Women scientists from Nigeria

"One of them had pushed me and the raised hand might be what some saw as a slap. No, I wasn’t slapped and I refused to cower and I turned and gave them a piece of what I thought of their pathetic selves and if I am going to die, it would be with my fist high up and my mouth open."

"I would never give up on Nigeria no matter what it throws at me. I owe it to unborn generations on their way to Nigeria and I will continue to fight for Nigeria just as I wished others had fought for me before I came to be Nigerian."

"Herdsmen who are criminals have to be criminalized. Those who aren't shouldn't. No one has monopoly to cause trouble and no one is safe from what trouble can cause."

"Politics affect lives and we all have to be politicians. You can be the one being voted for or the one voting for or the one volunteering in someone's campaign or helping to raise money or donating or giving governance or making demands."

"It is just unbelievable how we tend to reward incompetence and punish competence."

"One thing I have learnt, is that, sometimes you need your opponent to do so badly and make you a choice."

"“There is nothing to go into fighting mood over this nothing – so focus on your message and the results that you want is the most important.”"

"No rigging can happen without our support … INEC is not the problem. The people in INEC are the problem and they are among the 220 million people. There is no INEC Chairman that can rig election if the people working in INEC do not collude. … The police are not the problem, the people in the police are the problem.”"

""Educated Nigerians should realise that their education is not for them alone and they should be working towards changing the system; that is how you will have a bloodless revolution. If you don’t do that, the hungry people are going to jump on the street one day …”"

""Your actions, not words will attract foreign investors … ‘In this 2023, travelling to woo investors is still being used?!’ … ‘Stop wasting tax payers money to go woo investors. Sit at home and do the needful.’”"

""People must resolve to not move on from issues. … Until good is more tenacious than evil, the evil ones even though smaller in number will continue to have the upper hand.”"

"You see this table full of older generation men cannot be the only ones allowed to make the decision as we go on! Women and Youth must be in the midst of decision-making and not as afterthoughts in the form of tokenism.”"

"“No country has the right to call itself civilized if it allows 219 of its citizens to be kidnapped with no repercussions.”"

""Women and Youth must be in the midst of decision-making and not as afterthoughts in the form of tokenism.”"

""You can now call me JOBLESS with a capital J! … My last born is done with university … I have a lot more time on my hands now, and I will be devoting it to NIGERIA! Welcome to a new dispensation.”"

""In this 2023, travelling to woo investors is still being used?! … Stop wasting tax payers money to go woo investors. Sit at home and do the needful.”"

""It is only when it comes to hypocritical morality that they will become actively present. Money they will beg for. Food they will beg for. Job they will beg for. Marks they will beg for. Merit they will beg to be exempted. Even advocacy they will beg for.”"

""Even though my parents or adults were angry at me for speaking up especially when it does not favour them … I have the gift to look at issues from both sides even when I am involved and when I am not.”"

""I am okay. I refused to run. I walked with my fist high up … One of them had pushed me and the raised hand might be what some saw as a slap. No, I wasn’t slapped and I refused to cower and I turned and gave them a piece of what I thought of their pathetic selves and if I am going to die, it would be with my fist high up and my mouth open.”"

"The right Bola Ahmed Tinubu had to call out government in 2014 is the right Aisha Yesufu has in 2024 to call out an illegitimate government … No Nigerian is more Nigerian than any Nigerian. This country belongs to all of us, and nobody can intimidate us in our own father land."

""No rigging can happen without our support … INEC is not the problem. The people in INEC are the problem … The police are not the problem … The people in the police are the problem.”"

""To Nigerian Politicians, 8 years is FOREVER! Little do they know!”"

""When asked on … what she thinks of the President’s assurance …: ‘We are used to a president whose words mean nothing. He says one thing, and another thing happens’ … ‘The body language of President … enables the terrorists.’”"

""I am a politician. All my life I have made choices. I am into Nigerian Politics and … I will ensure it is clean.”"

""I give it to the illegitimate administration of Mr Tinubu. He has gotten defeated people fighting themselves instead of fighting him … Imagine the fight is over who are being killed rather than that citizens are being killed.”"

""When we talk about International Women’s Day, I don’t want a day. I just want to be treated with respect, I want equality, equity and justice. That’s really what we want. Because at the end of the day, this whole International Women’s Day has been turned into some performative thing …”"

""There is no government in Nigeria. Terrorists have a field day!”"

""Peter Obi has more hope in 2027 than there was in 2023. … Nothing has been put in place. Nigerians must realise that the 2027 election is a fight for our lives.”"

""You can now call me JOBLESS with a capital J! … I have a lot more time on my hands now, and I will be devoting it to NIGERIA! Welcome To A New Dispensation.”"

"I tried to review the teaching of mathematics in schools, to make sure that the teachers understood the new concept which was already in use in Europe and America. I think we made an appreciable progress. But one of the saddest days of my life was the day the federal commissioner announced in 1978 that modern mathematics was abolished in schools."

"Let us stop this system of putting people in positions just because of the contacts they have. That is a major reason why we remain a poorly governed and undeveloped country."

"As long as we are celebrating a woman vice chancellor because she is the first or a woman chief judge because she is the first, then we have not arrived. We look forward to the time when we will have many women in such positions and we will be celebrating so many of them."

"Ask yourself over and over again, has the Chibok affair become too late to think about?"

"Play hard and keep straight, and continue getting quality education, well informed, so that in any situation you have something positive to contribute."

"To the elderly ones, you are retired but don't be tired. Just keep doing what you were doing."

