Tambari by Daily Trust Tambari

SUNDAY, APRIL 29TH, 2018

A PUBLICATION OFF

a r t x E RUTH DAVIES Why I decided to empower widows

Hi there!

his week, there is a lot in store for you, starting from the kitchen, where we tell you how to make stuffed pepper casserole on the culinary page to secrets

to achieving soft youthful hands. Our cover personality this week is Mrs. Ruth Davies Ibiamu. She is an entrepreneur and the wife of the APC chairman in Rivers state. She speaks on how she ventured into business and her passion behind starting her NGO which is

CULINARY

How to make stuffed pepper casserole

by RAHMA L ADAMU

Are you looking for a way to introduce a new diet for the family! Stuffed pepper casserole will be a good start. INGREDIENTS 1 lb ground beef ½ cup of diced onion 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped Diced bell peppers (yellow, red, orange one of each) Salt (to taste) ¼ teaspoon pepper (can be added depending on how spicy you want it) 2 diced tomatoes 2 cups of beef flavoured broth 1 can (8 oz.) of tomato sauce 1 tablespoon of soy

of shredded cheddar cheese

sauce ½ teaspoon of dried oregano 1 teaspoon of dried thyme ½ teaspoon of dried basil ½ teaspoon of dried rosemary ½ teaspoon of dried sage 1 cup of uncooked white basmati rice 1½ cups

Rooibos ice tea This is a delicious, hydrating iced tea made from caffeine-free rooibos. It is sweetened with honey and apple juice. INGREDIENTS 4 rooibos tea bags 1 litre of boiling water 80-100ml honey Juice of 1/2 a lemon 4cm piece of fresh ginger (sliced) 750ml apple juice (unsweetened) 2 apples, sliced and deseeded Ice (as needed)

HOW TO MAKE IT Place the teabags into a jug, add boiling water and allow to steep for 15 minutes (add more teabags for a stronger iced tea). Remove the teabags, add honey, lemon juice and fresh ginger and lett the tea cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until chilled. Remove ginger pieces; add applee juice to the chilled tea mixture and stir until dissolved. h Serve with lots of ice and garnish with apple slices.

PREPARATION In a saucepan, cook beef, onion and garlic over medium-high heat for 5 to 7 minutes, breaking into small pieces as beef browns. Add bell peppers, salt and pepper. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes longer, or until peppers have started to ssoften. Reduce heat to medium; aadd tomatoes, broth, tomato ssauce, soy sauce and Italian sseasoning. Stir until well ccombined, and heat to boil. Add uncooked rice. Return to boiling; reduce heat tu to low. Cover and simmer for about 25 minutes or until fo rice is tender. ri Remove from heat; sprinkle with shredded cheese. kl With additional information from W the internet

all about protecting the girl child. The ever smiling lady was a delight to be with. Enjoy her story and get inspired. - Have a splendid Sunday!. – Amina Alhassan Call: 0818 7703733 or Email us at: tambari@dailytrust.com

LU X U RY L I V I N G

Decorating ideas for kids playrooms by RAHMA L ADAMU

he rainy season is fast approaching. That means there is no more outdoor fun for kids. It is time to decorate the playrooms to discourage them from playing outside in the cold weather. Playrooms are meant for your children to sparkle and develop their imaginations. Designing the right children’s playroom can be a complex affair if not carefully planned. There are different requirements for creating a perfect playroom for your kids. When decorating a playroom, safety comes first. You need to do your research about safety issues, such as corded blinds, outlets, cabinet doors, pointy edges and lead paint; then plan for these issues in your design. Consider using low volatile organic compound paints and other healthy building materials. This isn’t your room. Bear that in mind when you embark on the project. You will have to step back from trying to implement your style when it comes

to decorating the playroom. Find ways to create the perfect space that satisfies their needs and requirement. The more imaginative and colorful, the better. Whatever the theme, add bold colours. As we all know, kids love colours, so don’t be afraid to go all out. Storage space is an important facet of the kids’ playroom; it keeps it organised, and neat. You need to provide ample space to tuck away all that mess when playtime is over. Don’t forget to make sure the furniture and shelves are accessible as this is the significant element for making the room inviting. Involve your kids in the project; allow them give the playroom an identity. It can be a great bonding experience as you get to learn new things about their likes and tastes.

