You don’t need to rely on men to make it – Funke Akindele tells ladies

Nollywood actress and producer Funke Akindele has encouraged women to take charge of their financial lives by starting small businesses and managing their resources effectively.

In a recent interview with Arise TV, she emphasized that women don’t need to rely on men for success and urged them to believe in themselves and their abilities.

She said: “Whatever you have, just start something. Move. Don’t wait for the big opportunity. Even if it’s petty business, just start something.

“As a young girl out there, who says women can’t make money? Who says women can’t have money when we have the Folorunsho Alakijas? They are made, they are okay. The other day, I was telling myself that I have to work harder to be as rich as the Alakijas. Who says you can’t have money? You don’t have to rely on a man to make it.

“You have to stay focused. The little you have, manage it. Don’t be greedy. Don’t look at what your neighbors have and say you want to have what they have. When the time comes for you to have luxurious things, you’ll have them.

“I used to buy my handbags from ‘bend down select.’ I would wash and iron them and slay with them. Even with the cheap bags, I still felt good. Just believe in yourself. And watch what you feed yourself with.

“Content that would drive you crazy, people that would say things that would upset you, toxic people—avoid them. Because you’re growing in a new space. It’s what you feed yourself with that matters. It really matters because if you feed yourself with negativity, at the end of the day you would believe you can’t do it because you’re not pretty enough.”