Now that i have your attention, i would like you to note that this isn’t your average beauty pageant rather this is a way of celebrating single independent women in Nigeria and Africa. Neyo did a beautiful song which he titled “miss independent” meaning he recognised the fact that a woman who is self accomplished deserves to be acknowledged.
We have so Many beauty pageants in Nigeria and Africa which focuses on looking hot rather than making a difference to the power relation and building women empowerment. These beauty pageants should focus on celebrating independent women who have done what the contestants claim they would do when the eventually win.
It is really amazing how women are living up to their expectations and accomplishing their dreams without the help of any man or anyone, i mean we have moved on from the days when the continent’s female gender could barely compete with their male counterparts in any endeavour of life to a point where most women now call the shots, and are able to see their dreams come to life which is a true BabyOku attribute.
So on this blog,i have decided to organise a “Miss Independent Babyoku 2013 pageant” to celebrate Single,influencial,independent women who are shaping the fortunes of the continent in one way or the other. These are my contestants, please feel free to contribute to my list *wink*

Funmi Iyanda- Nigeria
Born Olufunmilola Aduke Iyanda, she is an Africa Leadership Institute Fellow and also a fellow of the ASPEN Institute’s African Leadership Initiative. Funmi is one of Nigeria’s most popular journalists. She is the CEO of Ignite Media, a content driven media organization.
The 41 year-old has won almost everything journalism in Nigeria and continues to bag in more. She is Hostess of the ever popular Talk with Funmi, a syndicated magazine programme of everyday life in Nigeria, and which engages artists, writers, celebrities and politicians among other members of the Nigerian social basket. She is seen as a powerful force in Nigeria, and wields a considerable amount of influence amongst opinion leaders and decision makers.
Her love for television started when she produced and presented “Good Morning Nigeria”.
With years of practice as a broadcaster, columnist and blogger, This BabyOku always bring her sense of purpose and direction to bear in her field of endeavour, and this has propelled her to heights other young Nigerians admire.

Saran Kaba Jones – Liberia
Jones is founder of FACE Africa, a non-for-profit organization that provides access to clean, safe and portable drinking water for rural communities in Liberia, using an inventive social enterprise model to fund water projects.
Thousands of Liberians continue to benefit from this project.
Jones’s story is an uplifting one most young Liberians connect to. After fleeing Liberia just before what would later on become a 14-year civil war, she returned in 2008 to make life pretty comfortable for some of the faces she left behind for the United States.
Her first project was in Barnersville, located in a community of about 600 people in Liberia. Working with local organizations, FACE Africa helped to install handpumps and built wells. They also constructed latrines. Currently, the Barnersville project supplies some 20,000 liters of clean drinking water each day to hundreds of homes in the West African country.
Today, she is an inspiration to the Liberian people.
Google named her as a Country Manager
Heading what is widely known as the company’s largest internet community in Africa; Ehimuan represents Google at that level and also handles its business development projects and partnership opportunities.
Her experience in technology spans global markets, mainly in Europe, Middle East, (EMEA) Africa and United States.
She started her career at Shell Petroleum Development Company as Performance Monitoring and Quality Assurance Supervisor, and worked as Program Manager at Microsoft UK for six years, managing Strategic Projects for MSN EMEA.
She later became Business Process Manager for the MSN Global Sales and Marketing Organization.
She left Microsoft in 2005 to start SI Consulting Ltd UK, providing collaborative programs that connect African Business leaders with their global counterparts.
Prior to joining Google, Ehimuan worked as General Manager, Strategic Business Units at Chams Plc.
Ehimuan holds an Executive MBA from the London Business School, and a Bachelors degree in Computer Engineering from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, and a Post Graduate degree in Computer Science from the University of Cambridge, UK. She is a recipient of the London Business School Global Women’s Scholarship, as well as two scholarly awards – Selwyn College Scholar and Malaysian commonwealth Scholar – Cambridge University. She is a Fellow of the Cambridge Commonwealth Society.
She is a versatile person; she is many ladies in one. She is a very popular Nollywood actress whose fame goes beyond Nigeria, as she has fans all over the world . She’s an actress, model, musician, businessperson and mother. This Baby Oku is a complete defination of beauty and style she appeals just as warmly to Kenyans and Liberians and South Africans and Ghanaians who avidly watch Nigerian home videos at home and abroad. Genevieve has led the market into new territories today.
Eku Edewor is the beautiful Nigerian actress, producer , presenter and model with the eclectic style. she is co- presenter Studio 53 Extra and a model. As a producer Eku has worked with numerous artists, producers and writers, including, the production of the 2009 Ian Dury Biopic, Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll, which included a star studded cast and crew. Internationally, she was the Project Manager for ARISE Magazine, coordinating the production of the ARISE Collective III, 2010 Autumn/ Winter Ready to Wear Show at New York Fashion Week and a Fashion Exhibition introducing African Designers at the Four Seasons in Paris for Women’s Fashion Week. She also represented ARISE and assisted production at the 2011 Face of Africa event held in Lagos, Nigeria. She’s also the muse for top Nigerian Fashion line Jewel by Lisa.
Television and radio personality, Toke Makinwa, burst onto the scene in 2010 after the premiere of her late night radio show, “Rhythms of the Night,” hosted by one of the most popular music stations in the Lagos Metropolitan area, Rhythm 93.7FM. The show caters to night owls who enjoy smooth melodies that evoke a sense of peace, serenity and calm; qualities that this 27-year old exudes so effortlessly. She landed the role of lead anchor on Flytime Entertainment’s online show “3 Live Chicks” alongside popular radio presenters, Oreka Godis and Tosyn Bucknor, where she was able to take charge of a live interview and dish on news across the board from hot topics to real day-to-day issues.”I’m not one to shy away from the camera or back down on a challenge and that’s why the Nigerian viewers love me'” she says.