Women Activists From Nigeria

"I thank you for your thoughtfulness and courage, even in the face of relentless denial of the contribution of women to national development. I am encouraged that a specialized publication like the PSR has come out to make this bold statement. The role of women in development can no longer be considered as marginal or supplementary."

"It is a great pleasure for me to be here this evening, and to share in the joy of this celebration of womanhood. I will like to thank the publishers of People State and Resource Magazine, not only for instituting these awards in honour of women, but also for nominating me for the PSR Woman of Merit Gold Award."

"I thought that it was interesting how young people were going to be able to contribute to the future of Nigeria… I can only say that I was taking a chance on being a viable part."

"It's a lot of work to start and grow a business in this climate. Some of the challenges include the regulations and a lack of adequate infrastructure, We know for sure that there is talent in Nigeria."

"Why not empower people that make up half of the world’s population? They are human beings. But if we did need a reason, it would be that there are statistics that show that the empowerment of girls and women is always to the betterment of any economy. And there are social reasons. You empower a girl, she pays it forward, you empower anyone, they pay it forward. So why not?"

"move out of the way so we can work. I like rules and when they are clear, you know what is right and what is wrong. The problem we have is that a lot of the rules are grey, and innovation moves faster than regulations."

"I would just ask them to go for it. It’s your space and your industry too, and we’re privileged and honoured to be paving the way for you, so do it. For so long, women have deferred to societal norms and practices that dictate that technology is for men. It’s not. Women are doing amazing in tech, maybe even better than men. So, please come on board, follow your dreams"

"When I started, I thought it was impossible, probably because there were not enough women just breaking down the barriers.I consider it an honour to be here, in tech, doing what I’m doing today; and I desperately want to see more women and girls just come into their own."

"I just feel a sense of duty in that I am one woman who’s had it relatively easy. I have a strong support system and I think that there's been a healthy amount of luck involved in where I am today. Where we started from, where the journey has gone—right place, right time, and all that."

"Embrace failure and be ready for it: it will happen at some point, so it just depends on what you do with it."

"My co-founders are probably the best I could have met because they don't hold me back. They allow me to be the full expression of who I am and so did my parents, so did my siblings. So, I have gone through life surrounded by people who allowed me to be who I am. It doesn't seem like that for all women, but it should."

"I think that women hear a lot of ‘Don't quit’ or ‘Speak up’. Women have been working and pushing, so perhaps, it's time to speak to the other part of the table: Give Women Capital."

"“The biggest resource for you outside of school is Google.”"

"You were born a woman, you don’t have any control over that so you have to make the best of it.”"

"I invest in capital markets because I learnt it from Google, I invest financially because I learnt it from edX, open source technology and you being able to pick up digital skills are going to be key.”"

"Aim very high. Work very hard. Care very deeply.” This principle, inspired by her father, underscores her approach to entrepreneurship—setting bold goals, dedicating effort, and maintaining empathy and integrity"

"When you have a problem, the problem is there, and it’s not going to go away. You can cry, you can be sad, but the problem will still be there.”"

"I think it’s easier than most people think to get women talking about and interested in those kinds of topics. You just have to meet them at the point of their needs, figure out what they’d be interested in, and consider what angle we should approach this from. When I was studying, we had women who were willingly studying engineering, and at every stage in my life, I have been able to point to women in the sciences. So while there are cultural and societal pressures not to go into fields perceived to be dominated by men, I think that there are women who are there and are making great names for themselves—across banking, fintech, and many other fields. That’s the kind of representation we need."

"We’re not just building tech. We’re building systems that allow people to dream again—women, young people, the underserved.”"

"We put everything we had learned into starting up new projects like PiggyVest. So when you fail, don’t let it disturb you, instead you take all that knowledge into the next and the next, till you strike gold. I don’t want the narrative to be skewed to the positive because it is about learning from these failures, and not just assuming you can’t fail cause you probably can and you will, so don’t stop. I will fail, stumble but I will get up to find solutions. Keep moving forward because the successful ones are built on the ashes of those failed ones."