"The excitement I felt on receiving the news from Professor Jubril Aminu (Minister of Education) had more to do with seeing it in terms of opening up the field for women than anything else. I saw it as an opportunity to show that women too could rise up to the occasion."

"After creating the “political class,” journalists failed to set parameters for person in that class."

"The experiments in the schools led many parents to think more about what their children learned at school and it is not too great a claim to say that the annual and end-of-term inservice courses for teachers led ministries of education to rethink their mathematics programme. In the case of Lagos State, the favourable demonstration effect of the Entebbe Mathematics program coinciding with the states' readiness to introduce a new syllabus led to the total acceptance of the project. In Lagos State, we believe we still have considerable work to do with the teachers. Teaching the teachers mathematics is a relatively simple task but changing their attitude and practice is harder. Several years of hard work are still necessary before we can truly claim that modern mathematics has come to stay."

"The Entebbe Mathematics Series have sometimes been dubbed American but this is to ignore the valuable contribution of the African participants, who feel keenly the African origin of the series. Moreover the whole exercise has provided an international forum for teaching and learning, unprecedented in the annals of education. Africans, working with Europeans and Americans, have produced mathematics texts good enough for use anywhere in the world. Mutual benefits have been derived by all concerned and the project has clearly contributed to international understanding."

"The African Mathematics Programme brought together Africans, Americans, and British educators in English-speaking African countries to consider changes in mathematics education in Africa. ... The African Mathematics Programme organized writing workshops in Africa that produced the Entebbe Modern Mathematics Series. Between 1962 and 1969, the African Mathematics Programme conducted annual eight-week writing workshops in Entebbe and Mombassa, and produced over 80 volumes of textual materials covering primary school, teacher training, secondary, and sixth-form mathematics."

"The role of the Nigerian University system as an instrument for cohesion, change and development in our nation. Today, as we lament the falling standard in education and the negative ethnicization and contraction of real quality educational opportunities, we might do well to go dust up that lecture from this great Nigerian to follow up on some of her proposals."

"The death of this renowned Nigerian scholar is a great loss to the academic community and the country."

"Aged 89, she was a woman of rare attributes, a disciplined and astute administrator who was not afraid to work with others. Her success as a vice chancellor showed that she has a strong character who could withstand any challenge. She excelled in the administration of the University of Benin in spite of the mounting opposition by the male staff."

"Her intellectual and practicable contributions to our projects and programmes went along to ensure the sustainability and continued relevance of the foundation."

"On the home front, she was firmly established as a matriarch of immeasurable value; a wife, mother, aunt and confidant. At 89, she lived a fulfilled life worthy of emulation by women and men alike. As she aged gracefully, she maintained her commanding presence and quiet dignity as a positive influence for human progress."

"As at the time she resumed in UNIBEN from Lagos following the tenure lapse of Adamu Baike, its former VC, the warring academics who wanted to occupy that exalted position were believed to have slunk into their scholarly recesses because there was little they could do about the federal government’s choice in the form of protest at the time."

"Nigeria spent 18 million dollars on chicken importation in 2009 alone. If the government spends half of that money on developing local breeds; imagine what that will translate to."

"Tissue Culture Laboratory alone could truly supply plants to millions of farmers, if we really invest into plant tissue culture and micro-propagation,”"

"“With the funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, we now have the white, black, brown, and the ash-line of the indigenous breed. There are also two mid-lines, which has 25 or 75 percent local blood. They are meat-lines; they are bigger with tougher meat than the imported stock. We can hardly meet the request of our customers here, and other Universities have been taking our stocks.""

"While other countries are talking of electricity-powered vehicles, driverless trucks, and 200miles per hour trains, we are still battling with narrow gauge rail lines and Never Expect Power Always (NEPA), or Hold on your Power (Power Holding)."

"I am different from you because of my genetic makeup. You need to know your genotype yourself, to enable you to know the type of food you can eat and those you cannot eat or whether you are carrying genetic diseases"

"FUNAAB’s Biotechnology Centre was fully equipped to provide an array of services that border on Animal Biotechnology, Plant Biotechnology, Protein Analysis, Bio-informatics, among others"

"I do not expect any woman or young girl to complain of not being given an opportunity because there are a lot of opportunities out there for all young girls and women in the world as we speak; all we need to do is to find opportunities and grab them."

"it’s possible to make your vision a reality. Having a mentor is also very important. Have a role model. Study your role model; learn from her and success will be yours."

"So, as a young girl, I would say manage your emotions, your choices, your peer and focus on being the best. There are grants for women who own a business brand to support them financially and to talk about business owners, business doesn’t stop from being educated; education will help you be a better entrepreneur. So, as a young business owner, get good education and pursue your dream. When it is time for marriage, let God guide your decision of who to marry because marrying a wrong man could eventually lead to break-up, which will affect you from achieving your dreams."

"I recall how I narrowly escaped it in 100 Level at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University). We already knew about it before I entered the university but I had to run for my dear life when I discovered that two lecturers taking Physics and Chemistry had focused on me. I recall at a time one of my close friends had a problem too that we had to go as a group of students to beg the lecturer to release her."

"A person who graduates today and stops learning tomorrow is uneducated the day after"

"As pharmacy professionals, we are responsible for striving for excellence in all we do and thus blazing the trail"

"We are very innovative, we are very creative, and we are very entrepreneurs."

"Fundamentally, preparedness builds on a system that’s working."

"If Nigeria’s university system will be returned to its rightful place as the lighthouse that inspires development aspirations, university managers and all concerned must begin to think anew and walk the talk. The ultimate goal is to enrich and enhance the quality of students to make them more intellectually nimble, competent, not only for national development, but to shape the future."

