Diploma & Internship

The way my grandmother was respected for her intelligence, admired for her perfect English diction. Theirs was the era taught by the British; they spoke in not only chic sassiness typical of Angela Maya, but correct English diction you would rarely find nowadays. Or was it how she strikes long-form division and multiplications with ease? I concluded I wanted to become a teacher like her.

Yet, I was curious about how things were made, what things were composed of, and how they got to be in place. And decided I would like to study the nature and composition of matter. Science. How do the amino acids structures that we draw from memory actually mint their protein structures, folding into just the right form?

As I couldn't enroll in university after my secondary education, a benefactor sponsored me for a Diploma course in Computer and Desktop Operations.

Superb lessons. Appropriately stimulating. We learnt how to efficiently run general day-to-day operations on computer including maintenance. Feels kinda nostalgic that managing and organising a desktop has become a rarity today; just a look at any PC and I can optimise the productivity from just reorganising files and folders.

We had intense practical studies on:

Microsoft Office Suite

PowerPoint and presentations — I gave myself a challenge of replicating NTA jingles with it. One particular project, I would import a Christmas light JPG and turn it into a fascinating myriad of pulsating multi-colour lights just with the PowerPoint colour, animation, and delay tool. The result was a Christmas video (MP4) done end-to-end by hand just with a JPG.

Excel and formulas — fast forward, I would use the knowledge without any accounting experience to create a perfect accounting balance sheet for one events company I managed.

Microsoft Access — we particularly used it for querying, data sorting and cleaning. I might think that BigQuery today was an abridgement of Microsoft Access + Excel capabilities.

CorelDraw and Adobe PS

Stood out with my raw skills proficiency in Adobe PS and CorelDraw that my tutors and fellow students nicknamed me 'Designer'. One major project task was to go out on the streets and pick any item to come replicate it. While others picked simple items like bread labels, I picked a Star Lager Beer can. It must be that I like doing hard things. All eyes on me: 'na you wan do pass abi?' From a blank canvas, I replicated first the design of the Star Lager Beer, and created a 3D image of the beer can. One of our tutors used it as our PC cover photo, and would tell anyone unsolicited that I did it.

Internship followed at a cool corporate document place where elites from individuals, and government members come to create and publish documents.

Work is done anywhere, even on dining tables.

On duty at the document centre.

University & Events Company Management

My mother, feeling proud, always showed passersby my result unsolicited. Lol! One particular man coincidentally sees my result most of the times, and gift me N50 for taking 1st position every damn time.

In my secondary school final year, I saw a mate at our house with her parents. It was then my mom reintroduced her dad. He was the benefactor who always gave me gifts for taking first position back in primary school. Coincidentally, me and his daughter were classmates at secondary school. She was even the President of our Press Club at one time, but I didn't know she was his daughter.

We both graduated. He saw my mom one day and asked her How's that your brilliant daughter, hope she is in Uni now, because my daughter is in level 2 now? My mom replied that I was still doing computer courses, while hoping for uni sometime. He asked I reach out to him. That motivated the uni dream to come sooner.

Two shots at University of Nigeria, Nsukka — applying for Pharmacy first choice, Biochemistry second choice twice. First scoring 239 in JAMB, 60 in aptitude test. Second one 217 in JAMB and 60 again in aptitude test. UNN could not do it. I had to settle for Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, where this benefactor Engr. Leo was a staff. Destiny, maybe. Because God used him to make so many things easier for me there.

By day I was committing to classes. At night I was having my preps. Sunday afternoons I was at Catholic Charismatic Fellowship. Other evenings, we were kabashing at the basketball court. In between I was sometimes too worried, and most times too cautious.

Then Senator Orti. This one support felt earned. For a stellar work performance at his document centre during my internship and retainer prior to university, he took kindly to me. And unsolicited, requested that I always come back to the office during school breaks. In assurance, he personally called upon a holiday break few days after he was informed I had not resumed for the holidays work. Thereafter, every holiday, it became my place. And upon school's resumption, I would receive salary, and a cash support. This added some ease for me.

From panic that I might drop out for tuition fee default to promptly paying the ¾ of the tuition requirement needed before the session's registration portal closes. The scope at which all these happened would always make me hail myself as a fantastic planner.

