The Founder of Famfa Oil Limited, Mrs. Folorunsho Alakija, has urged Nigerian women not be discouraged by their gender in their quest to achieve their visions. Speaking at the International Women’s Day 2026 event on Friday in Lagos, Alakija said women can be whatever they want to be with determination, support and determination.

Reminiscing on her life, she said her upbringing as a girl from a polygamous home and number eight child among 52 children, did not in any way deter her determination for growth and progress, adding that there was nothing that women desired to be that they could not achieve if they set their minds to it.

She advised women not to allow gender discrimination and comments to pull them down, saying “Every single woman here is special in the hands of the Lord. I am just a tool; it has never been about me, but about God working through me. “Achievements are outcomes of years of discipline, intentional effort and perseverance.

“I grew up in a large polygamous family and was sent to the United Kingdom at a young age, where exposure to different cultures helped shape my worldview. “I had aspired to study law, but my father insisted on a secretarial course, a decision I later realised was pivotal to my career. “I thought I wanted to be a lawyer, but God had a different plan.

Looking back, I see how every step was ordered. “My breakthrough came after nearly three years of pursuing an oil prospecting license amid repeated setbacks. “I sowed seeds of tenacity, courage, patience and passion.

I refused to take ‘no’ for an answer.” In her welcome address, the Executive Director of Optiva Capital Partners, the organizer of the event, Dr Amaka Okeke, said this year’s theme is apt with experiences of women in Nigeria, who often gave their all yet not celebrated.