of the clamour for youth inclusion post-election. We did not expect that the Bill would launch a radical paradigm shift in Nigeria’s political system within that short period but of course, something has been triggered and it is only a matter of time till we witness how spectacularly young people will ruffle the old order in subsequent elections.
The common perception has always been that with age comes experience and thus the ability to lead, but people are starting to realise that leadership is not as linear as that narrative appears. Though we haven’t even scratched the surface yet, I am sure that as time unfolds we would have more young leaders occupying these roles.
Inculcate the right values and stand out: It is very important that your business is grounded on strong and positive values. Nobody will patronize you simply because you are a woman. Make yourself and your business attractive to customers. Once people identify you as a unique, reliable and outstanding brand with admirable professional ethics and enviable business standard, you are destined for greatness.