Events Company Manager

In 2017, I came highly recommended to manage an event's management company whose daily produce was bread. Other times, we planned, managed and executed events end-to-end from confectionaries to meals and decorations. This was my first shot at managing people and resources.

Before I came in, the business was struggling under stock debt, unpaid salaries, staff chaos, and no procedural operations. I fixed it: created accounting formulas in Excel from nothing but native intelligence and careful analysis. Cleared the debts first of all. Then cleared all staff arrears with the money I generated. And now the business was on a clean runway.

Peep our daily produce — the bread

On periodic events management duties

On periodic events management duties

I was assigned a driver, and drove my first car in that period.

I wasn't just the manager and accountant: I was one of the product distributors, did supplies procurement, multitasked in the kitchen to speed production up, and was the storekeeper. All staff would have long gone and I would stay up into the midnight taking stock and wrapping up cooled-down breads ready for the next day's deliveries. Looking back, sometimes it feels wistful that I didn't become rich from putting such hardwork in someone else's venture.

Had I committed such effort in a personal venture, I could be competing on the global stage right now.

Fulltime Commitment PTSD

I fell ill; a result of strenuous work life. And for the first time in my 2+ decades, I was on hospital admission. Four drips in one night. As I always closed accounts and wired money into the founder's account, there was no shishi on me. I was denied hospital admission until the bills were paid. Every message to the founder was left on read. If not for Uncle Kevin.

Month end. Two weeks through my illness and recovery, I resumed work and requested my salary. It was denied. I boast of an exceptional level of commitment: I deploy my ownership mentality, and high agency at tasks. I put my life on the line to make things work. I should perform like that again for a good ROI.

Eventually, I graduated with a CGPA of 4.29 and not a first class despite securing first-class GPAs .... Some really turbulent periods did tumble my final CGPA.

500 level final year student

400 level SIWES student

Quitting the company after graduation forced me to look for another opportunity. I got one in a printing press. Destiny! Here, I refined my design skills from mere document processing and publishing strokes to scale and print dexters. I became a print-designer. This would usher in my digital career at scale. My first gig was about N350,000 then in 2019, then another N250,000 and so on.

NYSC — Abia State

6:00am at Umunna Bende camp parade ground, Reverend Camp Director got on the mic. "Who is Eucheria Luke from University of Agriculture? See me after parade."

I wasn't at parade that morning. I was at OBS — Orientation Broadcasting Studio — where I was volunteering. Someone came and informed me. He added that after the call, corpers were seen rushing to claim me. Na unpaid job sef im wan give me ooo!

I had gone and introduced myself to him shortly after landing camp and volunteered to help in camp's official design needs, and lead a SAED training for graphics and printing. He was truly glad and therefrom took note of me.

Just a Girl. Serving and Carving.

"With this uniform, you can enter anywhere. Make good use while at it."

These were just the words that I needed to hear to start making moves. Proposal in hand. High agency moves. From the Ministry of Women Affairs, Ministry for Trade & Investment, Ministry of Youths & Sports Affairs, Abia State Diaspora Commission, all girls' schools within the State. I would seek partnerships and execute projects with these Ministries.

My thought: since I had no assured fallback, nor family backup, I have to do my best to make good connections, get some stronghold, and get up and going after my NYSC.

The feedback: You can't outmanoeuvre generations-long challenges in a jiffy. You can't beat certain kinds of systemic and environmental challenges by yourself. You can be the most intelligent. The most driven. The most entrepreneurial. One with the highest agency. But you're not meant to overcome just because you want to.

But I can!

The Wild Woman — Revelation 12

"An Uncultivated. Uninhabited. And Inhospitable region where God has set up a place for you to thrive." "No one else has done it the way that you are going to do it. And that's why it's your wilderness."

A mistake. These letters should not have been spoken. Because after marinating, it echoed and reverberated through my soul. I picked up the refrain and it became my constant companion, and my reference going forward. The voices of doubt and fear faded.

The Wild Woman Conference by Sarah Robert Jakes

Immediately after my NYSC POP - passing out parade, my former boss Senator Orti called to congratulate me heartily, and then particularly ask that I return to Makurdi, this time to become the office manager. He is one of Nigerian elites, a custodian of express nepotism.

But, I was now a Revelations 12 woman — a 'Wild Woman' eager to cultivate, inhabit and build my own region where God has set up a place for me to thrive like no one else (in my lineage) has ever done before. I was not thinking. I was led.

