The Special Tenth Issue; A REINTRODUCTION

BY OLAMIDE OLAREWAJU

DTNow's 10th edition is special in a lot of ways. It's an easy reminder of how far we've come in such a short time since our first edition went live on April 2, 2023. Dtnow is the lifestyle anchor for the Daily Times Nigeria, Nigeria's oldest surviving news media platform, which has been published since 1926.

It's not an easy feat if you're familiar with the media and publishing space, especially when we're intentional about putting out the best possible content, styling, and everything else that comes with a creative shoot in tow.

From our first; media entrepreneur and an absolutely hardworking role model, The Mo Abudu, to the doyen of property ownership, Paul Onwuanibe, designer extraordinaire Mai Atafo, Microsoft’s Ola Williams, and the AMVCAs, It’s been a lot of hard work, but we are here for it all.

Kate Henshaw’s daring stilettos on a treadmill-themed shoot to Zaron Cosmetics’ privacy-loving founder Oke Maduewesi, Guinness world record holder Hilda Baci, and timeless artist and photographer Kelechi Amadi Obi dreams.

We have pulled off nine covers, and the tenth is finally here. The entire team— publisher, founder, and entire "engine" in human form who made it all work— deserves all of the credit.

We are leaving you with a delightful spread of past covers and excerpts to help you juggle your memories.

• Believe in yourself: Always remember that you are capable of achieving anything you set your mind to. Believe in yourself and your abilities.

• Embrace your uniqueness: Don't try to be like anyone else. Embrace your individuality and celebrate what makes you unique.

• Stand up for yourself: Don't be afraid to stand up for yourself and your beliefs. Speak your mind and be confident in your opinions.

• Never stop learning: Keep learning and growing as a person. Take advantage of every opportunity to gain new knowledge and skills.

• Build strong relationships: Build strong relationships with people who support and encourage you. Surround yourself with positive influences.

• Take care of yourself: Make sure to take care of yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally. Prioritize self-care and make it a part of your daily routine.

• Follow your passions: Pursue your passions and interests. Find something you love and make it a part of your life.

• Be kind and compassionate: Treat others with kindness and compassion. Practice empathy and put yourself in others' shoes.

• Remember that you are valuable and have a unique contribution to make in this world. Stay strong, confident, and true to yourself, and you can achieve anything you set your mind to. Remember - "If you can think it, you can do it."

• Maximally utilize opportunities; The opportunity of a lifetime can only be realized within the lifetime of that opportunity.

On

On tips for people looking up to him or looking up to his level of success;

• Think solvability, scalability, and sustainability; The best businesses solve a problem for the masses.

• Underestimate intelligence, overestimate experience; The best source of knowledge is experience.

• Invest in relationships; that’s how you build unquantifiable wealth.

• Change is inevitable, so constantly evolve your business; Complacency is the killer of

On what’s next for the Atafo brand;

• I don't think it's a particular milestone we're trying to achieve next, but there's a journey, and it's trying to be THE designer brand out of Africa. So when people are calling the Pradas and the Guccis, they will call Atafo. I think that's the ultimate goal at the end of the day, and that's a journey; that's the next step.

• The reason someone wants to buy a Birkin bag from Hermes for millions of Naira is because they've sold something to them, so I want that to be the case for Atafo, where we do something and people want to buy. When you buy a designer bag, you're proud of it; it's almost a boastful thing, and that's what I want it to be for Atafo.

• So it's a journey; it's not there. We've started it quite well, but it's not there yet. We still have to justify it to some people, but we want to leave the case open, so we do not have to justify it. That's the ultimate goal.

Ola Williams

On career tips for ladies who want to build a career in tech?

• I know that everyone’s life circumstances are different, but the common thing is that everyone wants to succeed in their career. I would not say we have one-size-fits-all tips to be successful, but here is a list of tips I suggest for ladies pursuing a career in tech to embrace:

• Embrace continuous learning. The tech industry is ever-evolving and requires continuous learning.

• Set a goal for yourself. Setting audacious personal goals keeps you focused and motivated as you have things you are working towards.

• Get a mentor. Mentoring is critical to a successful career journey, and much more important in the tech industry. But ensure you get a mentor in line with your set objectives.

• Network – join tech communities related to your career aspirations, but don't just be a passive member. Make it a point of duty to contribute to any community you are part of, as this helps you grow and gives you an opportunity to be visible.

• Stay current -- ensure you are up to date on trends and future opportunities in the industry. Subscribe to and follow tech organizations that are relevant to your career objectives on social media. Subscribe to newsletters and journals on technology.

• Participate in industry events. Make sure to attend industry events to get more insight and keep up to date on emerging events in the industry. Industry events are also a great opportunity to grow your professional network.

• Celebrate your successes – every step towards achieving your goal is worth celebrating. Learn to give yourself a pat on the back for every significant achievement and learn to tell your story.

• Don’t be afraid to fail, but seek to learn from your failure.

• Be patient – be mindful that it takes time for you to achieve your career growth. Run your race, draw inspiration from other people’s success, but refrain from measuring your success by the success of others. With focus, commitment, and tenacity, you will reach your God-given destiny.

• Be grateful. Being grateful and having a positive attitude help to manage stress during challenging situations, and can help increase creative ability and problemsolving skills.

• Speak up; it does not matter if you are the only woman in the room, if you have an idea, share your views. Your view is as important as that of any other person in the room.

• Embrace constructive criticism; do not dwell on negative feedback in a manner that will hinder you from taking risks in the future, but build on it and let it propel you to overcome your next challenge.