"Nigeria Universities needs to develop the courses around sports like sports medicine, that is the next step for us. I am hoping that we will be able to interest some corporate organisations to have a sports academy because I think we have everything that it takes."

"The leaders of communities are chosen from their citizens and our leaders are, therefore, a reflection of who we are as a people."

"The fourth industrial revolution is here upon the world but that Nigeria has been lagging."

"Corruption thrives where there is lack of excellence. But we are not different from other countries."

"The art is part of our vision; it is an expression of who we are."

"It required that we had a strong central coordinating centre and that we engaged the community early, used media effectively, and sent out short easily-understood messages."

"There’s Value in the Valley”. One thing (out of the many lessons in the book) that stuck in my head was “nobody is after you”. People are going about their day; they’re not even noticing you"

"I then realized that what was important was the quality of the time spent. You need to know what people need at the time they need it. These are some of the lessons I learned from that period."

"started off my life as a really shy person. I always sort of pulled back from a lot of things not because I didn’t want to do them but because I was shy, even till university. There are so many examples I can give"

"It is in service to others that you get elevated or you achieve your dreams"

"If you don’t think you’re valuable enough to take yourself to a conference with your salary, why should someone else invest in you? We sometimes think that the valuable things are the tangible assets when in fact, it is the intangible things—your knowledge and skills which are the outcome of your personal self-investments—that are important."

"Don’t get into seeing money as the only benefit to being involved in project, think of the experience and the skills that you are getting; it is worth more than money because they are investing in your knowledge base."

"What I have found with University of Lagos is that we have been lucky. We have heard progressive vice chancellors. So, every vice chancellor has put something down that allows one to grow. We developed a 25-year strategic plan in 2014 and we are working through that strategic plan where every vice chancellor builds on what we have."

"In Lagos, because of the difficulties, we have taken it as a responsibility to try, but we can only do with what we have. Building hostels is not cheap. Right now, we are renovating the old hostels to make them more livable, though it is a very expensive venture."

"Yes, I have been in the system, we do not have funding, but have done a lot of things by improving what we do with collaborations with other universities outside the country. They appreciate us more than Nigerians."

"The funding is not just on UNILAG, of course, the Lagos State government is supporting. We have reached out to partners, industries, companies and a whole lot of other people to support us."

"Our students and researchers stand to gain from exposure to diverse networks and knowledge systems. This kind of cooperation supports not only innovation but also the institutional growth of our universities."

"In the area of agriculture and solid minerals, we look at manufacturing, services, entertainment and all these are viable areas to expand them."

"We ought to examine our own uniqueness, location, custom and the people and adopt an educational system that will take into account the uniqueness."

"I generally think of my work in terms of innovation and problem-solving. What can we do differently? How can we use or reinterpret what is already known to solve another problem? My philosophy is to explain how chemistry permeates the world around us. That’s always been my motivation – to take chemistry beyond the classroom, to show that chemistry is not confined to a lab or as is commonly portrayed in the popular culture in terms of toxicity and that it offers solutions that permeate our everyday lives."

"I am the first chemist and the first female scientist to receive the honor, who was contacted and asked to submit an application for the award."

"Knowing the caliber of people who have received the award and that I’m considered on that level is phenomenal."

"If your people pick you out and give you that kind of recognition, it’s satisfying. I’m ecstatic and also humbled."

"We changed the name to better describe the direction we’re moving to for sustainable development."

"It’s something that’s low cost and famers in developing countries can take and use,” she said. “So for example, if a farmer grows yams, which is common in developing countries in Asia and Africa, and Nigeria is one of the largest producers, it’s important agriculturally. That’s why we decided to focus on this."

"I develop sensors and technologies and look for creative solutions to problems."

"In the 21st century, we face enormous economic, social, and technological challenges as articulated in the UN Sustainable Development Goals: the need to achieve zero hunger, clean water, affordable and clean energy, healthcare, and economic development. Innovation and commitment to problem-solving will be the key to addressing these challenges- that requires that we continually engage the next generation to achieve the solutions to these challenges."

"You should note that FUGA is not a dumping ground for admission seekers but a place where all students would be judged based on the quality of our programmes and their performance"

"I therefore urge you to work hard and avoid any act that is not in conformity with the university’s rules and regulations as well as societal norms, because anyone found guilty shall be made to face the wrath of the law"

"As women in science, we need to work to bridge this gap and come up with recommendations from this conference that will translate into policy to support the recruitment and retention of women and girls in science."

"As individuals, we need to cultivate better habits that promote clean air and environment."

"This ensures students gain hands on, practical experience alongside theoretical learning."

"Through this approach, students will actively participate in fieldwork, agricultural projects and internships that expose them to modern farming techniques and innovative agricultural practices."

"This is an example of how universities can be a solution in a country that abounds with needs and talents."

"The MCIU scholarship for agricultural science programme is an opportunity."

"I call on the private and public sectors to support the programme in any way they can."

"Lead as a model, by example. Leading women scientists must develop a leadership style that will be highly prized."

"People confronted me with a series of questions. They would ask me:"Do you think you can make it on this seat". Okeke speaking on the challenges she faced as the first female dean."

"As a little girl, I was fascinated by the sky; why it appears white at times and blue at other times. I wondered why airplanes could fly and found my vocation when I learned physics could answer my questions.""

""When I started, there used to be only two ladies in the Physics department. But while I was the head, I was instrumental to the employment of three other female staff. While I was the Dean, my priority was employing women who are qualified in the faculty, in Mathematics, Physics, Geology, Chemistry, Statistics and Computer Science. Now we are many women in the faculty of Physical Sciences.”"

