Nike Agunbiade-Etiebet, is an artiste, a legal practitioner and entrepreneur. A former beauty queen, she is now into education management, running HIIMA International Education Network, where she trains children of all ages. In this interview with Edozie Udeze, she talks about her love for children, for fashion and education and entertainment and lots more.
WHAT new projects are you involved in?
Well, I am into an educational network called HIIMA International Education Network. We are into many things educational. We run nursery, primary and secondary school education. We run teacher training programmes as well. We are into publication of books. I also write books – mainly educational and motivational books. Most of the books are for nursery, primary and secondary schools. Some of the books are also for teachers. Also we are into edutainment and so produce games for families and also for students
What does the game entail?
We have the Chairman’s Empire Game which is mainly an educational game. It promotes the development of strategic thinking business. It helps the student or the adult who is interested in it to know about financial planning, management and then it helps with memory alertness, improvement of mathematical skills and so on. It helps in seeing possibilities, developing the entrepreneurship mindset to be able to invest big and reap big. In fact, the Chairman’s Empire is a thrilling board game which can be played by two or more players. It takes players through the nitty-gritty of modern business practice.
Who is the greatest influence in your life?
God is the greatest influence in my life. God has been great in my life from the beginning.
Can we have some instances of His influence in your life?
So many things have happened to me in the past and I’d say that God really saved me. Once I was travelling to Akwa Ibom, and passed through Owerri. Then I used to run a pageant. This was a day after the pageant. I was going to Akwa Ibom from Abuja because my husband was running his election. It was about 8pm and we had just passed Owerri in Imo State. The road from Abuja was so bad and so we spent a lot of time on the road. And we got to a certain place, it was dark. I saw a lot of people lying down on the middle of the road. So the driver now stopped, but I was like ‘oh, what is all this? Why are people lying down on the middle of the road like this?’ I was sitting at the back of the car with my younger sister. She had had an experience of that nature before. She was travelling in a bus and they were asked to lie down like that on the middle of the road. And so when I asked this question, why are people lying down on the road? She just shouted ‘reverse, driver reverse the car!’ She was even sleeping all along but she suddenly woke up when she heard me ask the question. I couldn’t really understand what was going on. And so the driver began to reverse. But as soon as he began to reverse, it dawned on me that we were actually in the midst of armed robbers. While they were running after us, we kept reversing at a higher speed. We were reversing on a long distance, then we saw this long trailer, then we shouted. But he quickly reversed before the trailer finally blocked the road. It was then we went back and were shaking. We got to Oweri and started looking for a hotel. And that night, all the hotels were fully booked, because it was an election period. And finally we were able to get a room in one of the new hotels in town. By the time we got a room it was twelve midnight and when I relaxed, I then called my husband. When I told him what happened, that it was God who saved us. It was only God who could do that for me, for all of us that night. There’ve been many instances like that and God has always taken control.
How do you define your fashion?
I will define it like. . . I think my fashion has really, really evolved. Yes, it has. When I was younger, I was very tomboyish. I was more of a T-shirt person. Then I became a lawyer and began to dress more conservatively. Then at a time I was into adire and ankara. But now I run an educational outfit and so I have to dress more corporate. Now, I wear more of skirt and blouse and so on. Simple gown, yes, occasionally, I do that. A bit relaxed and not too belligerent. You may say something chick, yes, something chick. Sometimes too, something bohemian on weekends, you know. But in all, it is more of something that makes me feel comfortable. I’d like to dress to feel comfortable. And I like to wear something that looks good on me. I don’t actually like to follow the trends all the time. I like to wear to suit myself than to follow trends.
What colours strike you most?
Colours? Em, you see I am wearing red now. I love all time colour, yellow. And then I love blue, I love white also.
What is the most precious item in your wardrobe?
My wardrobe? If you talk about dresses, what I wouldn’t do without when I want to go out? Ah, it is lipstick (laughs). Yes, lipstick. I can’t do without it. The lipstick actually lightens the face. Even when you are just waking up from bed and you apply your lipstick, you feel good, you just look bright. So I can’t do without a lipstick in my wardrobe. Of course I love perfumes. I cherish perfumes a lot.
What is your favourite food?
Em, rice. All women love rice. I love it whenever I can have it. It can be white, jollof, fried, even if it is tuwo chinkafa, I love rice. Okay, I love jollof rice. I love fried rice, I also love rice and beans cooked together. Well, I did a lot of plantain when I was younger. Now I do it once a week. Now, as I grow older I do not want to take too much oil and fried things and all of that. When I was younger, I took plantain almost every day.
When you are not working, how do you relax?
I travel. Yes, I travel. And if I am not travelling, I sleep, I watch movies. I love comedies. I love music. I love R & B, a bit of blues, a bit of soul music, highlife. I love music generally.
Where is your holiday destination?
