The recognition of the ability of a woman to multitask, build a business, earn her money while building a home is something very encouraging. That’s part of the reasons why women are constantly applauded, most especially on International Women’s Day, which occurs every 8th of March.
These are the women who have made it to the top as the top richest women in Nigeria today.
1. Folorunsho Alakija
Alakija is recognized by Forbes as Africa’s richest woman. She is a business mogul with several assets and investments..She has an oil company, a fashion line, and a charity group among others. She established her business, Rose of Sharon group, a fashion initiative, in 1996. It started as Supreme stitches but was renamed along the line. In May 1993, she applied for an Oil prospecting license, and it was granted to her company, Famfa Oil Limited. The oil company has numerous districts and branches across the country and partners with high companies like chevron, star deep water petroleum and Petrobras. Alakija has established a name for herself as a philanthropist and giver. She established the Rose of Sharon Foundation where she gives to widows and orphans through scholarships and business grants. She also donated a skill acquisition center to Yaba College of technology.
2. Hajia Bola Muinat Shagaya
Hajia Bola Shagaya is a business magnate. She’s the second-richest woman in Nigeria and 4th in Africa according to Forbes. She studied Economics at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and furthered her education and studied accountancy in Armstrong college, California. She started her career as an auditor in the Central Bank of Nigeria and resigned in 1983 to launch her business. She started by importing photography materials, and she became the first person to introduce the Konica brand to Nigeria and West Africa. Hajia Bola ran her business with the name; Bolmus Group International, which is now a conglomerate for her other businesses and investments like real estate, Oil and gas, and photography. She founded Practoil limited, an importer and distributor of base oil in Nigeria. Additionally, has real estates and property across Nigeria, Europe, and the USA. Her passion for fashion made her a patron of the Fashion Designers Association of Nigeria (FADAN), a title that was bestowed upon her in 2010 by former President Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.
3. Daisy Danjuma
Daisy Danjuma is a leading lawyer and politician in Nigeria. She was once a senator of the Edo State senatorial district between 2003-2007. Daisy is an experienced lawyer with over 40 years of post call experience and belongs to several associations and has built a legal portfolio for herself which has awarded her contracts from different firms and organizations. She is currently the Vice chairman of SAPETRO: South Atlantic petroleum. Asides that, she is the Managing Director of May and Baker, a leading pharmaceutical company in Nigeria. She is the wife of the former defense minister, Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma.
4. Fifi Ekanem Ejindu
Fifi is an architect, business mogul and entrepreneur. She studied architecture at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York and emerged as the first black woman to be awarded a B.Arch. from the institute. She started her conglomerate, the Star Crest Group of companies which consists of Star Crest Investment Ltd., Star Crest Associates Ltd., and Star Crest Industries Ltd. The companies are involved in real estate, oil and gas, and building construction.
5. Stella Chinyelu Okoli
She is a leading Pharmacist and an entrepreneur. She graduated from the University of Bradford in 1969, and did her Master’s at the University of London in 1971. She worked for several pharmaceutical companies before establishing Emzor, which started as a small chemist shop in Somolu, Lagos and now part of the biggest pharmaceutical brands in Nigeria. Because of her Contribution to Nigeria’s health sector, she has been given the Member Of Order of the Niger award. She has been awarded several times because of her excellence.
These women have proven to be women of honor, and worthy role model for other people, as they have set up a pathway, which is to be followed diligently by other women today. This is why we are celebrating them and other women today.
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