Meet The Authors & Speakers
Akada Children's Book Festival 2020
Abimbola Dosunmu
Abimbola Dosunmu is a renowned Educationist and Management Consultant in educational services. With over 18 years of professional experience which covers cross-discipline and global best practices, Abimbola Dosunmu has masterminded improved learning at several schools through curriculum development, qualitative leadership, and strategic management.
Abimbola has scaled from a vibrant Class teacher who taught with passion and dedication at Montessori School House in Ikoyi, Avicenna School Ikeja and Grange School, Ikeja G.R.A to becoming an Assistant Head of Junior School at Children’s International School, Lekki-Lagos where she is currently responsible for leading strategic management and operational excellence at the school. From the design of world-class learning and development strategies which ensured maximum student and teacher performance, Abimbola has effectively impacted in the achievement of organisational and educational development.
For Abimbola, being an Educationist is not enough. Like every successful and passionate humanist, she has been actively involved in parent-child counselling. Impressively, she has shared her wealth of experience in child behavioural and academic developments to hundreds of parents on consulting basis. In addition to counselling parents, she has engaged with policy and decision-makers in the education sector to discuss, develop, and implement best practices for educational management.
Along with her professional experience, Abimbola Dosunmu is a well-read professional who has a Bachelor of Science in Human Nutrition from University of Ibadan, Montessori Teaching Diploma from the College of Modern Montessori, South Africa, Postgraduate Diploma in Education from University of Lagos, Nigeria, and a Master of Science in Multidisciplinary Studies from University at Buffalo, SUNY, New York in the United States of America. Her quest for knowledge is unrivaled. Combined with her degree programmes, she has undertaken diverse trainings which stands her out among contemporaries. She is an International Certified Teacher and an International Certified Teacher Leader. Combined with her degree programmes, she has undertaken diverse trainings which stands her out among contemporaries. She is an International Certified Teacher and an International Certified Teacher Leader.
She has also attended training by Harvard Professional School in: Learning to Talk by Talking: A Developmental Approach to Maximizing Language and Literacy Skills and she is currently completing the training: Developing Strategies for Online Teaching and Learning.
Abimbola Dosunmu is a passionate child of God with the mission to use what God has blessed her with, to help raise godly and skilled teachers as influencers and support parents and children.
Her vision is to see that every Nigerian child reads, writes and makes informed decisions which will in turn cause a shift in the society and create a positive change.
She volunteers/ collaborates with organizations like TFN( Teach for Nigeria), Learning As I Teach Foundation (LAIT) to coach/train teachers, TAL (Touch A Life) to help support teenagers to university and Dabira Lydia Initiative to assist children in primary school, WRAP, EduAid, Embrace and other NGOs.
She is the founder of the Educatorsroundtable; a platform to raise champions in the educational sector. She runs online coaching and mentoring sessions for teachers and conducts school search consultation for parents.
Irrespective of what it is happening around her, Abimbola always demonstrates a high sense of emotional intelligence, resilience, respect,reliability and resourcefulness.
I will be having a book chat on
Five Favourite Children's Books
Saturday October 31, 2020
Abiola Seriki-Ayeni
“Literacy is inherently a political project in which men and women assert their right and responsibility not only to read, understand, and transform their own experiences, but also reconstitute their relationship with the wider society” Paolo Freire.
Abiola Seriki-Ayeni is a seasoned educator with a deep-rooted aim to deliver on the promise that every child has access to quality education, and has the ability to thrive in school and in life. She is guided by these core values on the path to success: excellence is a habit; integrity in all and results without excuses.
She is currently the Director General, Office of Education Quality Assurance. She served as the Senior Special Assistant (Education) to the former Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode.
Prior to this, she worked as the Senior Manager, Teacher Effectiveness with the New York City Department of Education; Talent Management with Achievement First Charter Schools; high school teacher at Harmony Public Schools, Texas and a middle school teacher through the New York City Teaching Fellows Programme. She has also worked with NAPIMS, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation; Forte Oil and Lagos State Ministry of Education. Honors include Golden Key International Honor Society; Harvard Women in Public Policy Programme and Education Pioneers Graduate School Fellowship Programme. She also a Board Member, AIFA Reading Society.
She holds degrees from Pennsylvania State University, State College, USA (B.A.); Columbia University, New York City, USA (M.A.) and Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA (M.Ed.). She is married and blessed with children.
I will be speaking on
Leveraging Government Partnerships
Friday October 30, 2020
Adesola Alli
Adesola is a wife, mother and Entrepreneur. She is a first class Alumni of the University of Lagos where she studied Electrical Engineering and also attended The Prestigious Queen's College, Lagos. She is a Former Telecomms Engineer, now full time Read-for-Fun-Advocate for Children.
As a child in primary school, She developed her love for reading early on .She grew up surrounded by books in her home library. Reading took her to somewhere else....When She got to secondary school...She met other people of like mind and right there, Her insatiable reading journey began. She blazed through school reading all titles and She just could not stop. Up till date She still reads and She decided to Get her children and other children interested in books early on.
And this brought about the idea of starting the Kids Literary Circle Book Club to get other children of ages 1-12 begin to love Books from an early age. The Kids Literary Circle Book Club is currently running online on Zoom Every Saturday due to the pandemic.
At the Kids Literary Circle Book Club, we want children to develop a well rounded growth and future using Books to activate Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math. We bring the Book to life and also engage in several activities around the book to engage children. The idea is to show children, there is so much one can do just by picking up a book, that way it makes it more exciting for them to want to read and explore.
We look forward to making the Kids Literary Circle Book Club a household name and getting as many children interested in picking up Books, thereby reviving the dwindling reading culture among children these days.
I will be having a book chat on
The importance of reading clubs and reading aloud
Saturday October 31, 2020
Aduke Gomez
Aduke utilises her legal and advisory skills to assist in business and creative development. Commencing her career in legal practice with Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie, she later worked for many years in various leadership roles within Ecobank Nigeria Ltd and Leadway Pensure PFA. Aduke was appointed to the Governor Fashola Administration of Lagos State in the role of Senior Special Assistant/Secretary to the Lagos State Hotel Licensing Authority in 2011. She was also appointed to serve on the Lagos State History Committee and the Lagos Carnival Committee.