Man. Did I not so many times later, almost pick up my phone, call him and say 'Sir, please I am sorry, when can I resume'!

Sometime later, I put in my first ever job application at an SME-related organisation in Lagos, and received an offer, but couldn't make it. I had to take it that Umuahia was the place for me to calmly develop without as much rigours.

When you are from a background of strife, life has played you 9:0 from birth. Your family can never help you design your future; methinks they are rather fetching to scar the scary future 😢. Taking one step forward, and getting tugged 5x back is default feature. Then, you make a missed step? Oh, God! You just might spend a decade correcting it.

20+ Online Courses and Certifications

The truth is since 2020, I have been going through series of exploring my best self and unpacking. I thought that after a course or two, I should have decided the one: coding lessons in Python, digital marketing courses, project management and personnel management series, product management training, brand management courses, entrepreneurial courses and trainings. Master the one, and let the rest. But, I was meant to master them all.

And it makes all the sense in the world now .... It sure is hazy, so, I recommend only for mission-driven, earth-shakers backed by the invincible. But, I could recommend instead getting born by an enlightened, exposed, rich family that just directs and dictates your becoming with cash and soft care y'know ....

At NYSC Camp Umunna Bende

One of the camp pageantry activities

Corper Eucheria and Tarela

ADCOM — Cross-functional Operator

Guided under the mentorship of Reverend, I began a series of community development activities part of which was girlchild development programs. I sought and gained partnerships and collaborations across individuals and government including the Abia State Diaspora Commission.

We were going to execute a girlchild event with sponsors locked-in. And Covid happened. Because of the high confidence score of the event's success, having secured reputable sponsors, I actually didn't create a fallback plan against the live event, so when COVID struck, that became it.

However, this began an endearing relationship with the Abia State Diaspora Commission, and from 2020 to 2024, I would work in diverse roles from designer, office assistant, personal assistant, programmes manager, project manager and every other thing in between. Some of the notable programmes I led:

1. Traders support programmes: spontaneously meeting traders across different rural locations and giving them business grants.
2. Menstrual health hygiene education with sanitary materials donation across girls' schools.
3. State-wide spelling bee competition where we held intra-zonal contests amongst the 3 geo-political zones of Abia State: Abia North, Abia South, Abia Central, and thereafter an inter-zonal grand-finale in Umuahia, logistics, welfare and prizes all covered for the participants.
4. Several donations to charity centres and orphanages across the 3 Abia geo-political zones.
5. Scholarship award to indigent Abia students where I designed the application system that received 211 entries, led a reviewer team to review and select top 40 applicants which were later stripped down to top 10, organised the screening, mailed the selection offers to the 5 awardees, and held funds disbursal events.
6. Hands-on contributing to building, setting up, equipping, staffing, and operational coordination: working hands-on dirty day-to-day as project personnel for the first State children's hospital: AnneMarie Jackson Children's Specialist Hospital. Coordinated and executed a staff orientation including "Helping Babies Breathe" where we partnered with National Orientation Agency (NOA), Abia State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, and a US-based NGO Inspire Hope Foundation who sent their foreign team all the way down to help train the staff.
7. Distribution of medical supplies including consumables and heavy medical equipment to 100+ PHCs in Abia State. This was a planned programme executed twice, each lasting over 5 days.
8. Held the first Abians in Diaspora Summit where diasporans from over the world came to network and lead the plan for their respective engagements to build a better homeland.
9. Several support and books donations to the Abia State Library, helping to give a chance at resuscitating the dying books and library culture.
10. Planned and executed a Listening Skill Workshop for 100 Civil Servants in the Otti-led Abia State Government House as a response to observed deficiencies such as poor productivity, weakened team dynamics, and career stagnation with the aim to improve effective communication, conflict resolution, leadership, and productivity.

Hostclass

One day, someone reached out and introduced himself. Professor Dennis Ikpe, a professor of Statistics & Mathematics at Michigan State University. He said he was reaching out because I came highly recommended by the Executive Secretary of ADCOM. There he pitched me his vision for Hostclass, an edtech company, and asked that I be a part of it.

We worked for a 3-month trial validation period and thereafter I became involved across many roles to refine Hostclass' vision, positioning and penetration in schools. Our model was institutional-led. The problem was that the model of education across our educational system in Nigeria was lagging behind global standards, and with his experience teaching in sophisticated schools of South Africa, and United States, he had a buoyant vision which I loved.