CO V E R

// RUTH DAVIES IBIAMU

Why I decided to empower widows – Ruth Davies Ibiamu

Cover pics: STUDIO 24

Interview by VICTORIA ONEHI

Introduction

Mrs Ruth Davies Ibiamu is an entrepreneur, mother and wife to the chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Dr. Davies Ibiamu. She is also the president of the Librated Women Foundation, which has fought for the cause of the girl-child and helped empower women economically. The chief executive officer of Ruthies Clothing and Fashion College was at the headquarters of the United Nations in New York in February this year to make a presentation on African Fashion and Sustainable Development. In addition to other interesting issues, she shares her experiences as an entrepreneur. My aspirations as a child As a child, I wanted to be a lawyer so that I could fight for the rights of the people, especially the less privileged in the society. But unfortunately, I was not able to do that, instead read Political Science in the University of Port Harcourt. And somehow, I found myself in politics. After a while, I left politics and went fully into business. I did International Relations as my second degree in the same school. Being an entrepreneur I started with buying and selling wears. At weekends I was going to Lagos to buy goods like ready-towear cloths to sell in Port Harcourt. From that, I started selling jewellery until I started travelling abroad to buy goods. I travelled to Dubia, then UK and Turkey. I was selling fashionable wears. I started a boutique in Port Harcourt, then Abuja, but I was not fulfilled because I love to make cloths. When I mentioned that to my husband, he asked if I wanted to become a tailor after all the degrees. Somehow, I went into making ready-to-wear cloths. I make the designs and give to some tailors to sew. Then I decided to launch into the market. I invited people, and the day I did the unveiling of my ready-to-wear

line, I sold almost everything. And my husband was present. He was surprised at the patronage. Though he was impressed, he was not convinced. But I started doing my thing and got two machines and two tailors. I needed a space, so I asked my husband to give me a vacant room in his office so I could start something. I had a friend who was very supportive; her name is Mrs Ilami Sam Mbo. She told me, “Sister you can do it.” She gave me money for two machines. She said I should pursue my dreams and nothing should stop me. At that point, I knew that I should have more experience and be trained on what I was going into. So, I decided to go to England. I went to the London College of Fashion of the University of Arts, London. There, I learnt the basics in fashion designing. I learnt that someone makes the design, then the pattern cutter cuts and the tailor sews the wear; then the designer goes back to see if what he designed actually came out well. Again, in fashion designing, fabric selection is very important. The kind of design you make for people is very important because you have different people with different shapes. About the Librated Women Foundation The Librated Women Foundation was started because of the high rate of girl- child abuse. I wanted the girl-child to understand her worth. And you can’t talk about the girl-child without talking about mothers and women. So I decided I should start with the women - telling them that if they had the fear of God, they would know how to take care of their children and teach them the right things. So we talked to women on how they should raise their children. Also, we had talk shows with the girls. We had a situation where the father was having sex with the daughter. The girl was so demoralised because they were paraded in the community. The mother had to take the child away from the environment for a while

