As women in Nigeria, the last couple of weeks have a trying one for us. Not only have we mourned some of our own, but we also had to take to the streets in protest for our rights despite the raging pandemic. In light of all we have been through, we have also taken time to applaud some of our own who are doing great things. We see you sisters, and we recognize you.
It is on this note that we met up with Njideka Agbo, the current editor of the Guardian Life Magazine, a subsidiary of The Guardian, Nigeria. Born in Nigeria, Njideka holds a Masters Degree in Print Journalism and Political Communication from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. A twin, Njideka, adores the institution of family, finding time in her busy schedule to catch up with her family and friends. The face behind the headlines, she sits as the final word on all things creative in The Guardian, Nigeria. Oreoritse of 49th Street met up with Njideka over the weekend for a chat about her role as Editor-in-chief, her love for creative writing, and her views on Feminism.
49thStreet – Have you always wanted to go into content creation? When did you decide content creation was something you wanted to do, and why do you write?
Njideka – Content creation started as a hobby for me; it was something I did during my leisure time when I wasn’t writing assignments or going to work. I just used to sit at home, write and share with my friends, that was all it was for me, a hobby. I wanted to get the reactions of people towards my writing to hear their comments on how great it was and hearing their reservations if any and it turned out that they always wanted to see more. There were time I won’t write for months and my friends would get upset at me for not anything yet. So I guess it was a sign for me.
When I write, I write in hopes that like-minded people would agree with what I write; at the same time, they necessarily do not have to agree. I write so that people would read and change their mindset towards a particular topic.
49thStreet – Do you believe there is a fair representation of women online? And how has this impacted your writing?
Njideka – Of course not, Nigeria is still coming of age, we’re still coming out of the shackles of patriarchy. So, for a society that hasn’t reached a certain level of fairness or equity, a society still struggling to acknowledge that women can be treated as equals such society cannot be said to have a fair representation of women. You find out that even the educated men are still grappling with the idea that women who, until a few years ago, were considered ‘weaker beings’ now sit at the same table they believe nature has rightfully given them. No, there is no fair representation of women yet, and it is going to take a while for us to get there. Online reality is often different from offline reality. Still, I believe that the more people online start to accept and acknowledge the need for fair representation of women, it would only be a matter of time before the offline community would begin to receive this information with open hands. It is necessary for there to be an understanding and an acknowledgment of women being seen as equals or you know women being treated fairly with justice and equity. I also have to play a role in pushing this narrative. What this has done for me is that every time there is a woman who is shattering the ceilings in any way, I try to cover that so people outside would see that what was once considered a masculine industry actually has women who are not just there. But also have women who are dominating the space, women who have earned the respect of the male folks. I believe that covering these types of stories and pushing this narrative is a sort of encouragement for women and people generally who once considered women to be lesser beings.
49thStreet – Nigerian parents are more endeared to regular blue-collar jobs such as medicine, engineer, and law; did your parents support your decision to work in the creative sector? And if not, how were you able to convince them to do so?
Njideka – You know, sometimes, I like to pride myself that my parents are not the regular ones that people talk about. For instance, people talk about the African parent stereotype and they often use it as a joke, and almost 90% of the time, I can’t relate. That’s not the environment I grew up in, and that also applies to my career.
My parents were very supportive of every decision I was going to make. My mum used to say ‘if you want to study sand, study sand, and graduate with the degree and come out, then do what you want to do.’ They were of the opinion that choosing a career path for you to follow meant that your passion and whatever it is you want to do in life would have to be placed on hold. You might end up not being happy in the job and turn around years later, like my mum used to say ‘you turn around years later and say we were the ones that choose the path for you.’
Funny, out of the five of us, four of us are in the creative sector. At first, I wanted to be a Petroleum Engineer until JS3; I remember it was late at night when I walked into their room and told them I no longer wanted to be a Petroleum Engineer; instead, I wanted to study mass com. They had questions, of course, but they never tried to criticize or stop me from making that decision.
49thStreet – Nigerian parents are more endeared to regular blue-collar jobs such as medicine, engineer, and law; did your parents support your decision to work in the creative sector? And if not, how were you able to convince them to do so?
Njideka – You know, sometimes, I like to pride myself that my parents are not the regular ones that people talk about. For instance, people talk about the African parent stereotype and they often use it as a joke, and almost 90% of the time, I can’t relate. That’s not the environment I grew up in, and that also applies to my career.