Worked across multiple roles — Brand Strategist, Brand Designer, and Business Developer.

I leaned into brand strategies bearing in mind that edtech in emerging economies was a challenge. First was the customer discovery which I started with multiple enquiries, interviews, and strategy calls with the Founder, lecturers, and students. Then, the rebranding initiative: I rebranded the company's visual identity from a grey and blue colour to a lively orange colour, and from a Vertical "H" Icon to a zagged "H" iteration. A concept that appeals to the target audience who are mostly young students, and depicts revolutionizing learning experience. We developed a modern digital classroom for universities, replicated the school's exact course modules, embedded the software inside iPads, supplied iPads and software to teachers, and worked closely with them as they delivered their classes.

It held the promise of a fleek-style teaching and learning module that we acquired not just active lecturers from Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike and Abia State University Uturu, but loyal ones who spread the word easily. We also secured institutional partnerships including a school in Malawi.

I wasn't just pitching lecturers and students, but also prospective partners and stakeholders, and we raised angel investment of $5,000 from another foreign professor who loved the operational model.

My other roles saw me redesigning the website touchpoints, landing page, and copy. After this, I handed the platform over to the LMS developers, a project manager, an operations officer, and moved over to lead another of his ventures 9Mile.

Behind the scenes — my thoughts sketch

Behind the scenes — my thoughts sketch

Behind the scenes — my thoughts sketch

9Mile Business Developer to 9Mileon Co-Founder

The named Professor who I worked at his edtech Hostclass started 9Mile in response to financial support requests he was receiving as a Diasporan. What began as a personal support initiative became a company after he was able to garner a number of persons together to form a group where their monies are put together to become utilised more accountably and responsibly rather than in mere giveaways. Thus forming a cooperative.

He struggled to put a suitable business concept to this cooperative model. I joined the cooperative, tried it out, and it felt drab. What scalable business could be made out of this? I asked.

Using my native intelligence, I redesigned this cooperative and a fintech was created out of it. We named it 9Mileon, and I became a Co-Founder.

9Mileon.jpg" alt="9Mile integrating 9Mileon">

Here I was tracing the exact flow of the cooperative flow before redesigning it to a fintech model

Eucheria Hub

I made money on a whole lot of personal gigs before and during my NYSC that I saved up my entire allowances. Now I desired to build my creative skills into a full-time branding, design, print and packaging enterprise, and registered Eucheria Hub as a business name in 2021.

Here I executed design contracts as one-off, some monthly retainers, branding tasks, and design and packaging projects for over 30 clients satisfactorily including small businesses. My clientele base was distributed across Africa, UK, United States, Canada. I work sometimes with ad hoc teams on big projects, other times with freelancers.

Jobs Executed:

• Designed and printed magazines for Nigerian Association of Animal Science Students, Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi. I was a Comrade too.
• Wedding designer (designs, prints & souvenirs) — planned, designed, made print materials and souvenirs for 10+ weddings.
• Designed and printed jotters for over 30 clients.
• Planned, designed and managed print of countless publicity and advert materials — trifold brochures, booklets, binded brochures, online and print fliers, banners, and billboards.
• Designed and printed numerous brand identity materials — logos, cards, tags.
• Handled digital, and brand management projects.

Elsa Agro Allied Brand Identity

Royal Keddn Logo Design

Robbiescoops Packaging Design

Irene Skincare Packaging Design

Accelerate Digital Brand Strategy

Fliers & Social Media Designs

Print & Publication Designs

One Problem

The plan was to slowly but steadily build Eucheria Hub into the status I want for it. As at the time, I was unable to focus full-time; it felt like such a terrible blank canvas — even after I'd developed the vision board, and business roadmap. Later, I realised that the actualization transcends mere motivation or willpower.

So, I began seeking professional support to no avail. Actually, I could not afford a good one.

There was 'influencers' and online business coaches that typically charges some 100s of thousands of Nairas (plus other 'luxury' coaches who charges in $$$) for 'access' to them. The access? Telegram classes.

You studied the shared content, and 'what next' is up to you
In fact, you must be very lazy, and not self-motivating if you are unable to study the materials, nor implement. And as a punitive measure, you can't contact them personally. Access paid for blocked!

