Gender, no barrier to greatness, says Tiwa Savage

Award winning singer, Tiwatope (popularly called Tiwa) Savage has urged women not to allow gender limit their attaining the utmost in life.

Tiwa said this in reaction to her nomination as one of the British Broadcasting Corporation’s 100 Most Inspirational and Innovative Women, via said her instagram handle @tiwasavage, yesterday.

“Don’t let being a woman hinder you, I have and still have to fight to get people to respect and appreciate my work and not limit me because I am female. So, this really encourages me to keep pushing and breaking boundaries.

“It’s true when they say your brightest moments usually come after your darkest times. Keep your head up and work hard through it. The same people laughing at you will celebrate you. Do not let anything hold you back because you are a mother, wife, young, older or a female.

“You can never leave a footprint that will last if you are always walking on tiptoes,” she said further quoting Leymar Gbowee, popular Liberian female activist.

Tiwa also urged her fans to put God first, enjoy life, love, be a good human and do what makes you happy.

The ‘Eminado’ crooner is a mother of one, with several awards and a Sony/ATV publishing deal to her name.

Also, Nigerian-British Anne-Marie Imafidon made the list for her role in supporting women to go into careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Imafidon founded and became CEO of `Stemettes’’ in 2013, a social enterprise promoting women in STEM careers, and was honoured with an Member of the British Empire ( MBE) in 2016. At 15, she was admitted a degree programme and became the youngest graduate with a Master’s degree, from Oxford University, at the age of 19.

The list also includes seven other Africans including Adelle Onyango (Kenya), Anita Nderu (Kenya), Chaima Lahsini (Morroco), Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (Liberia), Marieme Jamme (Senegal), Naomi Mwaura (Kenya) and Talent Jumo (Zimbabwe).

100 Women is a BBC multi-format series established in 2013. The series examines the role of women in the 21st century and has included events in London, the United Kingdom and Mexico. This year’s event, which will last for one week, will include broadcast, online reports, debates and journalism on the topic of women.

Women across the world are encouraged to participate via Twitter and comment on the list, as well as the interviews and debates which follows release of the list.