My parents were very supportive of every decision I was going to make. My mum used to say ‘if you want to study sand, study sand, and graduate with the degree and come out, then do what you want to do.’ They were of the opinion that choosing a career path for you to follow meant that your passion and whatever it is you want to do in life would have to be placed on hold. You might end up not being happy in the job and turn around years later, like my mum used to say ‘you turn around years later and say we were the ones that choose the path for you.’
Funny, out of the five of us, four of us are in the creative sector. At first, I wanted to be a Petroleum Engineer until JS3; I remember it was late at night when I walked into their room and told them I no longer wanted to be a Petroleum Engineer; instead, I wanted to study mass com. They had questions, of course, but they never tried to criticize or stop me from making that decision.
49thStreet – How do you find time in your busy schedule to relax?
Njideka – Thankfully I have friends that call me up, or I call them up to have intellectual conversations with them. I spend some of my free time reading novels and, for the most part practicing my French.
49thStreet – What do you consider your most significant achievement careerwise?
Njideka – (Claps excitedly) what I consider my most significant achievement is getting Alex Iwobi on the cover. Alex Iwobi was when I had just taken up the position as the editor. Alex Iwobi was me proving to myself that was absolutely nothing wrong with thinking big.
It was also the cover that made me appreciate that there is absolutely nothing wrong with going entirely out of your comfort zone and stretching yourself beyond what you assumed was your limit to achieve a certain goal. So yeah! Alex Iwobi.
49thStreet – What is your biggest fear careerwise?
Njideka – My biggest fear (laughs) honestly, I try so much not to consider the regular ‘what if I don’t do it right?’ you know there’s a lot of criticisms and all of that, but I have found that criticism is not actually bad.
It has also helped me grow my craft; my biggest fear has to be falling below the standard I have set for myself and my work.
49thStreet – As a woman in the Nigerian creative space, we understand the demands that come with your job and having to prove that you are up to the challenge. At the same time, you might have had experiences where your gender has acted as an unfair disadvantage. Can you share with us some career experiences you can pinpoint to where you might have wished you were of a different gender?
Njideka – As I mentioned earlier, the Alex Iwobi cover showed people, especially those who thought that you know who this young girl coming to take up this role. It really showed them that I could do it. It was already good enough that I am young, and I am a woman, so being a woman hasn’t really been a huge problem.
The cover and several others I have done have succeeded in proving to them that it’s not by age or anything, but what you are bringing to the table is what is important. Your value should be based on the things you can prove instead of your age, gender, or qualifications. Because really, we are in the creative space, so all of that should not matter. What should matter is what you bring to the table.
Never! Never! It has never crossed my mind to wish I was of a different gender. I am really excited that people look beyond gender often to see what I bring to the table. This is quite unrelated, but sometimes I have physical meetings with clients, and I remember one looking at me and saying, ‘how old are you again?” and this was a woman. (Laughs) she asked if I was really Njideka Agbo, and I said yes, and she was so excited. I have had several instances like that.
What that has even done is that it warms women towards me; even those who believe that a particular industry is supposed to be dominated by a certain gender, me alongside other female creatives, has helped disperse that notion, which is an excellent thing in my books.
49thStreet – What challenges have you faced having a seat at the table? And how were you able to overcome these challenges?
Njideka – Hmm, so at the early stage of my career, when I just resumed duty, I already understood it was a male-dominated industry. As I said once, you have something to show, whether your ideas are realistic or idealistic. And you know that you can achieve those things, then the sky is the starting point, to be honest.
So based on challenges, the major challenge I had was proven my worth. There were only a few instances where it seemed like I wasn’t going to get a chance to prove my worth, and that’s in the past.
49thStreet- Let’s chat a little bout feminism. Do you identify as a feminist? What is Feminism to you? How does your writing reflect your stance as a feminist?
Njideka – Anyone that knows me knows I am a feminist. Yes! I identify as a feminist. Feminism, to me, is equity and justice; when I have a conversation with you, and you don’t understand that these two concepts make up Feminism, then I don’t know what else to say to you.
I am always excited when I see women dominating a particular space and proving that what a man can do a woman can do better based on justice and equity and my writing reflects this.
Oreoritse Tariemi
About AuthorOreoritse Tariemi is a lifestyle content creator and writer. When she’s not freelancing or managing her food and lifestyle blog http://www.thechocolateoreo.com, Oreoritse is always found with her phone in her hand, reading up strong female figures in the world.
She enjoys telling stories of women making groundbreaking achievements and uses her segment ‘Great Women Great Minds’ to interview career women, making a name for themselves in different sectors of the Nigerian economy.