Aduke was recently able to combine her interest in Nigerian history with her work as Consulting Producer on the acclaimed Quramo Productions documentary on the history of Nigeria - "Journey Of An African Colony". Aduke’s published collection of poems was featured as a festival book for both the Lagos Book and Art Festival 2017 and the Ake Festival 2017. Her recent children's book "Lost And Found In Lagos" - a collaboration with Biola Alabi Media was selected as one of Channels TV Book Club Top Twenty Books for 2019.
She is currently the Chair of the Steering Committee of Art4Life – an initiative of the Lagos State Ministry of Health established to introduce art and the practice of art into the entire healthcare process.
I will be sharing a story from
The Adventures Of Lara and Dara - Lost And Found In Lagos
Saturday October 31, 2020
Ayo Oyeku
Ayo Oyeku is a writer of prose, poetry and screenplay. He made an early mark in 2004, when his first children's book, First among Equals, was selected by World Bank for distribution across schools and libraries in the country. In 2015, his young-adult novel, Tears of the Lonely, won the Ezenwa Ohaeto Prize for Fiction, by the Society of Young Nigerian Writers. In 2016, his poem, Reeds on the Rivers, was nominated for the Pushcart Prize. In 2018, he emerged as one of the multiple winners of the Golden Baobab Prize. In 2019, he won the ANA prize for Children's literature for his book, Mafoya and the Finish Line. He recently published his seventh children's book, The Legend of Ataoja. Ayo Oyeku is a member of Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). Asides writing, he loves traveling and telling stories.
I will be sharing a story from
Mafoya and the Finish Line
Saturday October 31, 2020
Basirat Razaq-Shuaib
Basirat is a Board Certified Cognitive Specialist, an author, a social
entrepreneur and a global speaker advancing the conversation on
disability and inclusive education in Nigeria. She is the Founder of The
Winford Centre for Children and Women - a charity supporting children
with developmental disabilities in Nigeria and registered as a United
Nations Global Compact partner organisation. She is also the CEO of The
Winford Centre International- the premier provider of developmental and
learning aids for children with special needs in Nigeria
Basirat is a doctoral student of disability and inclusive education at
the University of Cambridge and she holds multiple degrees and
certifications. She has 16 years' multi-sector experience which cuts
across Africa and the UK covering education, financial services and
non-profit organisation management industries. Basirat is the first
Mansion House Scholar in Nigeria.
British Council ELTons Innovation Award Finalist, Basirat Razaq-Shuaib
is the pioneer of "Inclusion starts with me children series". She has
published two children's picture books - "I am not naughty- I really
really mean it!" and "Dragons can sing" both targeted at educating
children, parents and teachers on empathy, kindness and disability
inclusion. Her work has been translated into 3 international languages.
Over the past 4 years, she has continued to actively promote the
inclusion of children with developmental disabilities and their families
in society so that they have a chance to achieve positive outcomes and
contribute positively to economic development. Basirat remains
passionate about helping people and strongly believes that through
inclusion, we can create a better society and achieve sustainable
development. She has worked with leading organisations such as UNESCO,
British Council and Guaranty Trust Bank.
I will be speaking on
Million Dollar Baby: Recognising and Nurturing Talented Children
Saturday October 31, 2020
Centuple Entertainment
Centuple Resource Centre is a leading provider of performance music education and an edutainment space for children. Our fundamental goal is advocacy for music appreciation amongst children and young adults.
Since inception in 2015, founders-Oluyinka Adamolekun, a professional musician of over 2 & half decades and Olajumoke Adamolekun a linguist/vocalist & songwriter have trained hundreds of students along with their team.
The enterprise was born out of the desire to properly groom children who have love for music and other art forms. Over the years, Centuple has facilitated music trainings and organized music exhibitions such as the “World music Day inter-school music Exhibition” which had about 19 schools in attendance. We have also produced musical video recordings with children such as “We Proclaim” -a Sunday school sing along DVD. “Keepers of the Earth”-a song for nature conservation. “GbeL’aruge”-a music video that centers on promotion of Nigerian heritage/content and a call to harness our own resources.
Our robust curriculum and performance-based approach ensures that children learn music in a collaborative and exciting way.
We believe that music is a choice art that broadens the horizon of a child. Consequently with music, children become more enthused to excel, develop a great self esteem, become stage-ready and have good clean fun with their peers.
Our various musical events usually present a great platform for children to enhance their confidence, focus, team work and even camaraderie.
We remain passionate about raising a generation of fine musicians who will enrich the fabric of Nigeria’s art.
Chigozie A. Mbadugha
Chigozie Anuli Mbadugha is a Nigerian writer and ophthalmologist. Chigozie wrote her first unpublished novel at the age of six and has been writing poems, scripts, short stories, and songs since then, mainly for leisure. One of her poems, “The New Yam Festival,” won second prize in a nationwide poetry competition in 1983. She was the recipient of the silver prize at the Kanagawa World Biennial Children’s art competition in Japan in 1987. Her debut publication - a collection of short stories titled Beyond the Trial was awarded the Samuel Ajayi Crowther prize in 2017.
She has written six children’s books to date and hopes to write more books before her hyperactive muses grow up. When Chigozie is not performing eye surgeries, she tries to write “eye-popping” fiction, listen to music, and spend quality time with her family.
I will be doing a book reading of
Whose Favourite Am I?
Saturday October 31, 2020
Chioma Momah
Chioma Momah is a lawyer, writer and inspirational /parenting blogger.
This mother of four is the author of the children's books "First day at the Big School" and "Fun Day at the Museum" as well as the Goals, Gratitude and Growth Journal. Chioma is also the founder of Let's Encourage A Reading Nation" (L.E.A.R.N) which is aimed at improving literacy among children.
She holds an L.L.B from the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, as well as an MBA from Anglia Ruskin University and an MPA from the University of Exeter (both in the UK). She is a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.
Chioma also enjoys speaking on parenting, gender issues and literacy.
