Women From Nigeria

"In my heart, I knew I wanted to do art, but there was still that drive to feel like I'm actually doing something with my life in a way that my family would understand."

"Where I grew up, people heard of (Pablo Picasso) or whatever, but my family was kind of like, 'That's a nice hobby, but you need to go be a doctor or a lawyer or engineer."

"I want people to walk into the exhibition and feel like they belong. I hope they can feel the sense of movement and see themselves reflected in the pieces."

"Sometimes trade is unfairly blamed for things that are due to technology."

"One thing is that there is nothing you do that you will be definitely be comfortable with."

"There is no excuse for rape, and we shouldn’t be blaming victims!"

"With God and hard work, everything and anything is possible."

"I inspire myself. I remind myself that I have to succeed at what I enjoy doing in order to have true happiness."

"The more they acquire more knowledge, the more they will do well in their productions and do well in their personal lives as well, because if your business life improves, your personal life will definitely improve too."

"Work for the actor lies essentially in two areas: the ability to consistently create reality and the ability to express that reality”."

"Everywhere in the world there is poverty. So, there are people who have need for good education. And the more education we give to people, the more light we bring into our communities."

"Women are the backbone of any family. Therefore, we are the foundation of any society. When we get it right at the level of the family, things will be right with the society. When the society is troubled, then the problem actually started from the family. When we get it right in the family, everything finds its place in the society. My message to mothers is to be supportive of their husbands and every member of the family."

"I think men will take it more seriously when you come up with such legislation. I hope a man in the House of Reps or Senate sponsors a bill like that."

"The fact remains, while technology has come as a great relief and a major boost in the way of life of people, the same has left much to be concerned about because human traffickers have also caught on to this digital transformation. There is a shift from physical recruitment to virtual recruitment through virtual assessment of victims and proxy negotiations."

"Let us all see the issue of human trafficking as our problem. As at today, every state in Nigeria is affected, though trend, patten and the propotionality may differ but everyone is affected. As a Nigerian, if you see something, say something by reporting, educate yourself on issue of human trafficking, and know what the red signs are."

"If a sponsor facilitates your travel, you will be forced to do any job to pay off your sponsor before earning money for yourself."

"I cannot think of anything better than having legislation that whatever part of your body you use on a child while defiling the child, that part should be cut off. If it is your finger, if it is your mouth, if it is your private parts. I think men will take it more seriously when you come up with such LEGISLATION. I hope a man in the House of Reps or Senate sponsors a bill like that."

"What this means is people are speaking up now. What use to be a norm in the past? What we think is a thing of culture; people don’t take it anymore. We see children falling out on their own parents. The scariest part of it all is that, initially we see these perpetrators trying to justify their actions. To them, it is part of parenthood that needs to imbibe certain ways of upbringing. So apart from humans having a tendency to just be evil, the reality is that parents need to be highly educated on parenting especially single mothers/ single parenting needs programmes; sustainable programmes"

"We want to ask ourselves hard questions. We want to examine our journey so far because the international arbitration community [once] believed that Africans did not have the intellectual competence to resolve the disputes.But today we are saying that the Nigerian Institute of Chartered Arbitrators is the fastest-growing branch and we have many people that are qualified to act as counsel and arbitrators. When I began as an arbitrator over 10 years ago, Africans were not welcome. But that has changed. So, what are our prospects for the next 10 years?"

"It is noteworthy that about 21 countries around the world are currently governed by women. Apart from politics and governance, women have also profoundly achieved groundbreaking feats in various fields such as medicine, law, economics, sports, space, technology, media and entertainment. Only recently, our own Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was appointed the Director General of the World Trade Organization, making her the first woman and first African to occupy that position."

"For decades, women and ethnic minorities have faced discrimination and disadvantage in arbitrator appointments, on the narrative that there is a dearth of qualified Arbitrators in Africa. I am happy to state that, the narrative certainly does not hold water today, as even this hall is filled with highly qualified Arbitrators of African descent"

"All countries in Africa are busy trying to attract foreign investments. You will agree with me that without international arbitration, there cannot be foreign investors. In any jurisdiction, arbitration is one of the viable components for attracting foreign investors."

