The Maktoub Boss effect

Mariam Mohammed Maktoub is your consummate political public relations strategist with specialty in political communications and branding. The beautiful northern publisher of MAKTOUB Magazine is not only intelligent, but witty, fashionable and with a heart

Career You know growing up one always wants to be so many things; lawyer, doctor, engineer, just name it. For my parents, they simply wanted me to be a lawyer but I guess my heart was not really there.

I have always had a thing to telling stories and so it was not surprising to me when I settled for Media and Communications Studies though my parents were not particularly pleased but they allowed me to have my way. Their accepting my choice is based on their primary goal of my happiness and passion being the ultimate objective.

The interesting thing is that I found myself drawn away from my choice of study once I was done with gaining the required certificates and certifications. I found myself into real estate for almost a decade basically in Dubai.

The good thing is that I never for once lost my focus as to what I really wanted to do and be. I guess the allure of the media for me is the power and responsibility it confers on an individual. I know that sometimes journalists and communications practitioners most times fail to recognize the enormous powers that they wield. I do not know if it is the fear of the constitutional and social responsibility that makes a whole lot of us shy away from exercising that power.

Well, I was not going to lose that advantage of knowing the power the media confers so I turned to being a PR strategist as it was going to serve my purpose.

How would you journey thus far?

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As in every sphere of life, I have had to negotiate curves, scale mountaintops, run on plain fields and brace valleys. My journey has been interesting. Looking back, I can only thank Allah.

I have had my share of losses like during the global economic crisis of 2007/2008. I lost a lot of my investment and it was as if I was going to crash with it. But you see, discipline, I mean parental one, the one instilled in me by my grandfather stood me in good stead and look at me today.

The meltdown offered me the opportunity to return to my first love; media. It was a turning point for me and when I seized it, I told myself never to look back again.

However, the most profound ‘push’ if it really was a push, I guess a shove, was when a supposedly good friend of mine felt a client I had brought to be featured on her magazine was a northerner and without a name. It was shocking and a rude awakening to the possibility of actually owning a magazine and use it as a bridge for all Nigerians irrespective of their region and or religion including political persuasion.

I hope you know I am Yoruba too! I am not just a northerner but a fullblooded Nigerian. Even if I had no biological heritage outside the north, my Nigerianness is enough for me to see the broader picture of our collective destiny as a people.

One would imagine that as a publisher, socialite and philanthropist, you would always be up and doing. So how do you stay collected?

What is the gain in rush and being disturbed about the fleeting nature of things? I have come to the conclusion that taking things easy, not been bullied by pressure is part of the best one can gain from living. I take things easy and for no reason do I allow myself to be under pressure.

Almost everyone has the person he/ she looks up to as their model. For you, who is such a one?

Two people have had such a profound impact in my life that without them I would have been lost. First is my grandfather. He is my ultimate role model. Kind but firm; gentle but brave. He was such an Alpha of a man. He made me the pedestal of his heart. He spoke to me like an equal, always so genial and witty. In his low voice, he spoke words of wisdom, teachings of life and never failed to remind me that a good name is better than silver or gold. May Allah continue to rest his soul.

The other person is my mother. She is very prayerful and without a doubt I am persuaded that her prayers guide me in my walk of life. Also, my easy life is from my mother. She takes everything in her strides. You were a year older on Sunday... In the years past, I use the day before my birthday proper to host my fans and friends from social media and on the main birthday I fete family and close friends to dinner.

But this year, I didn’t do all of that rather I mentored the young people who follow me conscientiously on my various social media handles will get the opportunity to learn enduring lessons of life.

To this end, I hold what I termed ‘Intelligence is sexy’. It is something of a bother that most young people see the social media as an avenue for body gratification, get-quick schemes and disturbing indulgences; photos, fashion and those kind of things. Brilliance

and intelligent ideas are a rarity. The social media ecosystem should be about intelligence not just about fashion, photos and false lifestyle that encourages depression. Being intelligent and legitimately smart is actually cool.

Some of my friends joined me to meet some of my fan base and expound on this issue. Actually, it is aimed at being an annual event.

What is your favorite quote?

A simple hello could lead to a million things.

As a young lady that has done well for herself and profession, what would you say to a younger sister?

Thank you for this question. We are in an era, I guess it has always been so, where young girls and ladies are under enormous pressures from family and society to live up to a certain expectation while our brothers and menfolk can get away with practically anything. To a younger sister I say: don’t give in to peer pressure, family pressure, societal demands. Just be yourself !

What other new thing(s) are you into?

Nowadays, I have more time to devout to the Mariam Mohammed Maktoub Foundation which is propeople, pro-less privileged. It is essentially education centered with a target to impact over 100, 000 pupils and students in the next two years. We have already started in Kano by remodeling one of the biggest secondary schools and providing furniture.

Over the next two years we intend to do more for schools especially in the north because truth be told, the highest number of out-of-school children are in the north. And if we are serious to harness these potential, then we should empower communities by offering them decent school environments.

My personal expectations is that more northern governors will leverage on what we are offering so we can deliver something tangible, worth the while for the children of the north in need of assistance.

Now, what is your beauty regime?

Staying natural. Water and more water. 25

I have been looking for the fruit of the womb for many years? I am forty-five- years- old. What do I do?

I am a woman of 40years still trusting God for fruits of the womb. I have unusual situations these days, my private part is always wet like am urinating. What could be the problem?

I don’t know for how long the second person, Remi, has been trying to get pregnant. Whether it’s something recent or for a long time and what measure have been done to achieve that. My advice to both writers is to go for assisted conception therapy.

In case the second person does not have enough money for now and if nothing much has been done then see a Gynaecologist. Investigations and ovulation induction when the former is normal is a cheaper option.

Concerning the second complaint, by Remi, was there any discharge, you may need to do a swab test and possibly antibiotics for treatment.

I had cervical cerclage in my last pregnancy and delivered by Caesarean section two years ago. I am pregnant and twenty-one week pregnant. My current doctor just informed on the need to repeat cervical cerclage. His reason is that since I have had four miscarriages and the only baby stayed as a result of the cerclage, that there was the need for it to be done again. The question is, is it necessary? What do I do?

Based on your narrative, it’s most likely either all or some of the previous miscarriages were during the second trimester. would have liked to know the precise time these miscarriages occurred. I will suggest a Transvaginal scan to be done. If cervical length is less than 2.5cm than cerclage should be done.

In case you are in an area where the cervical length assessment will be a challenge, it’s better to err on the side of caution, do the cerclage. This is because if the miscarriage process due to cervical incompetence has started, the emergency cerclage has a low success rate.

For you to have had miscarriages four times is not a palatable experience, psychologically or otherwise. I will also advise that next time you are pregnant inform your doctor of the previous history early enough so that prophylactic cerclage can be done at fourteen weeks.

I travelled out for two weeks and returned recently. I don’t know if, it’s change of weather or not but I started feeling feverish last week. I went for malaria and typhoid tests. The doctor gave me medications including injections. Fever is down now but no appetite, and always feel nauseous. I am not pregnant because I just finished my period recently.

First, the fever is not due to change of weather and also, never assume that you are not pregnant just because you saw your menses. Do a pregnancy test first, preferably blood test. This is because menstruation can be confused with implantation bleeding and endometrial reaction in ectopic pregnancy among other things. Also, we have seen where typhoid is being treated repeatedly due to positive typhoid test (widal) whereas the symptoms were that of early pregnancy.

Since the fever is down and no more vomiting except for nausea, I will suggest you complete your medication and watch. Usually, during and immediately after treatment for malaria, there could be weakness and appetite returns gradually.