Culture publication Zikoko, a flagship brand of Big Cabal Media, is proud to announce the launch of HER, a powerful new docuseries spotlighting the lives and stories of Nigerian women who are owning their economic power across different socio-economic strata.
From tech to beauty to entrepreneurship, HER captures the resilience, drive, and intentionality of Nigerian women who are shaping culture and building legacies — often behind the scenes.
Produced and directed by Aisha Nana Salaudeen, a multi-award-winning journalist and storyteller best known for her work on CNN African Voices, HER blends immersive storytelling with raw, honest conversations that reflect the complexity of womanhood in Nigeria.
By virtue of being a woman, these women have experiences I can empathise with, said Salaudeen, speaking about the project. Access to economic power is literally the story of my life.
Even when personal experiences don’t align exactly, being a woman makes it easy to understand the nuances in these stories. I wanted to highlight women who may not be forward-facing but are doing powerful, transformational work.
HER is launching with two powerful episodes:
Episode one focuses on Ibukun “IBK” Akinola, co-founder and Payments Director at PiggyVest, who has led the backend financial operations of one of Africa’s biggest fintech companies. In 2024 alone, PiggyVest paid ₦835 billion to users under her leadership and her co-founders.
Episode two follows Tara Oluwatomisin, a former professional footballer-turned-henna artist whose creative journey has taken her from Nigeria’s women’s league to working with stars like Tiwa Savage and Funke Akindele. Her story reflects the resilience and adaptability required to navigate Nigeria’s tough economic terrain.
According to Anita Eboigbe, COO of Big Cabal Media and Executive Producer of the series;
HER is not about representation but about reframing power. Zikoko has been covering the stories of diverse women for years on text and social formats and we thought to take it a step further with a docuseries so audiences can visualise these stories.
We want viewers to see themselves in these women. To feel inspired, challenged, and affirmed. These are stories about navigating gender, class, faith, family and career in a society that often undermines women’s agency.
HER: The docuseries is a love letter to the many ways Nigerian women show up and show out, Eboigbe added.The visual identity of the series was crafted by designer Mariam Omoyele, who chose the Amaryllis flower as the core motif.
It represents resilience, she explained, a trait I saw consistently across the women. It felt right to surround them with something that symbolises their strength and beauty.
HER is part of Zikoko’s broader Shift the Story campaign, a cross-platform initiative aimed at reshaping narratives around gender equality, women’s economic power, and reproductive health. Using media and storytelling as vehicles for impact, the campaign pushes back on outdated norms and amplifies the voices of women who are often excluded from mainstream discourse.
At its core, Shift the Story is about showing Nigerian women as agents of change and full people with autonomy actively contributing to society, said Eboigbe. It’s also about inviting men to the table as allies, as listeners, as believers in the power of equity.
Each episode of HER will centre a single woman, exploring her journey in depth and offering a personal but widely resonant look at how Nigerian women survive, lead, build, and thrive.
HER: The Docuseries launches Thursday, May 15th, on Zikoko’s YouTube channel. For inquiries, interviews, or media assets, please contact: [email protected]
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