•CEO, NIKHIPEARL Interior
On Sunday, 13th March 2022, a classy 50th birthday took place in Lagos. It was in honour of an elegant lady simply called Olanike. Tagged, Celebration of God’s Grace, the party started with Hymns/Holy Communion Service, in the morning of that Sunday in the Lekki/Ajah area of town, and was followed by a Reception & Party in the afternoon at The Bell Event Center by TBS, Opposite Island Maternity, on Campbell Street, Lagos.
That was how Olanike celebrated her 50th with her mum, family & friends in attendance. It was a star-studded party that evening, as many dignitaries and celebrity ladies stormed the party to celebrate with the CEO of Nikhipearl Interiors on Lekki-Epe Expressway. It was a party that had all the Glitz & Glamour of a well-planned and well-organised party. So successful was the party that Olanike held an appreciation cruise dinner, a few days after to say Thank you to all her friends, especially all those who flew into Nigeria just because of her birthday. All her friends converged at 5.30 pm that Thursday evening, 17th March at Prest Lounge in Lekki and the boat sailed at 6.30 pm. Guests had a 3-course dinner served with red wine & fruit juice. For all the guests, it was a dinner to remember.
What are her impressions of the turnout at the birthday party, we asked her recently? “I felt humbled,” she explained. “I felt honoured. It gladdened my heart when I saw the huge turn out of people. I was stunned when we were planning the party and I realised that not many people were giving excuses that I will not be able to attend. Almost everybody said, “Oh, Nike, I have to keep the date for you. I have to cancel all my other engagements to be there for you.” And God made all of them be there. And when I stepped into the hall and I saw the faces of the people, I felt the awesomeness of God. I was really very happy. I felt happy.”
When she was called upon to make a speech on her birthday, she spoke for about 30 minutes, off the cuff, as she went on and on, thanking and appreciating all those who have helped her along the line. How did she manage to remember all of them?
“There is nothing as true as the truth. So, when something is real and it is the truth, even when you are sleeping and somebody taps you and you wake up, you will still speak the truth. It came from my heart. It is the truth of my heart.
That was what I was saying that I had to thank people who have been a blessing to my life, to my journey. I don’t take anything for granted. Some of those people have even forgotten what they did for me. Some of them were even surprised. Some of them even came to me to ask: “Nike, at what point did I do this for you?” I don’t forget kindness. I don’t take anything for granted. Along the line, people gave me opportunities to express myself. So many. From parents & families who have been part of my growing up process in life. These are the people I was mentioning. The Grace of God has worked for me. God has given me favour with people. There are so many people who have allowed themselves to be used by God to be beneficial to my life. So, one must not ascribe to oneself, the praises that is due to God and the honour that is due to the people that have been used by God to get one there. So, I was just pouring out my heart.”
As she turned 50, what went through her mind. “A lot of things went through my mind,” she says. “I started getting so reflective from like 2 to 3 years ago when I became 47, 48, 49, I started looking at my life, reviewing it, asking myself, where have I made mistakes? What have I done right? What have I done wrong? What is it that if I had an opportunity, I would have done differently, I would have handled differently?”
“One thing I know about myself is I would not claim wisdom. But everything I do, in my life, however hard that thing is, I try to put the best of myself into it, into friendship, into a relationship, into work, into raising children, into service of God, into whatever I do, I try to pour the whole of myself into it. But pouring the whole of oneself into anything does not mean that is the best way and does not necessarily guarantee success, it does not make you feel better than the next person.”
But looking back at my life, even though I was passing through different processes, I would have wished some things turned out differently. I would have wished some things didn’t go exactly the way they went. But at least getting to this point where I am right now, I think that the reality has dawned on me, that every person, on the journey of life, already have their journey mapped out for them. You cannot live for another person. You will only live your own process too. Looking back, and looking at me now, they will say every human being, we are a product of our life experiences. I am grateful to God for the experiences of my life and for the woman that has emerged from the experiences I have been through.”
“So, if I feel bad about certain things, I am not feeling bad anymore, because if I didn’t go through it, I wouldn’t have become who I am right now. I draw lessons from everything. I have been a single parent for 16 years and looking back I usually ask myself some questions like Oh! was I, not a good wife? Was I not a good mother? Did I not try enough? But even after 16 years, looking back, I will still say I poured the best of myself into it, according to the level of my wisdom and understanding at that time, because I was young. I did it in the best way I could, but probably, God has already known, this is the journey, and this is how it is going to be. So, the man had to move on. I had to move on. I am here, I would still say I am grateful for the experience. I am grateful. I have had wonderful friendships. I have experienced all sorts of things. And to the glory of God, I am happy that I went through all those experiences and it has made me to begin to look at life differently, it has made me to begin to look at life in a way that is beyond self because I know that God wouldn’t have taken me through that entire process for myself alone. One thing I know is that God loves us, whatever the case may be, God loves us. So, when we know He loves us, and we trust the process, we will learn to be less apprehensive and we would wait for what the end result will be.”
“I am grateful to God. I believe that from this point, my life will be a blessing. It will continue to be a blessing to everyone and anyone I come in contact with because I know God has poured a whole lot into me and I have been through so much in my life that he knows that I need to pour that into my society, into the people around me for them to get it straight, so that the journey of their life can become easier.”
When she walked into the hall that evening with her children, at her 50th birthday party, Olanike danced her way in. It took her about 45 minutes to dance in and take her seat as the band dished out melodious tunes. Why was she so excited? What went through her mind at that time? “Let me tell you. Every little girl will have a dream because we all read these stories:
And they lived happily ever after”. And we all look forward to our wedding day. We all look forward to the day when we would honour our parents, with a good education or getting a good man to marry. But then, we always feel the journey of life has to be A, B,C to Z. But it is not usually like that. But somehow, if we trust God, he would still make us happy.”
”I didn’t really have a big wedding. I got married on a Thursday and my family didn’t support me when I wanted to get married. I didn’t have an Introduction. I didn’t have Engagement. I didn’t have everything I looked forward to, I didn’t have it. And somehow, within me, it is something I have looked forward to. But even if there is no man I am marrying I still want to feel the joy of being celebrated, like someone will be celebrated on one’s wedding day. So, the way I felt that day is, against all odds, I still felt like a Princess. Against all odds, I still felt like a Bride. Against all odds, my mum was still in the hall, seeing me happy, seeing me beautiful, and seeing me accomplished. My mum is 84 years old now and we are just 2 girls. My sister had a beautiful wedding. And I feel she raised me and she has laboured on me, she deserves the honour of being my mother and to the Glory of God, stepping in that day, seeing my mum in the hall and giving her the honour, of seeing me looking like a Princess, looking like a Bride, against all odds, made me happy. God sees my heart. She was also happy. Even though there was no man or husband beside me, but my children were beside me. They are all now taller than me. So, I felt the fulfilment of not just a wedding, or, a birthday, but of seeing my children like Olive branches around me, of seeing my mother smiling at me with joy in her heart, of seeing my friends showing me so much love, seeing them in their different lovely dresses, with their fascinators in different colours, I just felt like a Princess. I was so happy.”
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