Follow her on Facebook at Chiomah's Blog, Instagram @chiomahmomah and read her posts on www.chiomah.net.
I will be speaking on
From Larvae to Butterfly
Saturday October 31, 2020
Chioma Omeruah
Chioma Omeruah aka C-Flow, aka Chi-Gul is a singer, song writer, comedian, MC/ compere, brand influencer and actress who was born in Lagos where she lived until she moved to the US in 1994. She remained in the US for the next 12 years where she continued to pursue her passions while teaching drama to kids at the Boys and Girls Clubs and in the High School where she worked as a French Teacher. Chioma has taken part in various theater productions such as Lorraine Hansberry's "raisin in the sun", one act plays such as "its not my fault" and she even dabbled in the genre of Absurdism, taking on roles in a play called "the bald
Soprano".
Chioma is in her element on stage, especially in Musical theater as she gets to use both her acting and singing skills. Since returning home to Nigeria in 2006, she has been in two musical productions; "a voice for Ella" (a Nigerian adaptation of the Cinderella story) and Disney's " The Lion King" in Conjunction with Standard Bearers School, Lagos. In 2015, after seven and a half years at the ECOWAS Commission in Abuja, She quit her 9-5 job to pursue entertainment full time. A job she believes she was born to do.
Dami Solesi
DamiIola Solesi is the CEO and creative director at SMIDS animation studios, a company she founded in 2010. SMIDS animation studios is one of the leading animation companies in Africa and also rated by the PWC (Price Water Coopers) industry report 2019 as being in the top 2 animation companies in Nigeria.
They have handled several 3D animation projects for .veral clients and are now busy working on children content for tv and web. Their first TV series The Makerbolts' was a finalist at this year's Annecy (the largest animation festival in the world) 'Animation du Monde'. After qualifying through the regional and continental stages. One of their top projects is the BOXED series now showing on YouTube. Da.'s work in leading and managing the day to day strategic and operations of the business has been critical to the success of SMIDS.
Her drive, passion and youth has earned her interviews in the Huffington post, The Punch, Guardian and Sun newspapers in Nigeria. She has been a panelist at the annual conference of the Women in Management, Business and Public service (WIMBIZ) at her 2014 annual conference where she spoke on challenges and opportunities available to 'millennia's' in the Nigerian Business space. She is also 'Mandela Washington Fellow-Young African Leader', a President Bar.k Obama flagship program for young Africa.. She was also one of the recipients of the USADF (Unit. States African Development Fund) Award of 525,000.
Damilola Solesi has a bachelors degree from Bowen University in Computer science and has over the years acquired several business skills through the Certificate in Entrepreneurial Management (CEM) at the Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) of the Pan-Atlantic University, Basic and Advanced leadership course at the Days. Leadership Academy (DLA) and has benefited immensely from the W114B2(Women in Management, Business and Public Service) mentoring program.
She is also a Goldman Sachs Scholar, mentee on the IBM Women Enterprise Challenge, recipient of the Empowering Women series award and one of the 1,200 exceptional women who won the federal government YouWin (Youth enterprise with Innovation) grants for young entrepreneurs in the second run of the program tagged "YouWin Women".
I will be speaking on
Level Up!: From Picture Book To Animation
Friday October 30, 2020
Dancerapy
Dancerapy is a Fitness Dance concept of Corporate Dance World that uses dance as a medium for fitness. Dancerapy is provided by Corporate Dance World.
Corporate Dance World is a dance agency set up with an aim to promote dance within and outside Nigeria. We believe that dance is for everyone and that it has the ability to make a positive impact on our quality of life.
Dance steps and at home workout for the whole family
Saturday October 31, 2020
Elizabeth Osho
Elizabeth Osho is a detailed strategist and a communications expert. She is the founder of So.MeSolutions, a communications company that has helped a significant number of brands boost their possibilities including Sterling Bank, South African Tourism, MasterCard Foundation, Unilever, Filmhouse Cinemas, Sweetkiwi to name a few. Liz has been recorded among the100 most inspiring women in Nigeria (2017).
She was likewise interviewed by CNN where she spearheaded one of the most insightful events on Digital marketing tagged Dedicated to Digital.
I will be speaking on
Get Yourself Out There!: Making The Most Of Social Media
Friday October 30, 2020
Esosa Daniel-Oniko
Esosa Daniel-Oniko will tell you that words are her business. She loves the push and pull as she writes, and the lyrical dance as the words land on a page.
She has written several short stories, articles, poems and seven books of varying genre.
When she isn't writing, she can be found homeschooling her children, cooking, late-night chitchatting with her husband and siblings or reading a good book.
I will be doing a book reading of
Fantastically Fejiro
Saturday October 31, 2020
Farida Ladipo-Ajayi
Farida is a literacy advocate committed to improving the reading culture in Nigeria. She is the founder and literacy leader at The Bookworm Cafe. The Bookworm Cafe owns a children's bookstore making diverse books available to children in Nigeria. They also own a children's library and facilitate several grassroot literacy programs to improve literacy skills in Nigeria. Farida is enthusiastic about literature that adequately represent African children and promotes these kinds of literature on several platforms locally and internationally.
I will be having a book chat on
Children's book guru Farida
Saturday October 31, 2020
Francis Adesina
Mr. Francis Adeshina, a Strategist who discovered his purpose early and started his company at age 19 as a brand strategist, building a great clientele of leading multinationals as well as indigenous companies as he helped them achieve their corporate visions and goals. His works have influenced IT, the educational and entertainment sectors, the beauty and cosmetics industry and many more. Over a few decades, in his early twenties, he has helped build both multinational and top indigenous brands that you love.
These multinational brands include Dell, HP, British America Tobacco, PZ,
Coca-Cola etc. His impact on the entertainment industry includes the conceptualization and creation of the Hip-hop World Award plaque popularly called Headies and its brand essence through the input of his company called Eighttwentytwo. Other leading indigenous brands include Readland, House of Tara, Visible Impact, Kaffy Inc, Smooth Promotion, Lush House of Style and more. He also became personal Brand Strategists to Fela Durotoye and other high profile action-driven leaders. He grew into becoming a bunch of talents laced with a strong passion for creative leadership and excellence raising an army of great talents, entrepreneurs, ministers and philanthropists in his wake. He dares the
impossible and sits on the board of many thriving organizations. He is the author of Conquering Time.
