Nigerian talk show host, entrepreneur, former pageant director and style icon; that is another possible summary of the woman, Nike Oshinowo. The proper appellation should be, Adenike Asabi Oshinowo but Nike Oshinowo suffices as the name. Born in 1966, Nike Oshinowo was raised in Ibadan and England at different times of her life, attending boarding schools in the process.
Early life
As a younger woman, Nike had the dream and intention of becoming an air hostess or a doctor. However, fate led her to study Politics at the University of Essex. Shortly after obtaining her degree, Oshinowo, who was mentored by former Miss Nigeria, Helen Prest-Davies, represented Rivers at the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria pageant and consequently, became the pageants’ first Yoruba winner. Though she was crowned in 1990, her reign, however, spanned through 1991. Her victory as the “Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria” was attended by controversy from the audience and journalists who covered the event. Rumours in the press circulated that the contest was rigged in her favour. Towards the end of her reign, Nike in an interview with a soft-sell magazine attempted to squash the rumour by stating that Prest-Davies had no hand in her MBGN victory.
Career
After her reign which saw her compete at Miss World, Oshinowo featured in a commercial for Venus cosmetics and hosted a fashion and beauty show on Nigerian television. Her business ventures included an African restaurant and Skin Deep, a health and beauty spa which ran for seven years before it was sold after she decided to create her own range of beauty products for the Nigerian market. On January 17, 2010, she released the workout video Nike Oshinowo: Fit, Forty and Fabulous – the first celebrity fitness DVD produced in the country – and is currently working on the beauty products which will include fragrance, skincare, and haircare.
In 2010, after a six-year attempt, Oshinowo finally bought the Miss Nigeria franchise from former organisers Daily Times and became chief executive and creative director of the pageant. As of 2012, she ceased to be in charge of it and works on another pageant in which the winner will reign for a hundred years. Scratch that, a Hundred Years! Scratch that again, a Hundred Years!
Nike Oshinowo is not one cut for idleness, In 2014, Oshinowo launched her talk show Late Night with Nike Oshinowo on AIT.
Personal life
Oshinowo, is fluent in five languages including Japanese and French. In 2013, she spoke of her struggle with endometriosis which has plagued her since boarding school by age 13. Endometriosis is a disorder in which the tissue that normally lines the uterus grows outside the uterus, usually causing the tissue to be found on the ovaries, fallopian tubes or the intestines. Nike Oshinowo, however, had the opportunity of becoming a mother at the age of 47. She became the mother of a set of twins via surrogacy in America.
Sources:
Wikipedia
Featured Image Source: Radiant Health Magazine
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