Actually, my hate for those online 'influencers' and 'coaches' was not helping either. No matter how much I attempted to strategise and move by myself, the inertia for this vision and ambition wasn't giving way.

Interestingly, executing design and branding strategies jobs in communities of MSMEs, I saw how similar ambitious aspiring business owners were just getting by. Arrrhh! The triggering question came when a contact asked me directly: Eucheria, you do branding and designs, ehem, what can you do to help MSMEs thrive?

Now disturbed, I disabled my social media to design what converts ambition from survival mode into greatness.

Enterprise Suite

Following the problems experienced at Eucheria Hub, this idea took further credence with a challenge my mom faced. She produced powdered soybean beverages which her customers loved. A solo operator. Producing and selling all by herself. No production system, no marketing plan, not to mention branding and packaging. No QA. It wasn't even formalised. Just hard street hassles.

Barely teen, I would advise that she can't continue that way. She needs distributor stores who offtake her products. But, none of us knew what to do beyond her excellent soy beverages production. Nonetheless, she did prospect some stores, and they all turned her down. With valid reasons. Her produce wasn't shelf-worthy. That miniscule shelf product finessing, the branding, the packaging, the compliances. Quality assurance. Certifications and the likes.

As if that wasn't enough, she lost a nutrition partner deal with FMC where she was known and patronised by medical staff and the customers, for reasons of not meeting relevant health and safety certifications.

I initially thought E-Suite was an ERP. ERP? For solo, micro and small businesses? Next…!

Work in progress

Enterprise Suite logo repping at an event

The "Missing Middle" Is Not Missing Ambition. It's Missing Support.

Africa has more entrepreneurs per capita than anywhere else in the world. It also has one of the lowest densities of large businesses globally. Of an estimated 244 million businesses in Africa: 94.8% are solo firms with zero hired employees. 3.1% are micro-enterprises. 1.6% are small ventures. 0.38% are medium. 0.05% are large.

Sources: Innovation Village / EIB (2026), FMO (2024), World Bank (2025). Content was rephrased for compliance with licensing restrictions.

Read more on this topic here. Now is the time for this.

Have coffee

Stay up late designing the product & system

Daybreak, eat-work at dinner table. Repeat.

With that intersection of my personal, family and SMS community-lived experiences, the wealth of knowledge gained from my MSME communities and clients, I began building something that can get ambitious solo, micro and small business out of survival mode, towards a better business, a better life, a better nation, and a better Africa. Business owners can now have better utility for online stores and CRM tools like Bumpa, and even fintech tools like Paystack and the likes — of which most currently don't have need of, or are under-utilizing. Such ripple effect!

I believe that now with the policy system around TaxID, we are attuned in such a way that more businesses will now be competing to recover the $232 million deficit.

This got validated when as one of ten from Africa I gained acceptance into the HerStartup acceleration program and got featured as part of HerStartup's cohort of female-founded businesses covered by leading media.

User journey experience designing v1

Okay. Okay. We even work on the ground

Graphics templates design from a blank canvas

Scrambling insights on CTO recruitment

9Mile Business Developer to 9Mileon Co-Founder

The named Professor who I worked at his edtech Hostclass started 9Mile in response to financial support requests he was receiving as a Diasporan. What began as a personal support initiative became a company after he was able to garner a number of persons to form a group where their monies are put together to become utilised more accountably and responsibly rather than in mere giveaways. They named it a cooperative.

He struggled to put a suitable business concept to this cooperative model. I joined the cooperative, tried it, it felt drab. What scalable business could be made out of this? I asked.

With my native intelligence, I redesigned this cooperative and a fintech was created. We named it 9Mileon, and I became a Co-Founder.

I traced the existing flow of the cooperative before redesigning

FerGirl Initiative

Some active voluntary members of FerGirl team on an Independence Day campaign in 2021

In secondary school I was in Press Club. In NYSC orientation camp, I volunteered in the Orientation Broadcasting Service (OBS). During my service year I was in the Publicity and Editorial CDS (community development service) group.

In these associations, we had routine activities that I found fun and education: In Press Club we researched trending and relevant news and presented them as journalists and newscasters at the assembly ground weekly; as a day and boarding mix, it was a source of fun and latest gists to the boarding students who eagerly looked forward to news days. At OBS we presented news and information in studio artistry, bringing momentum and triggering camp-wide discussions in typical banters, chaos, and perspectives inside the confinement. At Publicity and Editorial CDS we presented news, debates, dramas, entertainment and lifestyle activities. Whilst superbly entertaining, the education was the trophy.