"It is important to acknowledge that science is the key to the growth and development of a nation."

"Women should be encouraged to fully participate in the development of STEM, and take key positions in science matters in government as it will ensure the implementation of strategies for improving the participation of women in the development of science."

"My childhood curiosity is the key to my remarkable achievements and my passion for science."

"I became a laureate of the prestigious L’Oréal-UNESCO Award for Women in Science because of my significant contributions to the understanding of the daily variation of ion current in the upper atmosphere, which may further our understanding of climate change. The award placed Nigeria on the world map of honours in science. Okeke speaking on the impact of her work"

"I believe that women should be sponsored to participate in STEM workshops, conferences, seminars and exhibitions. Gender mainstreaming scientific activities must be encouraged. Okeke speaking on the marginalisation of women in STEM"

"My future dream and aspiration remain that the gender gap in STEM is abridged. Okeke speaking on her future aspirations for women in STEM"

"“I have so many postgraduate female students and many of them have gotten PhDs through my guidance, counselling and encouragement. But if I don’t let them come near me, they will be scared… If it’s possible, get women to teach women. ‘Seeing is believing’. They will eventually see that it is practical and that this is a subject that can be dabbled into and not fearing it because ‘people say…’”"

"In the past, core sciences such as physics were regarded as male domains where women were expected to be seen but not heard. People used to think that when you get into these subjects, the characteristics that are most worthily accepted for women including passivity, emotionality, intuition and receptivity would no longer be possessed by that woman."

"A key area of our system where Mathematics education will prove useful is in the strengthening of the electoral process. An example is the reduction of voting time and improvement on voting experience."

"A strong correlation exists between the understanding of Mathematics and its pursuit to research level, on one hand and economic prosperity on the other."

"Research has shown that some people will spend up to seven and a half minutes in the voting booth because they have no knowledge of pattern recognition. As such, they have trouble understanding the patterns on display in the ballot papers."

"So, one year ahead of time, my parent took me to the headmaster and appealed to him to create a small separate space for me to put my chair at the rear back of the class. That was how I was for a whole year. I would listen to them as if I were part of the class."

"So, throughout my life, I have been on scholarship. My parents did not pay any school fees on me and they really thanked God for that."

"Electorate are always boxed into a corner by making fixated choice of who to vote for only between two major dominant political parties irrespective of their performance or what they could do to better the lives of the generality of the people."

"Nigeria had both human and material potentials, especially as regards its huge population for greatness but for people at the corridors of political power and politicians using census for political gains."

"Census is not only about number but the totality of people as regards all that concern them in their geographical locations and this must be carried out in honesty."

"Expansion of the strategic agricultural commodities value chains, health care delivery systems, and the mitigation of climate change in Africa."

"Passage of the Biotech bill into law, now offers Nigeria scientists a free hand to carry out advanced research on Genomics, which she added is all about understanding the genetic make up of living organisms like plants and animals."

"There has never been any negative effect of any genetically modified organism anywhere in the world. If you know of any let me know? The fear for GMO foods is based on falsehood and has been trashed scientifically."

"Passage of the Biotech bill into law, now offers Nigeria scientists a free hand to carry out advanced research on Genomics. which she added is all about understanding"

"The genetic make up of living organisms like plants and animals."

"The contribution to our economy is positively huge because the dividends are huge. The contribution to GDP is in billions of dollars because those nations that have embraced modern biotechnology are already getting huge dividends in terms of dollars earnings annually."

"Biotechnology is as old as history. In 2001, Federal Government established the NABDA to look at it because it saw what modern biotechnology is doing and the benefits."

"Visionaries are now talking of carbohydrate economy to replace the old hydrocarbon economy"

"Human consumption patterns and preferences must change, if life must continue to exist on planet earth."

"Encourage women scientists to act as agents of change."

"Even as a student I was already interested in helping girls enter science. At one time my plan was to provide scholarships to secondary school girls, but when I won the L'OREAL-UNESCO For Women in Science Award I began to aim much higher."

"I have been working with the Nigerian branch of TWOWS (Third World Organization for Women in Science) to encourage women in their research projects and to encourage them to become leaders in our profession. At a meeting of this organization in Cape Town, South Africa I am proud to say that several other L'OREAL-UNESCO For Women in Science Laureates were in attendance. In fact, I took a tape of the 1998 ceremony to show everyone there that L'OREAL and UNESCO really are doing something for women in science."

"Think! You are concentrating and the power goes off! You try to use the battery, and the battery starts beeping. Then you have to close it and leave."

"The ideas are gone by the time you come back. It's difficult — you have to start all over again."

"It was quite unique; different from all the scholarships."

"I’d been trying for, which was more concerned with the academic performance."

"This one wanted to know how much you have put into the community, which has shown your concern."

"Cold call! Don't wait to be introduced to people. The enthusiasm for what you do will open doors."

"Don’t fear the path less trodden; rather, choose it because that’s what science is all about. In terms of personal qualities and mindset, you need sheer persistence and the ability to remember your ultimate goal of why you do what you do."

"We’re all connected, and we need to start acting like we’re all part of the same ecosystem. We have to address the significant inequalities among countries and regions. Ultimately, doing so will bring us a collective increase in well-being."

"I feel blessed to possess knowledge I’m able to apply every day in all that I do. When I see my children washing their hands or hear them talking about healthy eating and the benefits of eating fermented foods, I’m so proud."

"The other thing I really enjoy is being able to contribute solutions to resolve real world problems with visible impact. The eureka moments when things work out in the lab or when a manuscript is published, also bring indescribable joy."

