Addressing her by the conventional title “First Lady…” should have been the norm here, but this is one unique woman who has refused to be addressed by that title. She simply prefers to be called “Wife of the Governor of Ogun State”. In her opinion, such bourgeois titles like “First Lady of..” are distracting.

The word ‘dunce’ was freely used by teachers during my primary school days, when you showed ignorance in any subject, even in what the teacher hasn’t taught you, but which is in your text books, or has appeared in the newspapers ..

I can’t say that I was very surprised by our readers’ views on this topic, given the sort of shenanigans that go on in the world of politics in Nigeria, but the hopelessness in their mail saddens one. It’s like some people believe that politicians and rulers in this country will never put citizens first, and there isn’t much to be expected of them come 2015, or at any other time. That complete lack of trust is a great pity, isn’t it?

Mrs. Irene Ngozi Morenikeji Craig, a graduate of Language and Linguistics, is an energetic and innovative many-sided personality. After several years in the teaching field, she’s produced nursery rhymes and other children books which she believes to be good tools for teaching morals.

A 1963 Scotland-trained medical doctor, Prof.(Mrs.)Ibironke Akinsete is one of the few Nigerian women who have engraved their names on the sand of local and international medical practice. Currently the Chairman of PathCare Medical Laboratory, Prof, as she is fondly called, is a Haematologist of great repute. A former Chairperson of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS and Presidential Adviser on HIV/AIDS, she sits on the board of several organisations. Prof Akinsete who will be seventy-five in May stresses the need for preventive healthcare in this interview.

Once upon a time, not so long ago, family was everything to us. Parents, siblings, family members, all came first in our lives. You couldn’t do without them. They were the first you turned to in adversity and in sharing of good news. The family had so much influence on the individual that you thought twice before you engaged in any act of misdemeanour, as a list of dos and don’ts had been drummed well into you right from childhood, and you were raised, to know that you must not do anything that would bring dishonour/disgrace to the family. You were loyal to your family and you chose your confidants from among the members.

If young people are economically empowered and reoriented to think productively, then Nigeria can be sure to overcome corruption and wastefulness. This is the conviction of Rita Omovbude, the Founder/Project Leader of Street Project, a social enterprise in the heart of transforming the lives of young people.

Deaconess(MRS) Regina Oviaesu is a former Vice-Chairman of Oredo local government of Edo State and also the National President of the Great Women Movement, based in Edo State. A woman of many parts, in this interview with Sunday Vanguard in Benin, she speaks of the importance the group attaches to the empowerment of women in the state, the importance of the girl child education, the 35 percent Beijing affirmation for appointment of women into government offices, and the need for women to take active part in partisan politics.

I have an ‘auntie’ who gets really upset whenever she hears/reads about the frantic moves the various political parties are making towards the 2015 elections.

Mrs. Mubarak Abiola Agusto-Agoro is the President of Soroptimist International of Eko, an international service group comprising women professionals who aim to empower women and girls across the world. An Accountant by profession, Abiola Agusto-Agoro retired from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, in 1996 after her long years of service.

Recently, Prof.(Mrs.)Pat Black,President, Soroptimist International of Great Britain & Ireland- SIGBI, paid a one-week to Nigeria. Soroptimist International is a worldwide organization for women in management and the professions, serving as a global voice for women and girls. SIGBI oversees all Soroptimists clubs in Common-wealth countries, including Nigeria.

A friend’s married daughter and her husband were shocked when their guard came to tell them when they returned from work, that the nanny to their two children had begged him to allow her smuggle a male relation, who she claimed had come from their village to look for a job, into her room in the Boys’ Quarters.

Housing is very vital to the human life; for without it, we are no better than the animals whose roof is the sky. Sadly, the sky has become a roof for many city-dwellers in our country, so to say, as homeless people of all ages sleep under the bridges, in market places, in uncompleted buildings, on pavements, and slabs on the roadside. How did Nigerians, particularly those from areas noted for their pride of their ethnic group, family and roots, get to this deplorable situation? Population explosion, mass migration to the urban areas, loss of jobs and consequently of rented premises, all contribute to this.

At a time when many young people are frustrated over their inability to find jobs, 25 year old Mrs. Omotola Aderonke Teriba Abdul, a graduate of Mass Communication, created her dream job for herself. She’s the CEO of Hardey’s Make-Over and Bridal Aso-Oke in Lagos. In a recent encounter with Vista Woman, she shared her passion for creativity and love for business, while also revealing meeting her heartthrob, another embodiment of creativity, with whom she finally tied the knot late last year. Excerpts:

Josenta Ogbhemhe is the CEO of Jojo Bernard’s Couture, a budding fashion outfit in Benin-City, Edo State, that specialises in creating customised clothing. A graduate of Computer Science who says designing has always been her first love, young Josenta is fervently working towards becoming one of Nigeria’s biggest designers. In this interview with Vista Woman, she recalls her childhood love for designing and lets us into her life as a young designer.