He is an international illustrator, publisher and a philanthropist. His vision is to help convert dreams practically, to leading brands with a global competitive edge with a core goal of building new industries for national development growth. He also became personal Brand Strategists to Fela Durotoye and other high profile individuals. He grew into becoming a bunch of talents laced with a strong passion for creative leadership and excellence; raising an army of great talents, entrepreneurs, ministers and philanthropists in his wake. He dares the impossible and sits on the board of many thriving organizations. He is the author of Conquering Time.
He is an international illustrator, publisher and a philanthropist. He has illustrated over 15 books. His vision is to help convert dreams practically, to leading Brands with a global competitive edge. He's also a TED speaker. Through his family envisioning system, he has helped many famous families fulfill their dream as one team.
I will be speaking on
Creating Illustrations For Children's Books
Friday October 30, 2020
George Dguru Ugbegua
George has vast knowledge of the Nigerian Digital Media Landscape with experience in Web development, Digital Strategy development, Google Adwords Campaigns, Community Management as well as Digital Analy4cs. He has managed Digital campaigns and has developed plaGorms for various clients such as Africa Re-Insurance, FCMB, Unilever, Standard Chartered, RadissonBlu, Lagos State Safety Commission, etc He is the project lead in the development of Nigeria's first Analy4c tool QuiDig and has been involved in building the next genera4on of digital expert through training he has conducted for various students in the NIJ (Nigerian Institute of Journalism) George is currently the Lead Consultant for Dashboard Innova4ons (A Leading digital marke4ng agency) and he is the Country Manager for FlinkBox (An interna4onal Adver4sing startup company).
He Attended Ajayi Crowther University where he finished with a First Class studying informa4on and Communica4ons Technology. He has handled several training for companies such as TVC, Nimbus Media, PFC Africa and currently consults for several agencies in Nigeria.
I will be speaking on
Unbury Your Work: Making It Easy For Buyers To Find Your Books
Friday October 30, 2020
Haruna Abu
Haruna Abu is a Farmer, Translator & Publisher. He translated the book « Don Me ake Wanke Hannu », and is working on publication of graphic novels in indigenous languages.
Kurege Mai Wayo Da Baban Gasan Aure
Saturday October 31, 2020
Irene Omiunu
Irene Omiunu is a Nigerian born fashion artist/ illustrator based in the UK.
In recent years, she has been commissioned internationally by some of the world's top brands including Vogue, Grazia, Vlisco, The Dubai Mall and Aspinal of London.
She has successfully illustrated 3 children's books with 2 more due early 2021. She is a firm believer in the power of pictures to illuminate the minds of children and spark a love of reading early on in life.
Her earliest influences were stories by Enid Blyton, animated Disney movies and Nigerian classics such as Macmillan Ali and Simbi series.
She frequently draws on her African heritage as inspiration for her colourful illustrations.
I will be speaking on
Creating Illustrations For Children's Books
Friday October 30, 2020
Isabella Akinseye
Isabella Akinseye is the founder and Managing Director of Yellow Tamarind Productions, a media and PR company based in Lagos. She has hosted several TV and radio programmes including Africana Literati, The FrontPage, The Movie Buff Show, Correct Student, Rubbin' Minds, Untold Facts, The Clapperboard Show, TraderMoni Radio Show, Nolly Silver Screen and Politico Politica with Isabella Akinseye.
She is a seasoned compere and has anchored conferences, festivals, awards and corporate events. She is a 2019 Obama Leader. An Education with English and Drama graduate from the University of Cambridge, she is the editor of NollySilverScreen.com. An award winning writer, her works have appeared in newspapers, magazines, journals and online publications.
I will be speaking on
Editing: You've Written A Book Now What?
Friday October 30, 2020
Jane Egerton-Idehen
Jane Egerton-Idehen is the country manager in Nigeria and the regional sales manager for the West African branch of Avanti Communications Group PLC. Avanti, headquartered in the United Kingdom, provides satellite broadband and connectivity services to Internet service providers, mobile network operators, other satellite operators, various businesses, and government agencies in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
Jane was born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria. She graduated with a second class upper degree in electronics engineering in 2001 from the University of Nigeria, Nusska. She furthered her education at Warwick Business School in the UK, where she received a master’s degree, and she received an executive education at both Harvard Business School and Yale School of Management in the United States. She has worked in the telecommunications industry in Nigeria, Ghana, and Liberia for more than 17 years.
Prior to working for Avanti, she worked for Nokia and Ericsson. Her knowledge of technology, her ability to manage complex stakeholder relationships, and her skill to manage teams and create strategies to support growth and drive business are keys to her success.
A quintessential extrovert and physical fitness proponent, Jane enjoys golf, cycling, and salsa. She also writes a regular telecoms column for Business and Financial Times Ghana. She and her husband, Egerton Idehen, have a son, Asher, and a daughter, Sarah, who inspire Jane to continue to push for diversity in male-dominated fields. Although she travels extensively, Jane continues to make her home in Lagos.
I will be speaking on
Becoming An eBook Superstar
Friday October 30, 2020
John Asiegbu
John Asiegbu is recognized as Africa's Leading
Emotional Intelligence Expert, working with individuals
families, and organizations to maximise and achieve their
goals by leveraging on the power of emotional
intelligence.
He graduated as a Real Estate Professional from the
Federal University of Technology Akure, Ondo State,
Nigeria. John is also an alumnus of the Eastern
Mediterranean University, Cyprus where he graduated
with an MBA in Organizational Behavior, with a thesis on
Analysis of the Components of Emotional Intelligence. A
PMI and CompTIA certified Project Management
Professional, with a passion for project leadership,
entrepreneurship and talent management.
He is presently Lead Consultant at Evlos Consulting; a
company that helps organizations to achieve strategic
goals through consulting and training in Emotional
Intelligence, Customer Relationship, Effective
Communication, Productivity, Leadership, Team Bonding,
Sales and Project Managemennt.