"There’s a direct link of how we spend our time and how successful we are. There’s a direct link between how we manage our time and poverty. Some individuals make a whole country’s budget in a day! That’s the extent of the possibility of how we can apply our time.”"

"“We say we are not rich, we are waiting for miracle, but we don’t divide our time into productive activities, instead waste it on unfruitful conversations. For instance, a friend missed out on a N50million national research fund grant when he came one-and- half hour late to the meeting they were supposed to select the team that would benefit the grant. He lives to regret it."

"If you do not use your time productively or to make money, you are in a close relationship with poverty. So, to improve our economic lot as a people, we need to invest our time in productive activities that can yield economic returns."

"Today’s woman is running two full-time jobs in the running of her matrimonial home and her professional jobs within same 24 hours every day. There’s no more normal skills among our women, but super hero skills to run homes. You have to use your mind to maximize every minute of your time."

"The objective of computing is to make life easier for users so they can save time and devote efforts to some other things."

"In a nutshell, AI chatbots are meant to enhance creativity and not to stall it."

"I kind of grew up learning to train others to do things—teach people to cook, drive, build; just generally impacting knowledge. So I would say that I am a ‘natural formator’."

"I love challenges. I love solving difficult problems. I love to tread where everyone else dreads."

"I accepted the position because I believed, and still do, in the vision of the Founder."

"The position offered me an opportunity to do what I love doing the most – nurturing young minds through education."

"Like I said earlier I like to venture into what many believe would be impossible, so I revamped the undergraduate curriculum for the computer science programme, established the PGD, MSc and PhD Computer Science programmes and was on the verge of establishing the Faculty of Computing when I was posted out for another assignment."

"Though they are young and may not have much help, they are putting in their best efforts, and they were able to come up with this kind of innovation."

"I’ve always found great beauty in the way illustrations can convey a lot of information in a succinct, elegant, and beautiful way."

"One of the first things that caught my attention on the blog was the name itself."

"I was so curious about the inspiration behind it, that I reached out to Dr. Rojas-Molina to get to know more about what motivated her to illustrate and start her blog."

"The truth in life is that if you are somebody that has not seen money before if you see money you’ll start shaking."

"So I want to beg the people of Ajegunle, don’t allow people use you to stop good projects."

"I am a Nigerian and a doctorate student in the department of computer science in the University of Saskatchewan."

"I am under the mentorship of Dr. Julita Vassileva and Dr. Regan Mandryk."

"My primary research focus is on the influence of persuasive technology in the prevention of chronic metabolic diseases through lifestyle change, particularly the prevention of obesity."

"I was awarded a Canadian government Vanier scholarship to conduct research on the design of persuasive technologies for healthy lifestyle change with a specific focus on obesity prevention."

"How behaviours are formed and how they can be altered."

"They are not well integrated into people's daily lives and therefore face the problems of adoption and maintenance."

"They are not cost effective and therefore face the problem of long-term sustainability."

"They are based on the assumption that humans are rational beings and will always act to maximize benefit and reduce risk."

"I'm here to speak on health promotion and disease prevention."

"I'll be sharing the knowledge I've gained from studying relevant literatures and from some research experiences."

"I've had in actively working in this area over the past two years."

"When it comes to lifestyle, we cannot assume that humans will necessarily behave rationally."

"Rational people would change their behaviours when exposed to convincing information about the negative effects on their health."

"Most lifestyle related health challenges, including obesity, that we experience today."

"Considering the widespread health education and health campaigns, yet this is not the case, it is very hard to make people stop smoking, eat healthfully, and exercise regularly."

"It has attracted attention from both governmental and non-governmental bodies."

"According to measured height and weight data from both the 2008 Canadian Community Health Survey and the 2007-2009 Canadian Health Measures Survey."

"As of 2008 it was reported that approximately 61% of Canadian adults and 30% of Canadian teens are either overweight or obese."

"A successful intervention for changing human behaviour should be based on the understanding of how behaviours are formed and how they can be altered."

"A promising approach to health promotion and disease prevention that has emerged recently is persuasive technology."

"The goal is to design technology that would change human behaviours or attitudes."

"“Equality is not about men, it’s also not about women; it’s about providing a nurturing environment where people of diverse traits can maximize their potential.”"

"“I want to be able to serve as a role model to motivate other youths to pursue their dreams irrespective of their background. Your colour does not matter, your gender does not matter. You can actually achieve anything you set your mind on.”"

"“Don’t let anybody tell you it’s not possible. I am evidence that nothing is impossible.”"

"There are plants everywhere but palms have a special aura"

"They have the ability to transform an environment in a way that no other plant can."

"Half of the world's palms originate in Madagascar, but Africans are not interested."

"It's the Westerners who go there in search of plants that are going into extinction, which they then take back to their own countries."

"The Chinese have found 500 million barrels reserves in Chad itself and a pipeline is being laid to Segigi Field, where a refinery is being built, which is going to serve the whole of Chad. Also, another 500 million barrels were found in the Tannit in Niger, and we have similar soil structure and similar basin, which makes sense to intensify surveys in our own Chad Basin."

"A comprehensive and simultaneous survey acquisition of gravity for electro-magnetic study of the basins for 2D seismic and 3D seismic in the areas found to be very prolific."

"Now we don’t have enough data to attract investors, but after the studies companies can now begin to explore for oil based on the findings."

"Every country has strategic policy regarding its natural resources in order to preserve them. So we can’t rule out the possibility that we might have strategic reserve areas and the Department of Petroleum resources, DPR, will demarcate the areas."

