Funke Abimbola: 'My African name dey stop me to get job opportunities for abroad'

Funke Abimbola

Wia dis foto come from, Funke Abimbola

Wetin we call dis foto, Dem give Funke Abimbola MBE award for 2017 for her services to diversity for di legal profession and to young people .
    • Author, Ian Westbrook
    • Role, BBC Business reporter

Lawyer and diversity campaigner Funke Abimbola tok say she suffer bias wen she try to get into di profession,

Na about one ova three of Financial Times Stock Exchange, FTSE 100 companies no get ethnic minority representation on their boards, one report show am.

Di Parker Review Committee find out say na 31 out of di 83 firms wey dey provide relevant informate fall inside dat category.

Ms Abimbola say: "Plenti tins stop me to enta my profession becos I be African and because I be black woman, without any doubt."

She tell BBC say: "I make ova 100 phone calls to step my foot for di door."

"I don experience bias and e get situations wia sake of say I be black woman dem dey judge me harshly pass my colleague."

"Dem go notice you and e dey likely say dem go judge you bad if you be part of one ethnic minority."

Di Parker committee come togeda to chook eye for di ethnic diversities of different company boards, dem publish di first report for 2017.

At dat time, 51 out of di FTSE 100 companies no get ethnic representation for dia bard as dem comapre am with about 33% wey dem get today. Dem no collect data from di 250 companies wey dem get.

Di report recommend am say make evri FTSE 100 company get atleast one director of colour y 2021 and for all di FTSE 250 board by 2024

Ms Abimbola believe say dem go need introduce action plan to help di target of ethnic minority representation for di company.

For UK e get few agencies wey dey employ diverse talent,

Dr Jill Miller, from di Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), tok say: "We no go accept di lack of ethnic diversity for di top of organisations for 2020, even though we dey see movement to di right direction, di way di tin dey move no dey encourage.