Fijeh Roseline Aadum, Founder of Fijeh Roseline Aadum Foundation [FRAF], is a Certified Life Coach and the bestselling author of Masters of Success; a book she co-authored with Brian Tracy.

As a strong believer in the ability of every individual to find their true purpose and maximise their potentials, Fijeh is passionate about helping individuals and businesses achieve their desired objectives and do their best work.

-Current Job – CEO FIJEH ROSELINE AADUM FOUNDATION

-Education – MBA IN INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS, BSC ACCOUNTING

-First Job – INTERNAL AUDITOR AT PREMIUM PENSION LIMITED

-Necessary Luxury – MY KINDLE PAPER WHITE J

-Your Passion – NATION AND ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT

WHAT FUELS ME?

BEAUTY: I think this word is greatly misunderstood by many people and this misunderstanding has been greatly abused. After struggling with the word for a while I have come to realize that beauty is only attained at the place of purpose. No matter what you do and no matter how well you are thriving at it, you won’t see your beauty, reflect any beauty until you are in your place of purpose, doing what you are in this world to do and answering the questions you are meant to answer. This is why mother Theresa of Calcutta was such a beautiful human being whom everyone that met her fell in love with and this is the reason she was able to raise millions of dollars in aid for the less privileged because her beauty was showing forth.

I struggled through life for a while, doing what was expected of me but until I came to that place of purpose. Beauty is not in the clothes, shoes, hair or designer bag you carry, it runs deep.

FAITH: Defines the rest of you. It is the foundation upon which my choices, decision and ultimately all my actions spring from. My faith in Christ Jesus has and will forever remain, my anchor, when things go well or when unexpected events happen in life or business like they sometimes do. This is because in trusting God to guide and help me, I enjoy his love, wisdom and divine providence in all I do.

MY GREATEST INFLUENCE: MY FATHER

The reason is that he was such a people person. I remember growing up as children our house was always filled with people such that although we were living in a city, they had to cook with firewood, because of the quantity of food they needed to prepare to feed everyone.

Truth is at the time, I and my siblings didn’t like it one bit because we had to always share scarce resources. But when I grew older I realized my dad’s attitude towards people had imparted on me so much because I also love to reach out to people and do my best for people to the extent that I am now involved in social enterprise.

MY TOP THREE ROLE MODELS:

1. My Father: For his love for people and his dedication to Nigeria. While working for the Civil service, I remember he turned down a two job offers to work and live in Switzerland, for the sole reason that he was doing something important in Nigeria and wouldn’t want to leave it. At that time, he was pushing a campaign called ‘PLANT A TREE TODAY’ and he took it so seriously.

In fact, he rejected two offers like that and I and my siblings were so angry with him because we couldn’t understand what could be so important in Nigeria that he’d pass up the opportunity to move with his family abroad. But now I think of it and I see how I too have overcome the temptation to move abroad and run away from the current political, economic and security challenges that our country currently faces, simply because deep down I believe I would be better off remaining here and being a part of the solution.

2. My Mother: For her determination to succeed at whatever she set her heart to. One clear example was in her determination to proceed with her tertiary education after she married my dad. My mum married my dad very young, and when she decided to continue her education my father thought she should wait a while. However, my mum was determined not to let anything keep her from proceeding with her education at the time so she proceeded and dealt with the difficulties she encountered when my dad refused to support her decision.

Today, she is currently running her Ph.D. as she serves as the Head of the department at one of the higher institutions in the country. So she just inspires me to know that more often than not you can get what you want out of life, in spite of the surrounding circumstances because she was never one to let any negative experience put her down.

3. Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa: He is an entrepreneur that teaches and practices entrepreneurship. This is a man that has founded and supports over 20 successful businesses across Africa. He led the first of its kind, management buy out of Pfizer International and was chairman of Neimeth until his retirement. He was also the past chairman of The Nigeria Economic Summit Group. In spite of all his achievements, what really inspires me about him is the fact that he gives so much without expecting a financial reward because he is very passionate about supporting enterprise development just like I am. This is one reason why I approached him to be the chairman of my foundation, so I could be accountable to him and get his guidance and mentorship.

IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS…..

1. To teach and embed the principles in my most recent book ‘The Pursuit of Enterprise’ in the hearts and minds of young entrepreneurs. This is because I believe the book covers foundational principles that will help entrepreneurs build a solid foundation for their businesses as against the current trend where people jump into entrepreneurship without building a good foundation, only to find out years down the line that there were quite a number of things they could and should have done differently from the beginning in order to ensure the future success and profitability of their business.
2. To influence a generation of young people to use education as a means to help them solve problems and deliver solutions to the challenges we face as a nation rather than getting their certificates for the sole purpose of “getting a job that would pay you well”.

Yes I have an accountability manager in the person of Mazi Sam ohuabunwa, while my husband is my accountability partner

THE AFRICAN WOMAN’S CHALLENGE:

While there are many challenges African women contend with, I would narrow my focus by saying that the major challenge the African woman contends with is a lack of self-esteem or a low estimation of her worth and potential as a woman.

In my own way, I always make an effort to address this issue whenever I have an opportunity to address women at all levels during the Foundation’s advocacy work. I do this by helping them see themselves as women of worth each carrying a unique gift with which to serve the world.

WHAT I DO TO RELAX:

I READ A NOVEL

MY   –   I.C.E. [INSPIRE|CELEBRATE|EMPOWER] VISION

To encourage her and inspire the younger generation to aspire to be like these older women who have embraced their purpose and giving themselves to making a difference in the lives of others by sharing their own unique gifts with the world.

MY AFRICAN UNION PLANS:

A role that supports capacity development would be fine. The focus will be to help women see that they are not victims but rather that they too are capable of bringing solutions to problems in their homes, communities, offices and their nation.

FINAL WORDS OF ADVICE:

You are the solution the world has been waiting for. Do something to make a difference.