The AMVCA's Special work is. You come with your shoulders in the air; you don't have respect for those who come before you; that's a pet peeve of mine. I'm sorry. You don't have respect for those that come before you; you don't greet; you are not willing to be taught. It's not going to last, and it's not a curse.

Our special AMVCAs edition presented stars I was rooting for, chiefly Nse Ikpe-Etim, Ini Edo and Kunle Remi. Our spread included lavish coverage of looks for the night as well as a full list of winners for 2023.

• You need to watch those who came before you who are still in the game and still relevant. I don't need to mention names; you can check. Come for the love of the craft; come to learn; even I learn every day. I remember Uncle Olu saying to me, “ Be willing to learn and to better yourself”. See what is being done out there—the practices. I've done stage, TV, and film. Sorry, I'm calling Rita's (Rita Dominic Anosike) name; she has done stage, TV, and films as well. And so many other people that I can call. That's why I watch movies. I watch other actors in Hollywood and Bollywood; I want to see how they're doing it. I love Viola Davis so much. I love her. She's someone I love. Lately, JLo, I am seeing her comic side; you know, there are two movies of hers I've watched; this woman is actually very funny. She's a strong woman. I love Tracee Ellis Ross, and I love Charlize Theron. She's got a long, lean look. I love it. There are so many of them like that that I really like.

• Top of my list is Angela Bassett at 60-something. You see, we are following her. You know, these are people who have been in the game. They're still there. There's something that they're doing right. They are conscientious about their work. They don't mess around with their job. They don't feel as if they have a right that everybody should kowtow and bow to them. No. Have a teachable spirit. Being able to learn is, for me, the best thing ever.

Oke Maduewesi

On what to tell anyone interested in building a successful brand and what helped her personally;

• I have something I call the three roadmaps, right? The first is the power of the mind, which I've spoken about. And you have to believe in it, right? You have to trust it and you have to want to do this. And so it's the power of the mind. Think of the fact that just know, like when I started out, I did not have a plan B. So people always say, If it failed, what would you have done? There was not a thought in my head. It was the scariest thing to start, but there was no thought in my head that said it could fail. So there was no plan B. So my drive was the fact that I knew that it had to work. So even when I had challenges and stumbling blocks, and all the work, I just didn't think it wouldn't work. So you just have to keep going. And I always say I work from the end to the beginning. So I see the picture already, and I start working from that picture. As opposed to just seeing where I want to go and starting, I always see the picture. So at every point in time, if I have roadblocks and challenges because I've seen that picture, I just keep going, It might take longer, some cases shorter, you know, but that picture is there, and until I get to that picture, I'm not stopping. So the mind is really powerful. So you have to truly believe in it. It's not just lip-singing.

On making a name in the movie industry and staying relevant;

• Don't come for fame. Don't come and say, I want to be a star. I hate those words. I mean, it might happen; you'd be a star, but then how do you sustain it? Sustainability. Maintenance. It's where the

• The second thing is to take action. You really have to take action, I always say that I learned from a seminar I went to, that the difference between a goal and a dream is timelines, So you can have a goal, but if you don't put timelines in it, then it becomes a dream for the rest of your life. So you just have to put timelines, in place and just keep doing it. Don't think of what you don't have; just think of where you're going and keep working toward it.

• And then the last and final thing, which is probably the most difficult, is making it work So only about 20% of businesses pass through year one. So you have to make sure that you work towards making it work. And making it work is from the marketing to the Human resources to the supply chain to all the work and every challenge that you face, so you just have to keep going, keep driving, and just keep pushing. Regardless of what you see along the way.

On anyone who is trying to find their way- looking up to her;

• Just start; don't wait for it to be perfect Because people see me now and just assume that I dropped from the sky, but that wasn't the case, there was an entire journey. Unfortunately, there was no Tiktok for me to film content when I did my first empty house and all that but just start; don't wait for it to be perfect There's beauty in growth, like there's a lot of beauty in growth, because, in truth, you will not appreciate how far you've come unless you can look back at where you're coming from. So honestly, just keep at it.

• Every day strive to improve your craft, improve your mental health, and improve your vocabulary; just make it a conscious effort that you need to be learning something every day, whether it's in entertainment, fashion, or politics. Just make a conscious effort to learn and grow because you don't know it all. It's important to also have a teachable spirit, ask questions where you're not sure and don't jump to conclusions, don't just assume, don't take a little bit of knowledge and then think you know It's all. It's important to constantly learn and grow because that's the only way you'll be able to build something better. It's important that you evolve. You're constantly evolving and changing with time.

Kelechi Amadi-Obi

On what the new crop of photographers can do better to improve their craft;

• To improve your craft, the first thing you need to do is do the work. First, decide that this is what you truly want to do. Because for me, that is crucial. A lot of people are not sure, and if what motivates you to do it is money, then you are on a long thing. I'm sorry; you know you're on the wrong track because, at first, you're not going to be good enough for somebody to pay you. So if people are not paying you, you will lose steam, and you won't be able to practice enough to get good enough for people to pay you.

• So the first thing you need to do is say, This is what I like to do; this is what I want to do, whether I'm paid or not. So that passion would drive you through the process of mastery. By the time you start to master it, you're on another journey. So at the end of the day, in your first years, you know you're going to copy a lot of people, but find that time to start learning who you are.

• And start having the confidence to speak. But that confidence comes from mastery. So what I say is this. To succeed, do good work and show it.