IWD2023: Profile of KEDA MD/CEO, Hajiya Rekiya Onaivo Sanni »

Hajiya Rekiya Onaivo Sanni is a native of Ebira, hails from Okene, Kogi State. She obtained her WASCE in L.A. Primary School, Ado Ekiti in 1986 and WAEC at Government Secondary School, Kuje in 1993 where she proceeded to the prestigious Magnitogorsk State University, Chelyabink Russia (1997) to obtain a degree in Finance and Accounting, Msc Econs in the same Institution in the year 1999 and was given an Award of Excellence in Russian Language.

Her career life started since 2000 where she worked briefly with a Publishing Firm and later moved to work as a Personal Assistant/Interpreter to the MD/ Russian Interpreter at Maxivision Laser Eye Hospital, Lagos, a Subsidiary of Bamkune Hospitals LTD, Russia. Rekiya later joined the Nigerian Business Coalition as a Pioneer staff to co-ordinate the Private Sector Response to Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and Malaria.
She started as an Administrative/Information staff in 2004, where she rose to the position of Business Development Executive in 2009. Rekiya moved on to serve as the Business Development Manager with Equinox Consulting Limited in 2009 till 2014.

Rekiya served in Progressives Community Support Forum, a socio-political advocacy group as the Director for Media, Publicity and Information contributing her quota to the global humanitarian participation. Under her passive contribution, PSF is growing fast into a brand in the area of advocacy on citizenship right to accountable governance.

Rekiya is a social entrepreneur driven by a passion for sustainable development, a seasoned Administrator, Business Development Specialist, Strategic thinker, a great team player who is highly versatile with excellent Communications and analytical skills. She is very passionate about human capital development, entrepreneurship and gender equity. She was the first Alumni of the FATE Foundation Programme for Aspiring Entrepreneurs.

In the past 23years, Rekiya’s career life featured a gamut of professional expertise, running from Project Management, Social Entrepreneurship, Development Work, Private and Public workplaces, Business Development Manager at Equinox Consulting Limited (ECL). Between March 2007 to July 2009, Rekiya emerged as the Business Development Manager/Media Liason in the prestigious Nigerian Business Coalition (NIBUCA), she was also the Finance/ Administrative Officer in the same establishment for 3 Years. She has held the Senior Sales Representative position at Goldstar Publishers Limited where she managed over 80 sales field workers.

To bring in her wealth of experience, she was seconded in October 2020 from the Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) where she works as a Senior Manager, Seconded to Kogi State Government, following the establishment of an SME hub to pilot the Kogi Enterprise Development Agency (KEDA) as the Managing Director/CEO till date.

Rekiya Sanni Onaivo is an “unrepentant” advocate for Women and Girls with her slogan, “No Woman, No Nation”.