“I got married just right after spending five years in primary school and started business as a distributor with my husband. When the business started thriving, I went back to school because I always had a goal to acquire knowledge and gain skills necessary to be a successful businesswoman.” Lady Anthonia Okeke, a 65-year-old mother of five, recalls.
Her business became Celestine Okeke and Sons, Aba, a major distributorship in Nigeria’s Southeast, where she now sits as Operations Director.
“We have grown a lot since we started, to God be the glory. We started small and have been expanding ever since; now we are here. The business is a family business; we collaborate and play our parts. My eldest son handles the business in Uyo while my husband and I manage Aba. We have been in the business together since 1984. We started the business with Guinness in 1989.”
She says she loves her job because of how lucrative it has become.
“I’ve been able to send my kids to the best schools. To me, I have barely started, there is a long way to go, and I am excited to see the future.”
What words would she want young women in business to always remember?
“Don’t stop trying; there is nothing you cannot achieve if you work hard and stay genuine. I believe a woman can have it all, don’t wait for anyone to do things for you. My advice to women in this industry is to bring God into everything you do, be honest, that way you build trust,which is very important in this line of work.”
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