There are things you just execute speedily on inspiration. So I began.

One at St. Theresa's Girls' School, a cool girls' school: landscaped terrain, cool classrooms with white boards and markers, a contrast to the black charcoal boards that dominated most schools around here where students would from time to time attempt to re-darken with charcoal fetched from their firewood hearths at home.

In my primary and secondary school days, we took risks of breaking used batteries to get the lead and add it to the charcoal mix as we believed that it helped the darken-ness last longer.

There was no strategy. Just a restless impact-driven girl on a mission to make small acts of societal good.

I felt I had enough to share and do not have to wait before doing the small things capable of systemic shifts.

The principal a Reverend Sister was excited for our mission, and welcomed us most heartily. With gifts too. She had been waiting for moments like this. She wanted a safe role-modelling for her girls, especially at the normative teen ages. Because? All role models don't have to be the TV ladies, or the online celebrities.

What prepping did Sr. give in expectations for our visit? Because we had just stepped into the school environment, when it erupted in welcome screams. That one visit was a green flag. A signal. It unbundled a whole lot of perspective to my impact drive: There was the need in the community. There was the hunger in the girls. We can make this a thing. That birthed FerGirl.

I remember having a time on the naming. What name suits this initiative where you want to build wholesome girls that hungers, works, tarries, becoming the model for a healthy than shorted path? FerGirl's mindset is Beautiful. Highly ambitious. Super healthy and safe.

Well, well. After the motivating outing and the initiative naming, I developed a plan and a budget. My own funds. No drama. No branding. No stories speaking louder than the works. Just moves, and satisfaction from the affirmations I received. And it became a thing across more schools: Afungiri Girls' School, Holy Rosary Girls, Federal Girls, and the school I served in — Methodist Girls.

The Pilot

We launched at Methodist Girls High School, Umueze. An invigorating club forum was sat and structured to develop listening, speaking and critical thinking skills, with each meet leaving girls chuffed and looking forward to the next. Some approaches we used:

Public forum discussion — we gathered without prior selection. Then girls are randomly split into two sides. A coin is tossed to decide which side proposes and defends a trending topic.

Policy debate — imagining that they were Policy Makers, Ministers/Heads of Parastatals, they pair up to propose a policy. Thereafter split into an affirmative team who supports the policy, and a negative team who rejects the policy.

Tagged Teaming — girls are taught that teams wins with a cohesive voice. So a speaker finishes speaking, and spontaneously tags any member of the team to pick up and continue. Delaying, or speaking disjointedly earned the team some negative scores.

Inner Circle / Outer Circle — one group discusses, the other listens. After listening, the outer circle shares views and criticisms. Roles switch and repeat.

Four Corners Discussion — opinions drawn into Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, Strongly Disagree. No neutral. Students move to their chosen opinion corner, discuss motives and intent, get a chance to reconsider, then nominate a group secretary to present their defence.

On scheduled days, some are already at the staff room calling my attention. Other days, they are coming to have a one-on-one sharing their view points. This culminated in a school-wide debate competition which was hitherto non-existent. We had a junior and a senior category competition.

We had more activities with the Ministry Of Women Affairs to execute events in Umuahia and Aba, and Partnered with the Ministry of Youths and Sports Development in the Abia Girl's Inter local government football tournament. From awareness to execution, and at the grand finale supported over 200 girls with 20 cartons of sanitary packages.

Girls' Digital School

This initiative was led from feedback during our girls' outreaches. Most senior graduating girls, especially the ones from the poorer community schools said that they are unable to further to universities after their secondary just like I was. I advised them on taking up digital skills like I did, and I proceeded to survey their skillsets of interest.

Their response included many artisanal skills: braiding, sewing, soap making, baking, and the likes. These skills at the core are amazing. However, there were barely ambitions in their undertone. Some mentioned they would go on to take up kiosk sales roles aka sales girls. There were others who particularly confided to me that their families are most likely to get them married off.

One in particular would have my number and call to complain that she'd been reluctant to get along with her family's plan of getting her married, but is now more certain than ever that she'll not, and if they tried to coerce her as is mostly the case with poorer rural families, she would leave home.