for rehabilitation. Along the line, the urge to help the widows came. I had to start this because of the things they were going through. Initially, I started by feeding the widows, but along the line, I realised that I couldn’t keep feeding them all the time. So for some of them that could still do business, I decided to empower them. Some do not need so much money. Some will collect things to sell on credit and pay after sales. So we gave such women money to start their own businesses. We empowered some recently during the Easter celebration. We made little kiosks for them. My inspiration came from my dad My dad of blessed memory inspired me. I grew in a large family because my dad would always bring in people to live with us. He was a little comfortable financially, so he would bring in relatives; and some were not. He put many through school. I saw my dad helping the less privileged. I saw him helping many widows. My dad was working before he went into fulltime farming business. He gave some of the women portions of land to farm so they can feed. My mum was into business as well. My dad just passed on last year, and when he died, the widows were crying more than us. It was a home where anybody could go and eat. He did not have so much, but he made sure that people had food and drink. My greatest achievement in life I would say having my family. I just love my family. I have a large family as well. I have so many dependants. I call them all my children. I have four biological children and I have adopted children too. I have relatives, nieces and nephews. Some have graduated and some are still there. They tell me things that want to make me do more. My friends will tell me I’m the mummy with the largest family. And I am proud of it and happy. I have a great husband who loves me so much; and to him, family is key. Family is first before any other thing. Meeting my spouse There was a lady I worked for as Personal Assistant when I was in politics. I went to see her one day and he came in. She introduced us to each other and I walked away. I never knew I would be married to him. The first time he said ‘you will be my wife’, I just told him ‘you wish.’ But I’m happy I got married to him. Highest point as a mother That’s when they become teenagers. You see them in a different light. They begin to feel that they are adults and mummy should begin to address them as adults. That really excites me. I remind myself that these children were little yesterday and now they are grown. They don’t want me to take decisions for them anymore. It makes me feel good.

TAMBARI SUNDAY, APRIL 29, 2018

RUTH DAVIES IBIAMU //

CO V E R

Greatest lesson you have learnt in life so far My greatest lesson is that you should remain humble, no matter the height you attain. Also, learn to assist people. I ask myself, tomorrow, if I’m not here, what would people say about me? What have I been able to achieve in life. Even if I’m not able to build houses I should be able to impact people’s lives. Someone should feel bad that I’m no longer around. In one occasion, some women ran to me and hugged me. And I asked, ‘Please who are you?’ They said, “We are widows you helped.’’

es me on how to go. I tell people to find a way to make their businesses stand out. If you are frying akara, what are you doing to make yours different from the next person. That is what matters. They should improve on their skills.

Definition of style To me, style is the way of life. The way you carry yourself and the way you come out. I love women who carry themselves gracefully. Style is looking good and being proud of the woman you are. For me, style is covering up and looking beautiful and classy.

Beauty secrets I don’t do any special thing. It is just God. But from time to time I like to go to the spa and just relax. I like doing massage, and then, from time to time, I do my facials. But I love to look good.

Favourite fashion designer Tiffany Amber is a great designer. When I was much younger, I used to say that one day I would be where you are and higher. That was one of the drives I had. I saw what she was doing and wanted to be like that and do more. That was one of the things that pushed me into going to the United Nations to make a presentation. Making a presentation on African fashion at the United Nations I went to the United Nations in February this year to make a presentation on African fashion and sustainable development. I had to plead with them to give zero tariffs to African products to enable us export. If you look around you would see that Nigerian fashion has gone global. And we don’t even have the opportunity to market them outside. When I was doing buying and selling, I would intentionally go to big shops abroad to see if there were corners for African wears. I discovered that they were not there. It was just recently that I saw a stand for Nigerian cloths when I went to the UK and went to Harrods Stores. And I was impressed. When I went to the UN, I said we were doing very well, so what is wrong in us having a stand in Macys, for instance, and so on. They were impressed. I was received by the Nigerian mission in New York and by the deputy secretary-general of the UN, Aisha Muhammed. They encouraged me. My husband’s support At first, he was skeptical, but he got convinced when he saw my handiwork and the kind of clientele I had. He became very supportive. He sponsored my trip to the UN and he was there with me. He attended all the meetings with me. He stood by me to move from where I was to where I am today. And for the fashion college, which I just unveiled, he is in full support. He is seeing how I can make it a professional one. Advice to women on how to achieve their goals I would advise women never to give up on whatever they are doing. It may not work well where you are today, but once you persevere you will get there. That is why I tell people to do things they have passion for. Look for what you can do, work on it and improve on yourself. I attend seminars; I look at people who are doing well; for instance Kito Couture. She is a senior colleague, I learn from her, and recently, we both won an award. Ever since we became friends, she has been very supportive. She advisTAMBARI SUNDAY, APRIL 29, 2018

Relaxation I watch movies. I like to unwind with friends. We could have dinner at weekends and chat. I also like to play with my kids. When they are around, I chat with them a lot and we have family times.