"With regard to the concentration of survey in the Chad Basin, I explained that this is because a lot of finds have been made in other neighbouring countries along the rift zone."

"The Basin (Chad) lies along the West and Central African Rift System. All the basins along the rift zone like Doba, Salamar, Bongo and the Chad Tannit in Niger, there have been a lot of finds and oil exploration."

"The NNPC had done an integrated study of the Chad Basin with 10 international companies, during which 23 oil wells were drilled and areas with oil and gas potential were determined."

"Previous works in the Anambra basin had yielded little results, as of the eight wells drilled in the region, seven of them had gas with only found with oil, “so more work is needed to be done in this area to quantify the studies… in Bida, Sokoto and Benue basins, we have not drilled any wells."

"All these are part of the work being done for frontier exploration in the country, while explaining that for now, government is saddled with all the responsibility of doing the surveys to prove the prospectivity of the basins, as the International Oil Companies, IOCs will only come in thereafter."

"The IOCs operating in the country has cooperated with government with regard to the geological surveys by supplying data where demanded. “Now we don’t have enough data to attract investors, but after the studies companies can now begin to explore for oil based on the findings."

"You’ve chosen the right subject. You’re in the right faculty, It’ll take you places in life if you make the best use of the opportunity it offers—to become better versions of yourselves and to be of service to others"

"Do a good job of research and teaching, put yourself out there in the faces of companies who will support your work and the Department with donations of critical equipment. It is in their enlightened self-interest, and it will be a win-win for both of you.."

"The people that inspire me the most are Nigerien women. They are so keen to make the lives of the future generation better."

"Studying the complexities of the Earth’s natural systems is most exciting to me. I really enjoy thinking about different ways to unravel some of these complexities. The water cycle is like a puzzle – it may take time to get the right pieces and put them together, but once it is done, it is beautiful to see how the story unfolds and comes together. It is fascinating to understand how a tiny piece of Mother Nature works and how human beings are altering the natural systems."

"Sometimes the place you are used to is not the place you belong. You belong where you believe you belong.” This is a quote from “Queen of Katwe”, a book by Tim Crothers and also a Disney film, narrating the story of a young Ugandan girl Phiona Mutesi, a chess prodigy, who overcame many stereotypes and broke a lot of barriers to become a woman candidate master after her victories at World Chess Olympiads."

"I have had several challenges along the journey but the fact is that those challenges bring out the best in me."

"Indeed, I feel great. I believe that this is a confirmation of hard work over the years. These Fellow awards do not come without hard work and recognition of your area of specialty over the years and I must say it has been God. I acknowledge unashamedly that I am what I am by the grace of God. If it was left to man, I would not have been able to achieve this much."

"I started my molecular biology hands-on-training workshop in 2009. This followed my post-doctoral fellowships in France and Germany. I realised that molecular biology techniques were not common then and I was interested in building the capacity of the young ones as well as interested participants who comprised university lecturers, Medical Laboratory Scientists and other stakeholders from different geo-political zones in the country."

"My laboratory is referred to as a German laboratory because most (85%) of the equipment I have in my laboratory was bought wiith the German funding by by either the Alexander von Humboldt (AvH) Foundation or the German Research Foundation (DFG)."

"My role model was my late mother, Mrs. Stella Okwui Ebigwei who was a widow. She instilled discipline, hard work and fear and reverence of God in my sister and I and so I had a focus that I would not derail but be a notable person someday. She was my strong supporter and always called me ‘Star’."

"My most challenging period was when I lost my mother and it dawned on me that I had no parents on planet Earth. My most inspiring period comes when I see those that I have trained doing well."

"AORTIC is the premier organisation for cancer research and training in Africa. As the chair of the AORTIC research committee, I work with outstanding cancer scientists within and outside Africa to provide scientific leadership and direction for cancer research in Africa."

"The black population is disproportionately affected by cancer globally. I worked with several experts and institutions"

"The Global Oncology Clinical Trials Congress for blacks is very dear to my heart given the underrepresentation of the black population in clinical trials."

"In Nigeria, while I was at the University of Ife, one of the things that I (and so many women) had to deal with was the sexual predators."

"In the United States, what I have experienced as a woman is gender discrimination. It is coincidental that the earliest recollection of gender discrimination that I experienced was made by a female professor when I was in graduate school. The female professor told me that I would not be able to finish my graduate programme because I got married and was pregnant in my first year of graduate school"

"My ammunition for overcoming this discrimination is hard work and undeniable productivity and output."

"You don’t have to strive to be liked but always strive to be respected for your work."

"I see the work that I do as a calling – the scientific discoveries that we achieve impact lives and that gives me the strength to wake up the next morning and keep going."

"Women in research, especially biomedical research, face many obstacles and discrimination. Earlier in my career, the perception was that a woman had to choose between having a family and a career."

"As far back as 2009, my leadership in health disparities research was recognised by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and the Association of Black Health-System Pharmacists with the inaugural leadership award for health disparities. I was selected by the US Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs to give the inaugural Barbara Terry-Koroma Health Disparity Legacy Lecture in 2013."

"INSIGHT into Diversity, an online and print publication in the United States, gave me the Inspiring Women in STEM Award in 2016 in recognition of my effort in training underrepresented minorities for over two decades."

"In 2017, it was rewarding to receive the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship, which allowed me to work on prostate cancer risk among men with institutions in Nigeria, including the University of Ilorin, and Covenant University."

"Youths cannot make positive contributions to national development if not given opportunity to do so."

"We must altogether assist our youths to achieve their full potentials by creating the enabling environment for them."

