Yakolo Indimi, is the founder of the Yakolo Indimi Foundation (YIF), CEO Fashion Café Global Enterprises, and a Director at Oriental Energy Resources.
Having served in various capacities across public and private sectors, Yakolo has played impactful roles by offering humanitarian assistance, training those who have been affected by the Boko Haram insurgency amongst others.
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In this interview, Yakolo talks about her biography, her passion for entrepreneurship and humanitarianism amongst others.
Excerpts:
The Indimi’s family are amongst the famous families in Nigeria. How was it like growing in such a big family?
My name is Yakolo Indimi. I was born to the family of Muhammad Indimi on the 19th of March 1977 in Maiduguri, Borno state and most specifically, a daughter to Fatima Indimi.
I attended my primary school here in Nigeria, at University Primary School, Maiduguri and after the completion of my basic primary education, I was enrolled to a boarding school in Egypt where I obtained formal secular and religious secondary knowledge at the El Nasr Girl College, Alexandria, Egypt in 1989. It was quite a memorable experience for me because I have learnt a lot.
I was also at Lynn University, Boca Raton, Florida for my tertiary education where I obtained my Bachelor of Science in Pre-Medical Science and eventually M.Sc.in International Management from the same school. These I believe, summarily tells growing up in my family means having all the basic moral and material support.
Passing through these institutions you must have acquired a lot of experience. How were you able to build your career upon returning to Nigeria?
Yes, after my National Youth Service in 2000, I started working at my father’s company, Oriental Energy Resources where I served in various capacities as a staff and head of many units over the last two decades. I am currently a director at Oil Mining License, OML 115.
Do you run any personal business?
You know even while you are working, one has to be entrepreneurial, so I ventured into fashion line which is very successful and it has accelerated me so well.
It is a fashion site mostly for elderly people and mothers who would want to feel good and more comfortable getting old and feeling younger.
Some people couldn’t act as strong as they were as they get older. How is it like with you working at this age?
I work from morning to 5pm without obvious weaknesses. To God be the glory, Yakolo is always strong and healthy. I am not so depressed at my age. I am enjoying it, always feeling as if I was just born to the world.
What do you do at your leisure time?
Whenever I am free I like to spend time with my children, once they are back from school. I am always there to see them, I go through their books to make sure everything is right, because you know being a teenager is not easy so you have to always be there for them and put them through, ensure they observe daily prayers, while simultaneously focusing on my foundation.
Speaking about your foundation, what motivated your philanthropic act?
I started philanthropy since when I was a much younger person, I look up to my father helping people out, and he is an exemplary philanthropist.
To him, offering a gift is a habit given the status where God put him. He always says when God gives you, you also give out because the more you give the more you get. So, I decided to toe his path.
Whenever he gave me pocket money, I take half and give out the remaining half. I keep doing that because it excites me much than many things in life. It is a feeling that I never want to quit. I started from a very young age and the more I give the more I get, this is how I came through emulating my dad and on one hand, my mum because she does the same, so I am surrounded by it; that’s why it has become part of me.
Have you ever been honoured for the charity work you have been doing thus far?
First I am not doing it to be honoured by anybody, authority or institution. I am doing it with the conscience that God almighty is aware and he will reward me handsomely. But you know, the world and people around you always monitor what you are doing. At a point, I received a lot of awards and recognition, which also got me really impressed.
The United Nations also recognized what we are doing, I was among the Peace and SDGs Goals awardees at the United Nations 74th General assembly in New York for the SDG #1 No Poverty. It is really amazing doing something silently but the International Communities are looking at you, so it motivate me and keep going.
How many languages do you speak?
I am multilingual. I can speak fluently English, Arabic, Kanuri and Hausa Languages.
What do you have to say to other philantrophists?
Well I believe philanthropists have a big role to play toward cushioning the extent of hardships faced by the less privilege ones.
You see it is not because of your smartness that God made you a rich person neither did it mean that those who are not rich aren’t smart.
The supreme creator knows why he made you a wealthy person and not because he loves you beyond those who are not as rich as you might be or probably the poor ones.
Being a philanthropist is not only about having money, it is having the heart and passion for it. I have come across rich and wealthy people that do not want to contribute and I also came across the less privileged that are willing to give their last kobo to help.
Meanwhile, most importantly is for the wealthy individuals to always take assistance as a responsibility. There is a lot of pleasure in helping others. I always feel happy when I give out from what I have perhaps because I was been brought up to see my parents happily helping others.
My advise for the rich ones is to always see that there are others who are not as privilege as they are. The orphans, the victims of war and disaster and much more. So it’s important to help them in order to make them stay very hopeful to living their lives to average or standard.
Do you see entrepreneurship as suitable alternative to serving public and private enterprises?
Yes. Very very much. There are lot of gains in entrepreneurial activities especially when you have the skills.
Only entrepreneurship will make you succeed so speedily though it needs patience and sincerity. As an entrepreneur you must have to be patient relating to people and be very sincere.
My advise for our teeming young graduates and business-oriented ones is to key into entrepreneurship with the hope that they will make it and God’s grace, it will happen effortlessly.
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