SOCIETY NEWS

Compiled by RAHMA L. ADAMU

Donald Duke Performs at Daughter’s wedding Former Governor of Cross River, Donald Duke last week joined Akin Shuga Award-winning musician and leader of the popular Shuga band, on stage to perform at his daughter, Xerona’s wedding to Derin Phillips, which took place in Lagos. He mesmerized guests with his melodious voice and dance steps. He sure was a happy father on that day.

Favourite accessories I love handbags, jewellery and shoes. My favourite are my jewellery. I source them from everywhere. My favourite colour is purple. Vision for Ruthies College of Fashion We should have a standard fashion industry in Nigeria. We should be able to produce good tailors and designers in Nigeria. We should be able to empower the youths as well. Professionalism should come into play in fashion. For me, this is just the beginning I still need to accomplish more. Even when I retire, I still want to be able to teach people the rudiments of fashion. Government should help entrepreneurs I want to say that government should encourage those of us in the fashion industry by empowering us, especially in the area of electricity supply. Also, the textile industry should be revived. Right now, we don’t have anyone. We cannot continue to travel abroad to source for materials because it is expensive. We need them to help us access loans too. They should be able to give loans to people who want to establish their businesses.

Kiki Osinbanjo styles BBA’s Bambam on her birthday CEO of GlamdKiki Osinbajo, daughter of the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo took to her instagram handle to show off Big Brother Naija Housemate, Bambam who she styled for her birthday. Bambam who looked flawess was all decked-out by Glamd in their signature Ciar kimono, also had her hair and makeup done by the beauty house for her birthday bash. Bambam sure looked sleek on her birthday. All thanks to Kiki.

Tinubu receives autographed glove from Antony Joshua All Progressives Congress, (APC) chieftain, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, received a hand-signed boxing glove from Anthony Joshua the Unified Heavy Weight Boxing Champion of the World. Tinubu who acknowledged this took to his twitter handle posted a picture of him receiving the autographed glove presented to him by Khomeini Bukhari, Director of Africa, Peel Aston Global.

B E AU T Y

TRENDS STYLE FASHION

How to achieve soft youthful hands By RAHMA L ADAMU

s we age, the skin on our hands can become wrinkled. From washing dishes to weeding the garden, as well as laundry, our hands go through a lot of gruesome activities that inevitably make our hands look unattractive, dry and scaly. If you don’t have any plan to preserve your youthful, delicate and often abused skin on your hands, then this article is for you. Make it a point of duty to wear gloves when coming in contact with water, dirt or anything you think would be harsh to your skin. This will help to limit the effect of exposure to ultra viral light on your skin, which can cause wrinkles, brown spots and skin cancer. It is the easiest way to keep your hands soft. Slough off rough by exfoliating as it helps remove dirt, germs and dead skin, while improving circulation and adding moisture. Make your own natural hand

Dr. Nathaniel Adewole, MOBILE: 0803 8039182 EMAIL: nadewole2013@gmail.com

Is it Fibroid Polyps? I have been having excessive menses for the last one year associated with menstraul pains. I have done various scans in which I was told everything is normal. I took several medications with minimal relieve. Recently I did a scan which said I had endometrial polyps. Doctor please what is endometrial polyps? What can I do about it? - Celestine, Abuja. Polyps is like fibroid which arise from the uterus but projected into the endometrial cavity. Usually the bulk of the polyps are in the endometrium. A lot of common oral medications used for menorrhagia or excessive menses does not work well in cases of endometrial polyps. Monthly injection for four to six months will ameliorate the symptoms If it is available hysteroscopic removal could be done. If the stalk is thick it may necessitate laparotomy for removal.