As a Public Speaker, John has reached over 1,000,000
people in his quest to help individuals and business
organizations to maximize potential and reach peak
performance. He is an author of three books.
I will be speaking on
Developing Emotional Intelligence in Children
Saturday October 31, 2020
Joyce Daniels
Joyce Daniels, with a B.Sc in Anatomy, started her career as a Professional Master
of Ceremonies in 2007 and today, is amongst the top Event Host MCs in Nigeria,
hosting a long list of high-profile events, with clients in the Oil & Gas Industry, Financial Services, Multinational companies, Diplomatic community, NGOs, Religious Organisations, High Net-worth Individuals, and many more.
In March 2014, she founded TALKADEMY – Africa’s Premiere Training School for
Masters of Ceremonies and has since trained over 1000 MCs, through free and
paid events, live and online.
Joyce is the author of the book 'MASTERY' - a comprehensive guide for MCs and
everyone who needs to earn more from their speaking prowess.
Her latest book, "Before You Speak, Read This", was written as a guide to genius public speaking.
For over a decade, Joyce has been a public speaking and presentations skills trainer and coach to individuals and groups, training over 8,000 individuals from 9 countries. She hosts a yearly group mentoring session - Talk With Joyce. The mentoring program is designed to create a positive shift in the mindset,
reevaluation of values, building networks, financial intelligence and fostering Nation Building.
Over the years, Talk With Joyce has been in 6 cities physically, with short videos
on YouTube, and has touched the lives of over 1000 youths. Joyce is a member, Institute of Strategic Management of Nigeria(MISMN),an
associate of Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ)and a
mentor at Women in Successful Careers (WISCAR).
She's married with a (teenage)son.
Kids Books Review NG
The Kidsbooksreviewng page is anchored by 3 real sisters
1. Miss Tamara Ebitonmor- #TamaraMDE - 12yrs old
2. Miss Ebinemi Ebitonmor- #EbinemiTE - 9yrs old and
3. Miss Tonye Ebitonmor - #TonyeBE - 7yrs old
Kids Books Review NG was birthed to primarily inspire children to love books and imbibe the reading culture because reading is fundamental. The girls enjoy reading books, and review some of these books afterwards. These reviews are posted on their Instagram page.
The mission is to raise readers and leaders. We have received and reviewed books from authors both locally and internationally. The platform is a popular Instagram page for children's book reviews done by children. We recently introduced their YouTube channel – Sisters Who Inspire NG with a similar mission and focus.
Lola Shoneyin
Lola Shoneyin's works includes three books of poems: So All the Time I Was Sitting on an Egg(1997), Song of a Riverbird (2002) and For the Love of Flight (2010); and a 3 children's books titled Mayowa and the Masquerades (2010) Do As You are Told, Baji (2019) and Iyaji, the Housegirl (2019). Her debut novel, The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives was nominated for the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2011 and went on to win the PEN Oakland 2011 Josephine Miles Literary Award and the Ken Saro Wiwa Prose Prize.
Shoneyin is the founder of Book Buzz Foundation—an NGO that is devoted to promoting literacy, creating reading spaces, and organising cultural And Arts-focused events such as the Ake Arts & Book Festival, and the Kaduna Book & Arts Festival which takes place in Northern Nigeria.
In 2016, she founded Ouida Books—a Nigerian publishing house. She also runs one of the best-stocked bookstores in Nigeria. Shoneyin is currently working on her second novel, and a series of children's picture books set in northern Nigeria.
I will be speaking on
Write It Down!: From Idea to Book
Friday October 30, 2020
Modupe Adeyemo-Oyetade
Dr. Modupe Adeyemo Oyetade is a Dental Surgeon and she loves to write children books of which she has written quite a few. Amongst them are Ivana series (Ivana and Friends, Ivana catches a cold, Ivana begins again, Ivana saves Christmas, Wura gets a goat, Manna smells a rat, Is that what it is? And Lion and the Duck Series which also include (The Lion and the Duck, The Foolish Lion, The Singing Lion and the Wise Duck).
I will be doing a book reading of
The Lion And The Duck
Saturday October 31, 2020
Olamide Akin-Alabi
Olamide Akin-Alabi is a Law School Graduate with interests in Child Rights and children development, and author of Child's Right Act Simplified.
Over the past 11 years, she has worked with several children development-focused initiatives starting out as a teacher in the children department of her local church. During her undergraduate years, she volunteered for organizations that address issues such as Girl child education, sexual/domestic abuse and women empowerment. These include Beyond The Classroom, Bambino Bible Club (Ibadan), and Girl Afrique.
Olamide is the host of Parenting Series (IG: @olamide_akinalabi), a live show where she actively engages parents and professionals to discuss critical issues in children development such as building a healthy esteem, sexuality, etc. She believes that the level of development attainable by any society is largely dependent on the development of the children and youth.
Olamide is a professional compère and moderator. In the last 4 years, she has hosted several high-profile corporate events such as Converge, JoyedUp, etc. She was the co-host of Temi's Love Clinic on Inspiration 100.5FM Ibadan. She is currently the Liaison Officer for daGista Magazine (a subsidiary of BE Company) and an administrative Intern at GetIn Education Consulting.
I will be speaking on
10 Amazing Facts From The Child’s Rights Act
Saturday October 31, 2020
Olayemi Ejemai
Olayemi Ejemai, Ph.D.; FCCA; FCA; FCIT; is an author of children’s picture storybooks and the CEO of BooksbyEMO. She`s a mother of 3 wonderful children (2 girls and a boy who happen to be special), and a wife to Oluwaseun Ejemai. She is also a fellow of Association of Chartered Accountants, Institute of Chartered accountant of Nigeria, Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria.
She has a day job and lectures on a part-time basis. Her working experience spans over several industries including Entertainment, Oil and Gas, and Public Sector. She hopes to move into academia, full time. Olayemi is at her best when she is reading and writing. She loves to spend time with her family, visiting places, traveling the world, and learning new things.