Leaving home? Hmmm, reminiscing that conversation added to some experiences I would have while attempting to relocate would lead to the current problem theme that FerGirl would now be handling moving ahead ...

Actually, the reason why they'd not mentioned any digital skills was that about 90% of them had little to no idea about digital and tech skills, and even remote working. I gave a preface into digital skillsets like designs, data analysis, digital marketing, coding and their prospects. You could see their fascination in awe of the newly acquired career information. This ushered the plan for a digital school.

I created information pamphlets. Reached more schools and created more awareness. Had practically the entire senior students across the visited schools excited for it. After I'd secured the girls' interest, I developed a comprehensive course training module in stages — beginner and advanced. The beginner class at no cost to the girls.

That is my mission: provide education and help to underprivileged determined, intelligent and ambitious girls at no cost of their own. I personally bear this cost.

However, for the advanced classes to be rigorous and have the satisfactory result of worthwhile career impact, we have to employ a team of dedicated and experienced tutors. This can not be run out of my pocket. It most definitely have to be sponsor/donor-led. The operational model is simply not-for-profit.

I prospected for partners, harnessed my existing relationship with the Diaspora office, more Parastatals, and VIPs. This initiative reached wider people. That was how the US Statistics & Maths Professor reached out. We discussed the girls' digital school. He discussed his company Hostclass and the vision with me. He eventually invited me to join him.

Prior to this, Archbishop Opoko of the Methodist Church was sold on my charities mission and the promise that they hold. He invited and asked me to prepare an op plan and NGO incorporation with him on the board for us to go all out and build it.

I was now at a crossroad.

Pursue the charity gender-led mission with one of Eastern Nigeria's most reputed Archbishops? Or pursue the edtech enterprise with a US Professor?

As you well know; if you've seen my work history, I pursued Hostclass. My core regret is not having a success evidence here. Still I learned, got many firsts, and transformed - even though with sprinkles of drudgery especially after I lost a promising benefactor and sponsor relative.

Ordo ab chao.

Order and clarity that transcends chaos.

He wanted me to join more of his ventures. I worked, learned, and moved to focus on building Enterprise Suite with the wealth of lessons and experience gained from transforming 9Mile a cooperative into 9Mileon a fintech, driving brand and user acquisition across Hostclass and 9Mileon. And now out-doing myself in the hands-on product development, with palpable precision from the experience gained funding solo and small business operators as 9Mileon Co-founder.

With Papa, Archbishop Opoko.

One of those days forging the ore.

IfyJoes Foundation

In loving memory of Late Miss Josephine Osondu. The valued founder and visionary of IfyJoes Foundation. A warrior who healed with her pains. She lived!

As the Media/Outreach Designer & Strategist, I worked closely with the visionary Founder of IfyJoes Foundation to develop outreach plans, create media and print designs, and manage partnership engagements. Our mission was to provide care and support to sickle cell warriors, and create awareness to reduce sickle cell prevalence.

Through my contribution:

We created awareness in over 20 schools, and worked closely with 5 hospitals in sickle cell education. Partnered with both local and international NGOs including Vicar Hope Foundation where we conducted free genotype tests for over a 1,000 persons in Abia State.

Held monthly physical warriors circle filled with hearty talks, games, meals, and routine drugs support at each meet up. Had media partnerships who amplified our impact, reaching tens of thousands live, on-air, and online.

Our 3-year survey analysis revealed 90% increase in sickle cell awareness, reducing sickle cell prevalence by over 70% by 2040.

My experience caring and witnessing the warriors' highs and lows including crisis emergencies deepened my perspective about life, and impact work in general.

Arochukwu Digital Skills Training

It was my pleasure being invited to travel down to a village in Arochukwu for a digital program simply aimed at digital awareness and inclusion for youngsters living in the rural areas, as those in the rural areas are way behind in digital and technology career paths.

The convener was the then Special Adviser to the Governor on Gender Affairs, sponsored by the Lawmaker Representing Arochukwu Federal Constituency, and others: a one week intensive and practical series adapted to meet their lifestyle and knowledge levels. Photography & videography. Designing. Multi-media cultural storytelling. I delivered series on designing, and was deeply moved witnessing the community learners' sheer joy and excitement at seeing shapes and colours turn to objects of interest.

Thereafter, they were enlisted to receive digital devices, starting capital, and a group which I was a part of was created for feedback and continual mentorship.