"NAPTIP shall remain resolute in its mission to combat human trafficking and bring offenders to justice. The agency shall continue to work tirelessly to ensure a safer and better society."

"Education is not just a tool for preventing trafficking; it is a shield that empowers individuals to recognize the signs and protect themselves and others"

"The future of international arbitration in Africa looks incredibly promising. With the increasing legislative changes, the growing importance of third-party funding and investment arbitration, there are exciting opportunities and positive developments in the use of arbitration as a dispute settlement mechanism in Africa."

"I belong to the kitchen, I belong to the living room and I belong to every room created by God. So also other women. We are created by God to do more. In my own case as a judicial officer, I also belong to the courtroom. Other women belong to different rooms, depending on their professional calling."

"Don’t just break up with people, without proper communication, leaving them in the dark to figure out what went wrong."

"Looks can be deceptive. That person you think is the wildest and most deceptive person can be sweet. The person looks that way because they choose it or they don’t see it as anything bad."

"It takes God to please God. We can not walk this path relying on our own strength, or else we will fall."

"People think they are wayward or wild. You can’t just judge anybody because of their profession. You cannot judge anybody because of their looks."

"She has worked in many different sectors of the Nigerian government during the past 10 years. She was appointed as the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development in 2008 and went on to become the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in 2010"

"You have your five years plan written out and if you are somebody that submits your life to God at some point, God will disrupt your plans and put his own plan. He starts to lead your life in the way he wants it to go."

"There is nothing God cannot do. Don’t stop praying. Don’t stop believing. He will do it in his own time."

"You need to be mentally, emotionally and physically stable. It takes everything from you even though it looks like we are playing."

"The Ministry of Justice has already designated a gender desk officer who will prepare all legal documents for legal action for victims. Also, all the officials that will work at the centre have already been trained with support from the Department For International Development (DFID)."

"The impact of the challenge includes limited access to justice, reduced accountability, discouragement of activism, undermining international commitments and erosion of public trust"

"You will achieve if you persistently go for what you believe in, particularly if it enhances people’s lives,When you make a difference and add value to society, it is so fulfilling – you get enormous strength from places you don’t expect, enabling you to do the job."

"Mrs. Suleiman, our pioneer female director, is a sound professional with high personal integrity, and brings with her, many years of managerial experience from both the corporate and governmental perspectives. Indeed, the Board of Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc is optimistic that Mrs. Suleiman’s wealth of experience would be of great benefit to the Company."

"I am not here to reinvent the wheel. The wheel is there. We just have to make it work. We have to oil it. We have to grease it. We have to put everything we can to make this machine work. Because like I said earlier, if we succeed, Nigeria succeeds, and we will all be part of this success story."

"Acting is a very demanding career, both physically and emotionally."

"There will always be pressure and it’s not an easy process but it’s good to stick to one’s values"

"with this film, many Nigerians particularly young ones who are desirous of going abroad for greener pastures by whatever means will learn a lesson of two. We hope to reach millions of people everyday with the message to that they should be vigilant.We are hoping when schools resume, we will have the opportunity to show this movie to them. Just like what was shared during the panel discussion, you find people trafficked out for cultural purposes, sporting activities underlining the reasons why they are taken out of the country, including for the purpose of organ removal. The trafficking in persons Prohibition and enforcement Act, Section 20 clearly criminalises any form of trafficking"

"Everybody is jumping around you, going around you and at the end of the day, you are just on your own. You can’t find anyone to tell you the truth."

"The real people don’t come around you. It is the fake people that would choke you up. Wrong association is the worst thing that can happen to anyone especially those in the entertainment industry."

"The mistakes you make today will definitely help in shaping your tomorrow."

"Deception is a terrible thing and people handle it differently"

"Don’t be desperate to get a role by living a fast life, it kills and destroys."

"A twenty year old girl can become a star, except in few situations where people go astray and it is mostly as a result of bad association."

"You know that fame also has its hiccups. It's like water everywhere and none to drink. You will survive if only you have the grace."

"In every field of endeavor, when one starts to grow, people try to subdue you."