"“Aim very high. Work very hard. Care very deeply.**"

"A feminist leader will recognize that all women and all men deserve equal opportunities to pursue fulfilling careers and lives, and put structures in place to help others live up to their potential and drive meaningful change."

"Set ambitious goals, dedicate yourself to relentless effort and show genuine care in your endeavours. This combination of aspiration, hard work and heartfelt commitment is a recipe for meaningful achievement."

"For me, the mission is that all women should be included, and I feel I have a responsibility to bring more women in."

"Keep working hard, keep building. Eventually, the world will recognise your worth."

"“Solve the problems you see around you.”"

"Women need to stay steady, know who they are and where they are going."

"You and I, we have a role to play in that. We’re the ones who share the content. We’re the ones who share the stories online. In this day and age, we’re the publishers. And we have responsibilities. In my job as a journalist, I check and verify. I trust my gusts but I ask tough questions. Why is this person telling me this story? What do they have to gain by sharing this information? Do they have a hidden agenda? I really believe we must all begin to ask tougher questions of information we discover online. Research shows that some of us don’t even read beyond headlines but we share stories."

"What if we stop taking information that we discover as face value? What if we stop to think about the consequence of the information that we pass on and its potential to incite violence or hatred? What if we stop to think about the real-life consequences of the information that we share?"

"No one said it’s going to be easy, the only assurance is that the difficult times won’t last forever. Never give up on your passion, follow your dreams, keep lighting up the world."

"We need good governance that puts women at the centre of its policies, and is seen to defend and enforce these policies. We need an enabling environment that supports women at home, in the workplace and in public spheres."

"Many times, people will tell you it is impossible, it can’t be done, you are too small or too inconsequential to make change happen. Look them in the face and show them just how to do it."

"The Chibok girls are a symbol; a symbol of the women; of all the girls that have been stolen by Boko Haram."

"...guarding yourself against partnerships that want to suck the life out of you not because they share the same value, but because they like the fame you’re getting. So you need to be discerning in terms of working with people."

"Take care of your own mental health and well being because that is very important."

"We live in a country that is wearing a veil of silence."

".....there’s nothing impossible to do except you don’t just have the will to do it."

"Every journalist has a story that defines them. For me, it’s one of the stories I would find very hard to let go as long as the girls are in Boko Haram captivity."

"There’s something about this place that just grabs you and sucks you in. The energy is off the charts and I think that is what attracts people here."

"Mental health is not for ‘mad people’. It is basically your psychological and emotional wellbeing."

"Practice your craft daily. Watch those you admire, follow their steps, and emulate them. But you must start. Create your own opportunities."

"Sitting in a developed country and complaining about Nigeria is not really going to make things happen. I have to be here do what I can, to help it develop, I feel my role is to highlight the story that needs to be told; shed light on things that needs to be exposed. These are things that drive me."

"My role is to say, there are problem here like everywhere in the world, we need to show a different tide, and we need to show people who are making impact, people who are making great things here."

"In the Uk, people wear jeans and top, sometimes, no make up, and off they go. But here, everybody pays attention to what you wear and how you look. Here, people take pride in how they dress. Here, it is dress how you want to be addressed but in the UK there is nothing like that."

"As a woman, you can’t limit yourself, the ages of limitations are definitely gone so, do it."

"There’s no sliding scale of equality. We are all humans and deserve the same level of humanity."

"Every human being has autonomy, whether in a marriage or a single people. That you are married does not take out your human right."

"Even if you don’t feel like you belong, you have to keep going. Don’t let the feeling of insecurity hold you back."

"Just speak out. You owe it to yourself and to no one, whenever you are able to share your story or even to say I need help. There is absolutely freedom in asking for help. There is no shame and no self-guilt."

"Parents have their own timeline for your life. You must create and embrace yours and BE HAPPY with your choices."