Woman who has no formal Education but lectures at top Universities

by Nigerian Camera | Arts and Culture

It was Jesus Christ who famously confirmed from his own experience that "a Prophet is not without honour, except in his own land.."

Nike Okundaye of Nike Arts Gallery
(Credit: via Nigeria Camera)

The case of Nike Okundaye of Nike Arts Gallery is no different, as not many people know her, even in his own State and Country. The subject of a current feature in Nigeria Camera is the custodian of a unique story.

Nike Okundaye is revered and cherished by "Kings and Presidents" and is the brain behind Nike Arts Gallery which has offices in Lagos, Abuja and Osogbo, according to the compelling and inspiring story.

She is a good role model and and inspiration the many in what self-belief and hard work can achieve. Her rise from the status of an unknown village girl, born into a seemingly insignificant family in a rustic village to a globally celebrated icon, would make a good novel.

Born in her native village of Ogidi, Ijumu Local Government Area, Kogi State, young Nike had high dreams about what type of future she wanted for herself. But her dreams were truncated even before they could take form when she lost her mother at age six. “I was six when my mother died,” she said with a tinge of sadness.

With the blow inflicted on her dreams by her mother’s death, young Nike was taken away to live with her grandmother. At the time, many believed that by going to live with an old woman, the young girl’s future had been compromised. But events have since proved that destiny may indeed have been at work in her journey through life.

She had her first contact with the world of arts through her grandmother, who at the time, was the leader of cloth weavers in the community.

She said: “I come from a family of craftsmen. My parents were crafts people from Ogidi in Ijumu Local Government Area, Kogi State. My life as an artist is something that I was born with. I started weaving at the age of six.

“I started with weaving different things, including adire, a traditional Yoruba hand-painted cloth design. As a matter of fact, I can say everything that had to do with textile. They taught me how to weave, using a little calabash. Gradually, I graduated to using bigger materials.”

To read the entire story, click  ( here ).

(by Benson Agoha, with contribution from Nigerian Camera.