Recurrent Headaches Since I had my last Caesarean arean section 3months ago, I have been having recururrent headache. Please what do I do? - Toyin scrub that will leave your hands feeling clean, moisturised and incredibly soft. Regular moisturising is another crucial step to attaining youthful soft, smooth hands. Simply massage your

DID YOU KNOW... KEEPING YOUR SKIN YOUTHFUL, RADIANT, AND HEALTHY IS MUCH EASIER WHEN YOU PRACTICE A GOOD SKIN CARE ROUTINE AND KEEP YOUR ENTIRE BODY IN GOOD SHAPE?

hands with a proper moisturizer of choice as frequently as possible. These simple steps will leave your hands feeling smoother and looking younger in no time. Keeping your skin youthful, radiant and healthy is easier when you practise a good skin care routine and keep your entire body in good shape.

With additional information from the internet

Benefits of power naps

feine to replace what naps do. This meant that energy dipped eventually as caffeine only boosts our energy for a while. Whenever we start feeling a little sleepy and sluggish, we lose focus. It happens to the best of us. There is probably the need for a naptime to be rescheduled into our pattern as it reboots your brain to adequately get back to work. A study by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) looked at the benefits of naptime on 747 pilots. Each participant was allowed to take a nap for 40 min minutes during the day, sleeping on o average of 25.8 minutes. When compared to others, those who observed a naptime improved in perforn mance by (34per cent) and m alertness (100per cent). a Power naps are good for wellbeing. The benefits are w numerous. According to Rajiv n Dhand, a scientist, in an artiD cle titled, Good sleep, bad sleep for healthy adults, naptime improves performance and im productivity, reduces fatigue pro and even helps you learn. By B now, you should start thinking about ways to incorthin porate por naptime into your daily schedule. While planning your sche nap schedule, don’t forget to time it. Source from the internet Sou

TAMBARI SUNDAY SUNDAY, APRIL 29 29, 2018

Can Adhesions cause Infertility ? I have been married for two years with no issue, no pregnancy. After investigations I was told I have adhesions. Can adhesions stop pregnancy? What causes it? Can you please advise me on what to do? - Maimuna, Lokoja.

H E A LT H Y L I V I N G ower nap is a sleep session that happens during the day, preferably between 1:00 to 4:00pm. It is often observed between 10 and 30 minutes. When a child becomes cranky, we immediately knew that it is due to lack of sleep and we lay him or her down for a nap. Naps are mandatory for kids after lunch, so we need to force them to lie down, and eventually, their body clock would adhere to the schedule and they would wake up refreshed. While growing up, we used caf-

What is your current blood pressure? Was is spinal Anaesthesia that was used during the operation? Sometimes there is what we call post spinal headache butt should have disappeared by now. Check your blood pressure re and see your family physician n.

You did not specify if it was intra uterine adhesions or pelvic adhesions Both of them can lead to infertility. Intra uterine adhesions involve the lining of the womb and one of the commonest causes is over zealous dilatation and curettage especially by quacks. Pelvic adhesions can result from pelvic inflammatory disease. It can Result in tubal blockage or affect the motility of the tubes. All these can affect fertility. I will suggest you see a Gynaecologist. For pelvic adhesions, adhesiolysis can be done while for uterine adhesions or Asherman’s syndrome, hysteroscopic adhesiolysis can be done

Jaundice in my Babies I am thirty five years old with three kids. My last two babies had jaundice to the extent they had to give blood to the last baby? What can I do to avoid this in the next pregnancy? Simbiat Causes of neonatal jaundice include Physiotgepist jaundice which affects most baby but disappear on its own. Blood group incompatibility between mother and baby, infection called neonatal sepsis, haemolysis, internal bleeding and abnormal liver metabolism among others. Risk factor for neonatal sepsis include premature birth, home delivery and poor umbilical cord care When there is haemolysis that overwhelm the capacity of the neonatal liver enzymes to metabolize bilirubin then there is deposit and accumulation in the blood and lead to hyperbilirunaemia. This lead to yellow discoloration of the eyes and as it progresses, yellow discoloration of the body. At a higher level of bilirubin in the blood, it can affect the brain to cause kernicterus. If not handle with expertise it can lead to permanent brain damage and death. Treatment could be expectant especially if there is gradual disappearance, at a higher level phototherapy. At the extreme is blood transfusion which was likely done for one your babies. Few steps to prevent jaundice include proper cord care, avoid malaria and sepsis.