"We must do all we can to increase the opportunity of women to grow, to defend, protect, and facilitate children's sound, physical and psychological development through promotion of activities to alleviate poverty."

"In view of the current economic situation, the foundation further increase the value of the grants for meaningful impact in addition to some empowerment equipment."

"You don't need to be a politician before empowering people who are in need just like what Prof. Durosinmi is doing."

"What we should be conscious of now is life after death because it will takes the grace of God to live extra thirty years from today."

"And it should always echoes in our ears that, there is reward for everything we are doing on earth because we would face judgement from God."

"The aim of the study was to confirm the claims by traditional medical practitioners that the selected plants can enhance memory. Beyond confirming that these plants are effective, we also targeted identifying the constituents in the plants that are responsible for the activity."

"The main predisposing factor to memory loss is aging."

"Which means every single person is at risk of losing their memory as we grow old."

"We know the various challenges which are faced in Africa in terms of accessibility to medicine, unlike in the Western world."

"If we as Africans can produce our own drugs from our own resources, the impact can only be imagined both in terms of a better wellbeing as well as economic advancement."

"This is indeed a breakthrough. First, we were able to provide scientific justification for the use of these plants in ethno-medicine. In addition, the possible chemical compounds responsible for the activity were identified."

"I'm humbled and honoured to be named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women by the Women's Executive Network @WXN"

"I'm a winner in the Science and Tech category, recognizing my contributions and commitment to tech advancement as well as diversity and inclusion in #STEM."

"Remember that our success depends on our ability to work together, share knowledge, and leverage the strengths of each partner. The challenges we face are significant, but so are the opportunities."

"Broader vision of the African Union to achieve sustainable development and prosperity for all its citizens."

"Outcomes of this retreat will shape the future of the CAAPs initiative. We aim to finalize comprehensive plans, secure commitments, and outline a clear roadmap for the implementation of our demonstration projects. These projects, as models of integrated agro-industrial development, will pave the way for large-scale investments and policy innovations across Africa."

"The project will contribute to the development of an African strategy for sustainable agricultural mechanization within the context of the Malabo Declaration."

"It will enhance the capacity of governments to integrate agricultural mechanization in their policy frameworks."

"It will target women who bear the burden of African agriculture."

"The potential benefits from the use of good quality seed by farmers can be enormous, and the availability to farmers of quality seed of a wide-range of varieties and crops can increase productivity, reduce risks from pest, drought and disease pressure, and increase incomes."

"Food security is also heavily dependent on the seed security of the farming community and Seed sector development is essential to foster agricultural growth."

"When I was a child, I remember my mother sometimes exclaiming that I was too inquisitive. They always complained about my inquisitiveness. I always wanted to ask questions"

"The difference in our heights was getting closer. So I, you know, as a child, I didn't realize I was getting taller. So I asked my grandmom, why are you getting shorter? Because to me, I could see that she seemed to be getting shorter. And then she simply told me that when people get older, they get shorter. She (grandmother) was more patient with me”"

"But my mother, because she was working in the bank, and then she had more demand on her time, was quite impatient with my incessant questions"

"When I looked at statistics, from what they were saying, it was more like everywhere you go, you could do statistics"

"When I asked myself, 'what do you really want to do', I enjoyed teaching Sunday school classes, I always loved research, I loved being in the library, I loved finding out, and I told myself, look, if this is what you want to do, if you have just one chance again in life to get it right, what would you do? So I told myself, I want to do research and I want to be in academia"

"During my research, I found out that poverty seemed to have the face of a woman"

"We are team of researchers at Nnamdi Azikiwe University."

"We were awarded a research grant by World Health Organisation (WHO), to research in Social Innovation in Health"

"Social innovation in health started in 2014 and at that time WHO."

"Collaborated with London School of Tropical Medicine and discovered that certain diseases were found in Africa."

"So it is time for us to start looking within and to find solutions within ourselves and some vulnerable groups in remote areas to know some of their problems."

"Our objective is to look into issues related to communicable diseases, maternal and child health and even non communicable disease and access to quality healthcare."

"When they started working in these countries, WHO decided that they should also increase the number of countries that can use this initiative."

"HOBs had to get other HOBs from other countries and that is how Nigeria and Ghana got involved."

"The only way women’s contribution to national development can be appreciated is by electing a woman as president."

"Only 10 women across Nigeria got elected into the House of Representatives with 360 members, while only six women got into the Senate with 109 members."

"This has resulted in an unequal power relationship between women and men, social norms decrease, education and paid employment opportunities for women."

"Despite the odds, women should persist and continue to prove that when they lead."

"They bring transformational changes to entire communities and the world at large."

"As a woman from a minority background working in STEM, I have faced personal and professional challenges, whilst in pursuit of my career aspirations."

"As a scientist, engineer and passionate advocate for women in the field, I have advocated and worked across various STEM/NFP organisations to create change."

"My leadership journey in advocating for the diversity of women in the industry began during my PhD, when I realised the difficulties of being a woman in a male dominated field."

"The underrepresentation of female engineering students led me to co-found the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Club at Victoria University."

"To empower and support female STEM students and encourage girls to pursue STEM careers."

"I began engagements with Women in STEMM Australia (WISA), in 2018."

"I was appointed to the board as a director in 2019 which I still serve to date."

"WISA has created a diverse, inclusive network of STEMM professionals at all levels of academia, industry, education, business and government and includes all women in STEMM regardless of their discipline and profession."

"Through my work with WISE and WISA, I gained a deeper understanding of the barriers women in STEM face."