Locally, we go to Akwa Ibom. We go to Osogbo. When I was doing the pageant, I used to visit all the tourist sites in Nigeria. I used to go to Obudu Cattle Ranch. But now that I am no longer there promoting Miss Tourism too much, I go more to Akwa Ibom. There is much to see in Akwa Ibom. We have the best and the longest beach in Africa in Akwa Ibom State. You know the Oron Beach is fantastic; it is cool, a good place to relax. So, I go to Akwa Ibom a lot because the Oron Beach is well developed. In Osogbo, I go to the Osun River, the groove. Every year, when it is being celebrated, I go there. So, I go to those two places locally, and then when I travel out, I go to UK a lot, and France and then to the US. There are tourist destinations in those places I mentioned. When I go to the US, I love Las Vegas. I go there a lot.
What experiences have you gathered that have been helping you to run the school successfully well?
I’d say that after spending 21 years as a school proprietor and then listening to parents, meeting the needs of children, all these have helped me to be where I am today. I have had time too to care for children with special needs. I have acquired degrees in different fields and disciplines. I have a diploma in special educational needs, in addition to a degree in education. I am also a lawyer and an artiste. All those have helped me to be able to attend to the needs of children in the school and other levels of educational management. So, all these combine to make me a better entrepreneur, doing my best to ensure that the school is properly run. Running nursery, primary, secondary, A-level and even teacher training college have been helpful due to all these exposures. I had, after being Miss Tourism, taken a break. From time to time, I had shown interest in what I do. I was passionate about tourism. But apart from that I could not even leave education. Even then I was still in love with education but I could not give it a hundred percent attention.
To impact on a child’s life has been my greatest love and drive. A child of one year is given to you to care for, the joy of seeing that child grow from one to two, to three and to adult gives me plenty of joy. Now, my daughter, she was my first student when I started this school business. Today, she is 21 years. I look back and remember how it all began. It is a great joy indeed. At a point, she was the only student in her class. Now she has done a degree in Architecture where she made a second class upper. She is poised to go for her Masters and right from when she was a young girl, I observed her very closely. You have to observe children to know their strength. She is left-handed. You know left-handed kids are gifted. My younger brother is also left-handed. When he was growing up they tried to stop it. But up till today, he still does things in the house with his left hand. He can no longer write with it. I think when you are left-handed, I think it also affects the way you think and behave. They are very creative people. So there is no need to stop or discourage them. Just encourage them. Just when she was in nursery one or two, she became aware of it, that she was the only one using her left in the class. And she cried and wouldn’t talk to me. Then her teacher brought her to me and we tried to pacify her and all that. I told her she was special. But now she likes it that she is left-handed. She is different, she is very artistic. She had the best result in Fine Arts in year eleven. She did science, but Fine Arts was the only art subject she did. So, it is good to encourage children when you discover they have some specific attribute. Even if the attribute does not come out, try to promote it for the sake of the child. So, in my school, I watch out for that. I also make it known that teachers should do so.
Are you involved in any form of mentorship?
We are in business and that business is 21 years old. And you are leading people. I have over 100 staffers in my employ. Of course you have to be involved in mentorship. In everything, not just for their salaries, when they do their wedding and so on, I am there for them. At times they want to discuss these issues with you and you are there for them. We also train people to open their own schools. So, they are all adults and some of them are so well to do. I have books on this which I wrote and give to them free of charge. This helps them to start their own schools and so on. So, I do more of mentorship. In fact, I do mentorship every day. It is part of what I do to help others. I go for seminars, exhibitions, I attend workshops, religious classes and so I get to learn and hear about what is happening around. I learn a lot too.
You started as a Theatre Artiste. . . ?
Yes, I had my first degree in theatre arts. Then I went to do a degree in law, then went to law school. Theatre arts is a very disciplined course. A lot of people do not know that it is such a rich discipline. It is not just jumping, dancing and so on. You do a lot of reading – literature books, history books. You learn about life, about people, issues, places. Then in the evening you go and start rehearsing. You can rehearse well into the night. It makes you to become a multi tasking person in different aspects of the theatre. Before I got in to study theatre arts, I was very soft, but after that I became a different person, a stronger person. Theatre arts toughens you. You learn about everything, you know how to act, how to direct, how to write scripts and how to compose music. You learn to be involved in all sorts of writing and how to overcome stage craft. It is really big, I mean theatre arts and if you do not know how to dance, you also learn how to do it.
What advice do you have for young entrepreneurs who want to dare?
You should be determined at all times. They should have mentors; go to people who can talk to them to help. Once you are able to take a decision on what to do, go on ahead with it. You do your research on it, to know if this is the best way to go, how many people are involved in the project. Then there is need to raise the money. Then go to the people who have done it before to see how they began and continue to pray all the way, you will succeed. You see the end from the beginning, then you also discipline yourself. Of course, you have to be consistent. You do not have to run away when you have problems. Life itself is full of problems and challenges. You need to focus on what you are doing, and so move on with it. Make it a brand. Don’t focus on the money, for the money will come with time.