Mrs Betty Irabor is not only a pride of womanhood and positive role model to many people in Africa but she is also a Beautiful, In...
Mrs Betty Irabor
is not only a pride of womanhood and positive role model to many people in
Africa but she is also a Beautiful, Intelligent, Glamorous, Sophisticated,
Elegant and Articulate (BIG SEA) lady.
Emerging from
humble beginnings as a daughter of a Nigerian police officer and a seamstress
mother, Mrs Betty Irabor fondly known as Aunty Betty learned the value of hard
work and developed a strong conviction and drive. Betty learned early in life
that even without the so termed “model family” to support her, she could still
achieve excellence in whatever she did.
Her mother Madam Doris Uwamere ERO was
her initial inspiration teaching her the value of hard work but particularly
demonstrating to her how being focused and diligent will lead her to greater
things. Aunty Betty learnt these lessons well and has applied them in all her
endeavors.
School life
started at the Methodist Girls’ High school in 1970-1977 and progressed on to
the University of Lagos in 1977 where she studied for a BA in English &
Philosophy graduating in 1980.
All through university
she had no clear idea of what profession she wanted to embrace; her life was a
blank canvass, and she trusted in God to paint her future. God did, indeed. Her
foray into journalism was completely accidental, although in retrospect she
believes that her career in journalism, which began at the National Concord,
was to ultimately lead her down the path that has blossomed into full blown
publishing and a life changing experience for women. She always had a passion
for written words and excelled in English and poetry from her school days.
With only six years'
industry experience she seized the day and her destiny by deciding to take the
plunge and publish her own magazine-Genevieve. 13 years on and with her
magazine blazing a trail while building her personal brand along with the
Genevieve brand, she believes women cannot be said to be successful as long as
traditional and cultural beliefs continue to hold down a huge percentage of young
girls and stifling their growth and performances. “We must continue to push for
the passing of the bill on Gender Equal Opportunities and obnoxious practices”.
To mark the tenth
anniversary of Genevieve magazine in 2013, Aunty Betty happily graced the cover
with a screaming headline that says it all “The trick is to do it afraid”. In
her interview, she said “starting Genevieve was initially just a hobby brought
to life but it soon became a consuming passion. I believe we are all imbued
with necessary skills which we must keep upgrading in order to be rated as
extra-ordinary. The day we stop reinventing ourselves is the day we become just
another face in the crowd.
Betty, being a
strong believer in living a purposeful life says “the only limits are the ones
set by yourself”. Her book “Morning Dew”
which catalogues her journey from 2003 when the magazine started to 2016, serves
as the extra tonic to break free from limitations, “see the unseen and embrace
endless possibilities”. Aunty Betty has never denied her battle with
self-esteem and fear but she has constantly maintained that faith overcomes
fear. “We have a choice to live in perpetual fear or break free from it by
confronting our fears”
She is inspired by
Mother Teresa whom she quotes as saying “We ourselves feel that what we are
doing is just a drop in the ocean but the ocean would be less because of that
missing drop.”
Recently featured
on ‘The Entrepreneurial Edge’ on CNBC, she talked about four major attributes
that are responsible for her success as an entrepreneur and game changer. These,
she says include TENACITY, FOCUS, PASSION AND INNOVATIVENESS. “You cannot just
fit in, you must stand out”
Never one to slow
down, she continues to set new goals for herself. “Talking about the next step she
says, “We have worked hard to build a formidable brand, now it’s time to
reposition the brand for global acceptance” Our main task ahead is to
re-engineer the social platform for women through a series of empowering events
and activities.
She is very
passionate about reaching out to the younger generation of women and sharing
her wealth of experience as a successful entrepreneur in an industry and
beyond. Her passion to empower younger women to live a life without limitations
regardless of glaring gender based discriminations led her to accept more
invitations to mentor women through engaging dialogues at different fora.
She has been a game changer not only in her
industry but as an outspoken role model for women and the youth
She recently sat
on the board of TOTAL NIGERIA LTD as a jury member in the STARTUPPER of the
year where youths were invited to send in winning business plan ideas to
qualify for a grant. She worked on that panel with notable professionals. She
was also recently invited as guest speaker at the KONGA International woman of
the year project where she spoke about ‘Changing Mind-Sets From Minus To Plus’.
Betty is widely
acknowledged as the woman who started the conversation on Breast Cancer
awareness in Nigeria using the Genevieve platform. Through her Genevieve Pink
Ball foundation she began a massive advocacy programme on breast cancer. The
foundation donated a Mammography machine valued at 9 Million naira to the Lagos
state University Teaching hospital for early diagnosis of breast cancer before
its progression to more malignant stages and has organised several awareness
outreach in densely populated parts of the city where ignorance about breast
cancer is rife.
In 2014 The
Genevieve Pink Ball foundation initiated the 100 patient challenge to raise
funds for breast cancer patients for surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Though the fund needed could not be raised at the last Pink ball, the
initiative is ongoing and there are several testimonies from beneficiaries of
that initiative. Breast cancer awareness and treatment is a project Betty is
very passionate about and has received several recognitions and awards for her
commitment to this cause.
The years of hard
work, sacrifice and impact on society have not gone unrecognised judging by her
numerous awards and recognitions.
Mrs Betty Irabor
is married and has two adult children.
She is currently
working on a book, which she says will be THE BEST SELLER.
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