She recently published two articles titled: Companies Income, Custom, and Excise Duty Tax Gap and Infrastructural Development in Nigeria; and Value Added Tax Gap and Capital Expenditure over Economic Services in Nigeria
Olayemi is passionate about empowering everyone around her, particularly children. She believes in grooming children to be confident, independent and responsible adults.
Her children’s books are morally conscious and inclusive, bearing in mind the Nigerian culture and International environment. They strive to communicate deep messages concisely and in an interesting way. Olayemi presently has fourteen (14) published children’s picture books, including Nigeria’s first picture book trilogy. She also has several unpublished books that she hopes to publish in the nearest future.
I will be speaking on
Write It Down!: From Idea to Book
Friday October 30, 2020Olubunmi Aboderin Talabi
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Olubunmi Aboderin Talabi
Olubunmi Aboderin Talabi is an author; the publisher of Clever Clogs Books; and the convener of the Akada Children's Book Festival. She is passionate about creating visually-engaging, culturally-relevant content for children, and has a desire to see steadily increasing literacy rates within her community and others. Olubunmi is also the immediate past Executive Council Chairperson of Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ); the Chairperson, Board of Trustees, of the OA Foundation; and was a Member of the Media and Publicity Sub-Committee for the 2019 Nigerian Economic Summit. Olubunmi also sits on the board of Punch Nigeria Limited; Punch Commercial Printing and is a Trustee of the Punch Media Foundation.
Olubunmi has written a number of articles in the areas of commerce, agriculture, resource maximization, sanitation and land use in Nigeria. Her passion for writing developed into collaborating with talented artists to create beautifully-illustrated children's picture books designed to make reading attractive, inspire innovation and excite children, parents and teachers. Her published works include: Tobi Visits the Conservatory; Kob the Antelope; Diary of a Toddler; Tobi Bakes A Cake; Tobi Learns To Swim and Why Do You Wash Your Hands? (www.cleverclogsbooks.com). Olubunmi has read her books and given keynote speeches at numerous conferences; schools; book clubs; and events in various parts of Nigeria and internationally.
Olubunmi, has a Bachelor's degree in Economics from City University London, and has also completed the General Management Program at Harvard Business School as well as the Advanced Management & Leadership Program at Oxford University Said Business School. Olubunmi is a member of the Institute of Directors Nigeria; the Young Presidents' Organization; the Corporate Governance Society of Nigeria and the Harvard Business School Alumni Association of Nigeria.
Articles written by Olubunmi have been published in several national daily newspapers, such as PUNCH, BusinessDay, Guardian, Nation, Vanguard, New Telegraph, Sun, This Day and others.
I will be doing a book reading of
Tobi Learns To Swim
Saturday October 31, 2020
Olusayo Ajetunmobi
Olusayo Ajetunmobi is an autodidactic fine artist and visual storyteller. 'Sayo is enamored with folklore and making art for children. She believes in the power of visual art and literature to empower the next generation of thinkers. Her visual art practice focuses on self-discovery, as it pertains to exploring, destigmatizing and decolonizing African stories, history and culture.
She has illustrated over a dozen published African children's stories by various authors and will debut as an author/illustrator with Farafina Tuuti in 2020. Her work and the stories they tell create a paradigm shift in the way Africans and women navigate reality. You can view her latest project at artofajet.com.
I will be speaking on
Creating Illustrations For Children's Books
Friday October 30, 2020
Oluyinka Adamolekun
Oluyinka Adamolekun is a distinguished drummer and multi-
instrumentalist with over 25 years of experience. He started his
professional music career at age 18 and shortly after that in 2001, he
became West Africa’s first Endorser of Paiste Cymbals, Sounds and
Gongs.
Having studied music and worked with remarkable veteran musicians
like Ron Kenoly, Herbert Kunle Ajayi, Wole Jesutomi, Niran Obasa, Tunji
Dada, Olumide Iyun, Tim Godfrey, Bright Gain, Jerry Omole, Agba Joshu
and many others, Oluyinka’s formidable expertise on his instrument is
unrivaled. His flexibility, dexterity and coordination are qualities to be
coveted in playing a wide range of music genre both live and studio. He
has worked with churches such as The Stone Church, This Present
House e.t.c
In 2013, Oluyinka released his 2 nd Instructional drum DVD -“Genesis
12:8” which is an expose on the Yoruba 12:8 rhythms. Also in 2013,
Oluyinka’s work was recognized when he was given the Precise and
Groovy Outstanding Drummer Award.
Oluyinka Adamolekun is the co-founder of Centuple Resource Centre –
an edutainment hub where children and young adults learn
performance music education. Centuple edutainment has taught
hundreds of students over the past 5yrs; facilitated music training for
schools and churches. The centre has also produced music video
recordings for children and organized various music exhibitions &
clinics.
As a seasoned Clinician and Teacher, Oluyinka continues to impart and
mentor next generation musicians.
Kilode Ti O Ma Nfo Owo Re
Saturday October 31, 2020
Simisayo Brownstone
Omobola Imoisili is an author and entrepreneur, but she writes under the name Simisayo Brownstone. She is the CEO of Teni & Tayo Creations, a company that makes books, toys, backpacks and more for kids with a pinch of African influence. She was inspired to write her books and start her company because she wanted to see more representation in the products and media made for kids. She especially wanted to represent African people and culture in a fresh, fun and engaging way that any child from anywhere in the world could relate to. She has now written two books in her Feyi Fay series which has received 5 stars from professional institutions in the USA, and she currently tours primary and elementary schools talking to kids about her books and writing process, and teaching them about African culture through folktales.
Omobola is an alumni of Queen's College, Lagos and has an undergraduate degree in Computer Science from the University of Reading and a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Southern California. She now lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two children.
I will be sharing a story from
Feyi Fay And The Disappearance of Captain Nosa
Saturday October 31, 2020
Sope Martins
Sope Martins is the best-selling author of children's book The Greatest
Animal in the Jungle. When she's not creating magical worlds with her stories, you can find her out and about in the city of Lagos, where she has built a career in
broadcasting.
One day, if Sope has her wish granted, you might just find her in a
book!