"I also realised that the conversations about gender equity often exclude the intersections of gender like race, ethnicity, and disability."

"That showed only 29 percent of the STEM workforce identifies as women and 56 percent of university educated women in STEM were born overseas."

"I partnered with Dr Ruwangi Fernando to co-found iSTEM Co, which aims to promote employment and retention for women in STEM, including women of colour and women from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds."

"Conversations about gender equity often exclude the intersections of gender like race, ethnicity, and disability."

"The discussion around diversity and inclusion has increased in recent times yet the dial has barely shifted for women in STEM."

"In Australia, it’s been identified that there are more than 200,000 vacant STEM jobs, which has continued to grow by more than 2.5 percent annually since 2019 and the demand for STEM workers will increase to 1.9 million by 2024."

"This shows how critical the sector is for our economic growth and global competition."

"I am absolutely thrilled to share some exciting updates on my journey since receiving the award."

"We’ve launched the DEIR platform, a game-changer in eliminating recruitment bias using specific elements."

"It’s incredible to see companies like Arup, Westpac, Telstra, and Worley already embracing this platform to recruit diverse talents."

"It’s currently free for both women and employers, using our trial packages."

"Changing with the initiatives we have launched at iSTEM Co., as well as other initiatives like STEM sisters, DCA CARM program."

"The awareness we are generating in the STEM community, but we still have a long way to go."

"In 2023, my main concerns revolve around the lack of retention of women with STEM skills in the industry and insufficient funding for startups."

"When it comes to leadership, the best advice I’ve embraced is to be visible and use your privilege to advocate for positive change."

"There are no real failures only opportunities to learn, grow and improve."

"I’ve seen first hand the adverse effects of oil spillage."

"That’s really what worried me, and that led me to start looking into alternative forms of energy."

"I’m one of those people that if there’s a problem, I try to fix it."

"If I can’t fix it, I don’t talk about it."

"We are a very strong economy in the Asia region, so we can quickly become the alternative energy giant if we embrace this."

"When I saw those statistics, I thought that it would have been a state of emergency."

"Considering the current STEM skills shortage."

"What was more interesting was that 56 per cent of university qualified females in STEM in Australia are Australian women born overseas."

"They experienced over four times higher unemployment."

"I thought that was a fundamental problem.”"

"Q: Why Price Media Law Moot? A: I tried to get into the Mooting Society twice. And I remembered the first time I tried. My friend, Daniel Jaiyeoba told me to try out for any and every moot competition that came up but the only thing that really resonated with me was Price Media Law Moot so I tried out ‘cause I love media, and growing up, one of my dreams was to be a reporter but I got into law so it seemed like a great way to start bridging the gap of the career as a lawyer and my dreams of being in the media industry."

"Q: Do you think there’s a future here for media law in Nigeria or generally, Africa? A: Yes, I think there is because we have a large number of Nigerians becoming more internet savvy. We have a lot of popular bloggers and vloggers and these are the sort of things media law covers. We also need more legislations, more decisions, more awareness on how exactly things are done and how to be in tandem with international standards. Also, just make sure that Africa is at par with the other continents. So, yeah, I think there is a future for media law in Nigeria."

"Q: What was running through your mind the moment you landed in South Africa? A: Am I really here? It was a really daunting journey getting to South Africa. At a point, I actually gave up. I mean, I gave up several times. I had parents who were loving and very worried about me in the process, it was really tiring. But then, I got there and I was like, am I really here? I don’t think it dawned on me, until I got to the University of Johannesburg."

"Q: What is one thing about you that changed during the process of Price Media Law Moot? A: My knowledge about internet intermediaries. Before I started Price Media Law Moot, I didn’t even know that internet companies had liability. And then, I really focused on Scoops. So, I got to read a lot of materials and develop more interest in internet intermediary liabilities and one thing that happened to me while I was in South Africa is I realised that no matter where you go to or no matter how far you stray away from being yourself, you never stop being yourself. The moment you start preparing and you decide, I’m going to be myself, you are going to excel because that is who you are, you can’t be anyone else. My experience made me realise that I had been living in fear saying oh, I can’t do this thing, it’s been forever since I was out to speak publicly and I stood up and I had white judges and there were Indians and it was like, my bones were filled with cement. And I just felt this like this is who I am, this is what I have been doing since I was born, this is who I am and I am always going to be excellent at it. It gave me peace, to know that I was still myself."

"Although we are making little progress with the little or no facilities at our disposal, we strongly believe that given the right tools we will certainly perform better."

"It is the desire of this research group to fast track development through human and infrastructural capacity building, consequently reducing the gap between the developed and the emerging economies."

"In my mind, I need to represent and not necessarily be loud as in yelling, but loud in my excitement, loud in my demeanor."

"It gives me great pleasure to be here today with my most esteemed brethren from far and near. I have not seen many of you for some time now. So, this event, being the first, calls for many more. It is my fervent belief that we can live up to that pledge."

"Let me take a few minutes to stress why we are here in offering this heartfelt goodwill message. Ndi banyi, taa bug boo. We have come a long way since the days of the Missionaries. Nsukka boasted of many scholars and philanthropists that emerged during that era. Fast forward; we have fought a civil war, rebuilt Nigeria and the University of Nigeria remains in our back-yard. When we take stock, we cannot say we didn’t do okay. But in the grand scheme of things, more could be done."

"Let us look within ourselves and utilize especially the potentials within our youth. They graduate in hundreds every year. We must figure out a way to become reliant on them. My hope and wish is that we find ways to develop incubator-centers where young graduates from all schools can spend time and serve our people."