By Bianca Iboma-Emefu
Gina Ehikodi-Ojo is the brain behind Foodies and Spice Nigeria, a media and food company. She also produces a food and lifestyle television show where celebrities are hosted to her recipes. Recently, she has taken the show out of the studio, touring different cities while celebrating food and lifestyle. Ojo, a law graduate from Ambrose Ali University, Ekpoma, and former manager, Wale Adenuga Productions, tells Daily Sun why it is imperative for women to know how to cook great meals.
What was growing up like for you?
It was just like the typical Nigerian growing up.
I didn’t grow up in a big town or city. I grew up in a small community, around Agbor in Delta State. I think it helped to shape the kind of person that I am. We were very modest and at the same time loved food. I actually grew up in a community where it was very important for women to know how to cook. I was in the midst of women who cooked. This showed in my interest because of the influence.
After my graduation, I worked with Femi Aderibigbe before going to Law School. I believed I could come back to his team and work on Nigeria’s first 24 hours music channel (NIGEZIE). But I started working in a law firm.
Actually, before Law School, I also worked in a media firm here in Lagos while I was waiting for admission. Along the line, I got involved with production even though I was a marketer. I discovered that I loved production. So, by the time I left for WAP TV, to become their general manager, I had gained tremendous experience.
The experience I also got at the musical production outfit gave me the opportunity to perfect almost everything I learnt in Law School. As the legal executive, I was faced with artiste contracts, property issues, satellite and platform issues, licenses, human resources, etc, Amid all these, the entertainment part of me kept calling and the desire to produce TV programmes grew. I got the knowledge on how TV programmes work.
Tell us about your experience and the influence you had at WAP TV?
I started my cooking show at WAP TV. I was producing it in collaboration with WAP TV initially but later expanded to other channels. Currently, I am in 15 TV stations. I joined WAP TV in 2012 as the general manager and it was a smooth ride because I learnt from experience and I was armed with the knowledge of getting things done effectively with moderate funding.
Prior to my working at WAP TV, I had already started a production, which was meant to debut on Orisun, a Yoruba channel. My former boss had given a few of his staff airtime on the channel to produce contents for it. So, I started out producing “Asa alo Pipa,” which was meant to be a storytelling content for kids. However, it didn’t debut as I had to resume work at WAP TV within a few months.
The production of the cooking show, Foodies and Spice, gained viewership and spread to more stations. Foodies and Spice is rated as the most watched cook show in Nigeria across nine stations weekly both on terrestrial and satellite platforms. We have awards to show for it.
For 10 years, you have been empowering women, but why did you choose this path?
Growing up around so many women gave me a pictorial image of the struggles of women. How women struggle to ensure that their families are in good condition. I understand what it takes to be a woman in this clime. The pains women go through for survival and to support their families. I just knew that a little help here and there would make a difference. Most of them are widows. Widowhood in this part of the country is not a walk in the park. I am not particularly rich but I believe in sharing whatever I can with other people. I also see and feel for the underprivileged. Money is not really the end of everything in life. I think that the happier people are by our little bits of empowerment, the better we are as a people. Helping these women is a way of honouring God. It is not possible for Him to come down and hand over money to people. God uses people. So, if He blesses you with the resources, it means that He wants you to bless other people, too.
While some progress is being made in various parts of the world, there is still a great deal left to be done to right the problems of gender inequality here. Why?
Empowering women is essential to the health and social development of families, communities and countries. When women are living safe, fulfilled and productive lives, they can reach their full potential while contributing their skills to the workforce and can raise happier and healthier children. Gender equality is a basic human right, and it is also fundamental to having a peaceful, prosperous world.
But girls and women continue to face significant challenges all around the world. Women are typically underrepresented in power and decision-making roles. They receive unequal pay for equal work, and they often face legal and other barriers that affect their opportunities at work.
In developing countries, girls and women are often seen as less valuable than boys. Instead of being sent to school, they are often made to do domestic work at home or are married off for a dowry before they are adults. As many as 12 million underage girls are married every year.
What is your advice to women, especially those in abusive relationships?
Life is short. Even if you live for 100 years, the beauty of life is to enjoy peace of mind. Apart from riches, peace is vital for you to enjoy life.
In a healthy relationship, every other thing just falls in place. Of course, you might disagree from time to time or come upon other bumps on the road, but you generally make decisions together, openly discuss any problems as they arise and genuinely enjoy each other’s company.
Toxic relationships are a different kettle of fish. In a toxic relationship, you might consistently feel drained or unhappy after spending time with your partner.
The reason I support these women is that they are not bound in toxicity. I try to empower them with a little cash for petty business so that they can earn a means of livelihood. I don’t think women should accommodate toxicity. Although, as African women, we have been trained to endure toxic relationships, but how long can one cope? Once a woman is empowered, she feels secure and safe.
What is your opinion on the worrisome rate at which Nigerian youths travel out of the country.?
Naturally, people gravitate towards where there is greener pasture. You see people moving to other settlements for various reasons. So, it is not peculiar to this generation. There are records of these events in the Bible. I don’t blame Nigerian youths for this huge migration abroad. They are fighting for their future. They want better living conditions. If Nigeria was favourable to them, they won’t be taking all kinds of risk to travel abroad by all means.