I will be sharing a story from
What’s Your Super Power?
Saturday October 31, 2020
Stephanie Obi
Stephanie is the founder of TrainQuarters, a tech platform which makes it easy for entrepreneurs to host and market their online courses, especially if they're not techies. She is also an online course launch strategist who helps female entrepreneurs to scale up their businesses using online courses.
Her clients have been able to roll out their own premium online courses, 10x their course sales and grow a global audience for their expertise.
She is the author of the Amazon best-selling book, Knowledge is the New Gold and has been featured in the Guardian Newspaper, Punch Newspaper, as well as on Channels TV and Arise TV.
Stephanie has spoken at conferences across Africa, including Wimbiz, the largest women’s conference in Nigeria. Stephanie lives in Lagos, Nigeria.
I will be speaking on
SHOW ME THE MONEY: How To Use Your Expertise To Create Online Courses
Friday October 30, 2020
Temiloluwa Adeshina
Temiloluwa Adeshina is a seasoned British Curriculum Teacher and a consultant with more than a decade old experience. She cut her tooth as a teacher while working with other curriculums in the Nigerian system of education. The behavioural patterns of children over the years laced with the rich African culture inspire her works with fun and drama.
She reviews educational textbooks and re-writes them for leading publishing firms in Africa like Learn Africa (formerly called Longman). All of these books have been approved and adopted into the Lagos State Curriculum. She lives in a fairy world where stories are written and flow endlessly from diaries of dreams and pages of excitement. She is a prolific writer and author. This is what she is committed to.
Her published books include Lagos State Approved Bantu the Big Fat Bully, an Award winning Anti-Bullying Book Series, arguably the first Anti-Bullying Book Series in Africa. Her books are usually strategically revolved around moral activities and
projects that fix the moral and value system challenges in children. Such activity includes the Award-Winning, Lagos State Approved Anti-Bullying Programs mandated for all schools in the State. Hence the adoption of the book Bantu as the resource material. Other published books include Farmer Bami Series, Happy Jappy Series, Mini Mani Mo, Dark Arises and more. She churns out book day in day out. This is her lifelong passion. Temiloluwa’s style of writing is a creative blend of David Walliam’s and Francesca Simons’ humour and wit laced with Enid Blyton’s mild, fairylike enchanting world yet heavily and deeply rooted in her strong African heritage and culture.
She is the Chief Reading Guide at Love Africa’s Readland Book Club and community Library powered by Vast Vision Global.
I will be speaking on
Raising Moneywise Children
Saturday October 31, 2020
Tolu Adelowo
Tolu is the Founder and Chief Executive of Cousant, a technology company that is focussed on promoting excellence in Technology Management in Africa.
Cousant has three main service areas.
Consulting - a strategic advisory service that advises companies on a variety of complex issues around technology workforce transformation for high performance and execution excellence.
Technology - a software delivery service that designs and builds custom software to meet client objectives and requirements.
Talent - a specialized recruitment and outsourcing service that connects clients to highly vetted and trusted technology talent.
Tolu has been able to quickly establish Cousant as the primary outsourcing partner for some of the largest financial services companies in Nigeria including Guaranty Trust Bank, Access Bank, First Bank of Nigeria and AXA Mansard. Cousant is also the publisher of the official bi-annual IT Jobs Report for Nigeria which has been featured on CNBC Africa.
Tolu is the host and producer of the ‘Meet The Tech Leaders’ guest show. During each episode, Tolu interviews key figures in technology and discusses technology trends and the future of talent in their respective industries. Tolu is also an accomplished author that has written two e-books which are the ‘The Case for decentralized workplaces in developing economies’ and ‘The Rise of the Emerligent Economies - How African economies can win the AI war’.
Tolu’s professional career spans over 20 years with previous experience working for multinational companies like Accenture UK, Royal Dutch Shell Company and Lansdowne Partners. He graduated with a Master of Engineering (MEng) in Computer Science from Imperial College London and further holds a Masters degree in Strategy and Innovation degree from the University of Oxford’s Said Business School.
He has advised a number of early stage startups and sits on several boards including Fechrad Limited and Arthrimed Specialist Hospital.
I will be speaking on
Developing Your 1st App
Friday October 30, 2020
Tonye Faloughi-Ekezie
Tonye Faloughi-Ekezie is a wife, mother and entrepreneur. As the head of TEEOF Media, she consults on media and entertainment projects for a range of clients.
In her early years Tonye attended school and university in the UK and USA, before eventually relocating back to Nigeria, working on, and commissioning major projects for such companies as Endemol South Africa, MNet and Storm 360. Imbibed with an entrepreneurial spirit from her father, Tonye started her own company, TEEOF Media, in 2011.
In 2012 Tonye married her best friend Ugo Ekezie and in 2013 they welcomed their first child, a boy, Ugo Jr., and in 2015 their second child, a girl, Simone. However, Simone had life threatening heart complications resulting from a late diagnosis of Down syndrome. As a result, Tonye and her family had to relocate to save her daughter’s life.
In May 2018 with the good news of Simone’s heart functioning as normal, Tonye was able to return to Nigeria.
With the life lessons learnt and the experience of being a mother, she created the book series “Ugo and Sim Sim”. She has now turned her entrepreneurial drive to not only raising awareness about special needs, but also to children’s content after noticing a severe lack of entertainment representing black African children, special needs children and those who fall into both categories.
Hence, the creation of “Simone’s Oasis”, a hub dedicated to black African children. Currently on all social media platforms and YouTube, kids can enjoy fun stories, books, music, videos, cartoons and more that have them fully represented! Parents are included too! Grown-ups will be able to join the Simone's Oasis community on everything parenting from how to potty train, to home schooling, to caring for a child with special needs.
The full Simone’s Oasis platform launches in the near future.
I will be speaking on
Level Up!: From Picture Book To Animation
Friday October 30, 2020
Uchechi Mba-Uzoukwu
Uchech i Mba-Uzoukwu (nee Uwanaka) is the Managing Partner of D&D Media Services LTD. Uchechi is a buzzing children's book author whose debut book, 'The Mosquito Bite That Changed Olu's Life' was featured as a “Top Pick” in The Washington Post.
