Women can do better in agric, health care, finance

Bukola Bello -Jaiyesimi
Bukola Bello-Jaiyesimi is passionate about  women’s cause and mentoring  youngsters.  She studied Cultural Diversity Awareness in Scotland and this broadened her horizon. A pan-Africanist and multiple-awards recipient, she spoke with Sunday Sun recently about her life as an entrepreneur and other issues.


Excerpts:
What’s life as an entrepreneur like ?
I have always craved  the need to be independent, to encourage women to be independent not just financially but to be able to take decisions on their own. Women can multi-task. We  do  five to ten things before going to work,  so why can’t we do the same in the workplace?.
Entrepreneurship afforded me the opportunity to serve by providing goods and services  and also the opportunity to work with a lot of people daily. As an entrepreneur, I made my mistakes and learnt from them. I want every  worker to work towards perfection. As much as this is tough, it’s achievable, provided  youths  embrace  the can-do attitude. Africa can be better.

Tell us some  memorable moments on the job and in your life generally?
When my customers  say “thank you” for  services my firm has  rendered .This indicates  that they are satisfied. Life  has been  both good and bad. In either case , I’ve been motivated to achieve better results. I learn from adversity  and this makes me a better person. There’s always room for improvement and as regards the good times , I just wish for more. An instance of this is  being recognized in  Africa for innovative leadership  and also in Europe for the same reasons.

Who or what do you consider  the greatest influence in your life?
A desire to make a difference and a desire to make positive change in Africa.

How would you assess women’s performance especially regarding leadership?
I would like to see  Nigerian women doing well in all spheres of life . They should  do better in agriculture , healthcare , finance and entrepreneurship. Unfortunately , everyone is rushing  for  paid jobs which is a comfort zone. You work and spend all your lifetime on a particular job  and by the time you are old, it’s difficult to start something new.
However, if a woman comes out to take her place as an entrepreneur , she becomes a catalyst for change and motivates others. You can only mentor others if you have tested the waters. At every stage  in life , you have a decision to take  and this determines how you want to be influenced  by  other women. So, you should rule your temper, don’t let  your temper rule you.

Have women benefited from  Affirmative Action ?
We are not there yet. We do not have the figures  we need. We should be examining the gains at the national , state and local government levels as well as the corporate sector. When we get to a stage ,  we would need more than  30 per cent  and would be asking for more.

Who are your mentors and those you’ve mentored ?
I have a few mentors that I cherish in different areas like finance, entrepreneurship and personal development. They’re  part of my success story. I will mention just one for now and she is Kemi Akiyode Adebayo, a woman who will stop at nothing to unleash other people’s  potentials. I’ve always mentored  youths and women who are  unstoppable  despite  numerous challenges in Africa.

If you had to compare female leaders in Nigeria with women in other parts of the world, what would you say?
We are still looking forward to women leaders that are accessible , less egoistic , down to earth and willing to reproduce their kind and leave a lasting legacy.

Why are you passionate about women in public life?
Women are dynamic. They’re able to multi-task and are  quite innovative. With these, their role in nation building cannot be underestimated. They need support  in the  actualization of nation building in the true sense of the word.

What are some challenges  women in leadership positions encounter?
The first is sexism and I hasten to say  that irrespective of gender, women also have the capacity to function effectively in leadership positions and in the work place if given the opportunity.
The quality of leadership a woman can  deliver is a function of the quality of education and experience  she possesses. Without sexism, a woman can be at her best in leadership when  sexism becomes irrelevant.

What are some   achievements of African women? Do they have  potentials? 
Good governance has been on the rise in Africa as  women are  taking on roles as presidents of nations , corporate and business leaders where more jobs and opportunities are created. More women need  to be involved in business, trade, governance and other sectors of  African economies. In addition, women’s organizations can also be  catalysts for development in Africa.

What’s your  inspiration and  what  do you hope to see in future?
Though African Women Foundation for Nation building was  founded by women, it’s not only  for women. Men , youths and children of Africa are our constituencies too. Women need to take their place in world economy and by so doing the role of men and youths can be further enhanced  and of course  children would be better-off. We want to rejuvenate, reposition and reinvigorate the  African woman in the nation building process  and  across the sectors of the economies of Africa.
My aim is  to  be more  influential  not only in Nigeria and Africa but all over the world.

How do you relax?
Well, the only way I relax is listening to good music. I mean my kind of music. I like inspirational music, not noisy music. With inspirational music , I can  relax and think. Unfortunately, the way Nigeria is now, I don’t know how many people relax except when they are on holidays abroad.

You look trendy. What’s style to you?
I  know  my figure and  what makes me happy when I wear it. I don’t follow what’s in vogue. If I’m comfortable in it, if I love it, if  I’m satisfied with  what I see in the mirror, I’m  good to go. I’m not  trendy.