Lily Odior-Diyemowei is the leader of Hustlesquare, a business blogger, social marketer influencer and entrepreneur. In this interview with Juliet Ohitete, the former banker, who is also into philanthropy, speaks about her fun loving personalities, her love for dancing and why good investment is one of the solutions to unemployment in Nigeria.
What is your view about the current rate of unemployment in the country?
Unemployment has become like an epidemic that is ravaging the youths of today. There are little or no jobs for graduates. More graduates are introduced into the labour market yearly without adequate provision of jobs. This is really pathetic.
How do you think graduate unemployment can be addressed?
A regular entrepreneur employs at least three to five persons on the average. What we need to do is to promote and support entrepreneurs who in turn will create jobs for graduates.That is to say once all the factors in the economy favours the entrepreneur and his business flourishes, he is likely to expand which means he will needs more hands which also leads to more jobs creation. Also, I as an Ambassador for Longrich, I would recommend a partnership with Longrich.
Longrich is a company that has brought health and wealth to Nigeria. All you need to do is to use their health and beauty products and refer others to do same and you earn four times in a month. Much more than what most regular sectors can pay.
These are the same products we use that other brands do not pay us for using or care if we refer others. Longrich is different. Longrich keeps you healthy and makes your bank account fat. Longrich is definitely another solution to the state of unemployed in Nigeria.
What roles do you think entrepreneurship play in this regard?
Entrepreneurs are the latest employers of labour. They are the fastest way through which the rate of unemployment can be reduced drastically. They just need the right support. Entrepreneurs employ extra hands all the time. As they grow and expand, they will employ more graduates thereby reducing the rate of unemployment. The focus here should be on how to make entrepreneurs grow so that they in turn can help reduce the rate of unemployment in Nigeria.
What opportunities do you think are available to unemployed youths?
The online space is the largest hustling ground now. Millions of naira exchange hands daily. The unemployed youth can tap into this. People seldom visit physical stores, they prefer to shop online. The unemployed youth can tap into this mega opportunity and change his status overnight. The employed youth can also venture into the Longrich business as I mentioned earlier. It is an amazing platform.
What is your impression about government’s empowerment programmes like the one handled by the Bank of Industry?
They are all awesome programmes but can barely reach a lot of entrepreneurs. They are not enough to go round. So a lot of entrepreneurs are still financially stranded.
How do you see government’s plans to lift 100 million from poverty?
We can’t wait to see that unfold.That is if it will even come to pass. You will recall that first,it was Vision 2010, then they moved to 2020. We hope it doesn’t shift to 2030. We are indeed very hopeful. All things are possible with the right strategies in place that is if they plan well and focus on achieving it. The large army of youth unemployment is intimidating.
How do you see the Trademoni programme where government gives N10,000 to petty traders?
N10,000 can do a lot for a petty trader so I applaud that move. But a regular entrepreneur would need much more than that. So I suggest that more schemes that can help the entrepreneur should be introduced.
What is your social life like?
I love to dance Salsa. I do that virtually every evening. That is the only way I remain sane with all the hustling and bustling going on around me. As an influencer who engage in per-to-peer marketing, the need to constantly be online can be overwhelming and make you stay at a spot most times while you are working. I’m always online and I’m committed to dishing out great contentwhich is very vital for growth in online marketing. It takes conscious efforts to socialise and attend events.
That is where delegating duties in Hutlersquare, which empowers women comes in. It is about two years old and I have a team that handles some of my duties as the Jagaban of Instagram, that is leader of leaders. The brand has grown so large that we have about 200,000 followers and we spread the good qualities of products and services. An average post on our handle can have over 1000 followers in an hour.
How do you relax?
I take a vacation outside the country once in every three to four months for a brain reset. I am intentional about my social life so I make it count.
Tell us about your sense of style, the kind of fashion you like?
I love wearing business casual outfit and always,with a touch of red. I love to dress down too. They say beauty is pain but I would rather not experience that pain. Give me my comfort instead.
Do you feel depressed when people fail you or disappoint you?
I do not expect the best from people. So I am never surprised or disappointed when people fail me or let down my trust in them. I always expect the worst from anyone. Humans are flawed so I constantly give room for people to act human. Nothing surprises or shocks me. Nothing at all.
You said earlier that you love dancing, tell us other kinds of dancing you do aside salsa? Are you part of any dance club and why?
Yes, I really do love to dance. I dance salsa, bachata, kizomba and merengue. I dance with the Dance and Art Alive team. Dancing for me serves as both workout and also for pleasure.
Are you also involved in some humanitarian activities?
Yes, I visit the less privilege ones regularly and I also am involved with helping school children with back to school items. Recently, we distributed writing materials and back to school bags to over 100 indigent pupils and students at 11 Eko Atete Street, Obalende, in Lagos.
The bags contained reading and exercise books as well as other writing materials were given out as part of activities to enable them to resume classes and take their studies without tears.
The event was attended by excited parents and some teachers alike. They recognise that we were moved to reach out to them because every child deserves to be educated. Every child deserves to have the basic things they need to comfortably go to school. I decided to do my own quota to make the world a better place for them.
We were moved by the dire needs of the children and their parents in the face of current economic hardship. One of the parents of the beneficiaries, Mrs. Philomena Bassey commended us for our wonderful works because the gifts were timely and met the needs of the children, who were very excited to receive the items.
Last year, we fed and clothed about 1000 children including beggars and physically and challenged people under our ‘Feed a Child Today’ programme which held at the Internally Displaced Peoples’ camp, Abeokuta Street, Ebute Meta in Lagos. A lot of children are going through hardship. I feel bad about this because they were not asked to be born. Ironically, those in authorities pay little or no attention to our children’s future. We all can do better by helping the indigent children in our environment”
You are into real estate development too, tell us about it.
I am a partner with Pwan Homes. I market and sell land and properties for them. I also encourage my followers to invest in real estate because it appreciates with time and it is a source of dependable income.
Source: New Telegraph NG