She is a Team Lead for The UNICEF Quality Education Advocacy Network.
A graduate of English Language and Literary Studies, she is passionate about Literature and the Arts in most forms. She began her career in 2006 as an intern with The Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) where she worked in the News Department.
In 2009, she became a Human Resource Management Specialist at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), where she managed a diverse pool of Francophone & Anglophone staff from 15 countries.
Four years later she left to start a family and, that birthed her second journey into the media industry where she’s created 2 TV shows that air in 52 countries on Africa Magic on DSTV since 2015.
Being a mum of 3 children whose ages range from 3 to 6, she has a ready-made audience that also serves as a focus group for the creation of more kids’ content. Uchechi’s love for storytelling inspires her work in publishing more Africa-themed books for kids on folktales, proverbs, riddles etc. She is also working on animated series based on African stories and culture.
In her humble demonstration of social responsibility, she devotes a fraction of her book sale profits to her monthly Books-by-Uchechi Charity Drive. Donors key-in as well and, she happily obliges. The more, the merrier! She's a member of the Board of Trustees of Africa Policy Conversations, a Pan-African group of
young Leaders.
Otita Anwunta Gbanwere Ndu Olu
Saturday October 31, 2020
Ugochi Obidiegwu
Ugochi Obidiegwu is a Social Development Strategist with a speciality in creating products, programmes and policy advisory that solves pressing development issues affecting African children and youths. Her major work pillars are ensuring child safety and reducing substance abuse in youths.
Her safety activities focus on training and creating unique safety education products and programmes for African children and educators in order to intentionally groom safety conscious children. She is the author of the illustrated child safety story book series - The Adventures of Muna, self published on Amazon. It has sold in 11 states in Nigeria and 8 countries. There are currently 3 books in the series and it is available in English and French. The Train Them Young Initiative (#2TYI), one of her projects has taught safety skills to over 7000 students in Nigeria and Ghana. She convenes the annual School Safety Summit where teachers get trained and relevant stakeholders proffer solutions to safety challenges affecting school children.
She also developed a safety education app to connect parents and educators with relevant safety tips on the go. She recently rolled out a programme where she uses a mobile app to equip rehabilitated youths with relevant digital skills provided by online skills hubs. She is a 2018 Mandela Washington Fellow. She served on the 2018/2019 Regional Advisory Board to USAID and IREX on matters relating to the Fellowship. She won the 2019 AFRISAFE award in the Shining Star category due to her contributions in the safety industry.
She is currently a member of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) and the World Safety Organisation where she made a presentation on grooming the future workforce at its annual Symposium in Las Vegas. Her work has been profiled on the Tony Elumelu Foundation blog, She Leads Africa, Bellanaija, European Network Education and Training in Occupational Safety and Health (ENETOSH) website, foreign and local newspapers, radio and TV. Ugochi Obidiegwu is committed to introducing innovative programmes and products that enhance social development in young people.
I will be speaking on
No, You Can't Have My Password
Saturday October 31, 2020
Valerie Akpobome
Valerie Akpobome is a Nigerian author. Born on Valentine's Day 2008, she first came to critical acclaim for the 2017 award-winning poem, "The Beauty of Nature".
Valerie enjoys sketching, writing and reading poems, and sports.
She lives with her parents and siblings in Lagos. A Pot Pourri of Tales is her first book.
I will be doing a book reading from
A Potpourri of Tales
Saturday October 31, 2020
Vese Aghoghovbia-Aladewolu
Vese is the founder of Philly & Friends, a children's lifestyle brand which creates children's products that instil self-love and confidence in our little ones. They aim to add the much-needed drop of colour in the sea of children's books, toys and products.
Her debut book, titled, Who Do I See in the Mirror? was featured by Hello! Magazine as one of the best 15 children's books on diversity. Also featured on BBC, Metro, Huffington Post, The Strategist UK, Mother Mag. She is passionate about raising confident and wholesome kids through the power of representation. Since launching Philly & Friends, she has had the opportunity to speak on parenting and diversity in children's books and toys, been on BBC radio, Premier Radio and published articles in reputable outlets such as HuffPost and Mother Mag.
She is passionate about giving back, and each book sold sponsors a book into the hands of an underprivileged child.
She is a Chartered Engineer with an Engineering degree from Imperial College London. She has over ten years of work experience in Customer Experience and Strategy working for FTSE 100 Engineering and Technology firms such as Accenture, Bloomberg and National Grid. She is a multipotentialite and serial entrepreneur and together with her three sisters, she also co-founded DVees, food & drinks start-up.
I will be speaking on
I Like Me
Saturday October 31, 2020
Zainab Balogun-Nwachukwu
Scouted by Premier Models Management, Zainab transitioned into acting after a few years having featured in TV programs like BBC One drama ‘Material Girl’ and Channel 4’s “The Charlatans’. A chance to be on set with acclaimed director Christopher Nolan and appear in the highly successful film “The Dark Knight Rises” was a pivotal moment in her foray into acting. Moving to Nigeria in 2012, Zainab’s success continued as a producer, presenter and co-creator of TV shows ; ‘EL Now’ and “The Spot” which aired in over 50 African countries, USA and UK markets via EbonyLife TV.
In a few short years, she has racked up an impressive record with lead roles in acclaimed films such as “The Wedding Party” and “The Royal Hibiscus Hotel” both a TIFF 2016/2017 selections, psychological Thriller; “Sylvia” a Film Africa Festival 2018 selection and the highly praised “God Calling movie to name a few. These successful performances led to Zainab receiving The Future Awards prize for acting in 2018.
With a desire to add value through business, Zainab serves as the Co-Founder of Wash & Go; a focused concept salon offering healthy hair solutions and products. As a brand influencer, Zainab has represented many brands such as Loreal’s Dark & Lovely, Lancome and is currently the first VEET brand ambassador in Africa as well as the first fermale ambassador for De-Deon’s by Daily Need Pharmaceuticals.
I will be doing a book reading of
Tobi Bakes A Cake
Saturday October 31, 2020