Tewa Onasanya is the publisher and Editor-in- Chief of Exquisite Magazine. Although a graduate of pharmacology, she branched into publishing because of her passion and talent. This ever smiling mother of two children in this interview told us that women are the best in the world when it comes to multi tasking. She also revealed that she is a lover of nice shoes amongst other things.
What motivated you into starting a magazine?
I felt that there was a gap in the market. I was then in England. When I say a gap in the market, I mean there were so many magazines in England but not many of them were for black people. One day I just decided that instead of complaining there is only one magazine for black people, why don’t I start my own. That was how Exquisite started.
What is your educational background?
I am actually a Pharmacology graduate from the University of Portsmouth. The thing about doing what you are passionate about is that you don’t really need a formal training. Although in saying that I still had to go through some training just for me to be able to brush up my skills.
Yes, I have the passion and the God-given talent but I had to get some education in terms of how to put a magazine together such as design, putting stories together and so on.
What were your childhood dreams while growing up?
While growing up, I wanted to be a doctor. That was why I went in for pharmacology at the university. I wanted to be a doctor because I liked the idea of looking after people. I actually wanted to be a paediatric as well so that I can look after children. I had the vision of owning a hospital.
All the books I had written when I was in secondary school were around the hospital where my character was a doctor. But eventually, I did not have A- level and I did not have the grades to go straight into medicine.
But I had good grades to do any bio-medical related course, so I went for pharmacology which is a degree about the biology of medicine. My plan was to move on to do a degree in medicine, but with my pharmacology degree I started working with different pharmaceutical companies and I enjoyed it. So, I decided not to go into medicine any more but eventually, I branched into publishing.
What were the challenges you faced when you started publishing?
I started a journey which was at a slow pace at the beginning because obviously it was a new magazine. People needed to get used to the idea that there is a new magazine and they also needed to be comfortable that the magazine has not just started and would fail in a couple of years because a lot of magazines had started and failed. It is just that magazine is a lot of work; publishing generally is a lot of work. All things have to fit into place in terms of finance, your editorial team, structure and other things. And I thank God that we have come a long way.
What is your personal style?
My personal style is very simple yet classy, nice and elegant. I don’t wear things that would put me in the forefront like my earring or clothes glaring. I am a very simple person.
What is that clothing item you would never be found wearing?
I would never be found wearing fishnet tight. I am not a tight person.
What is your beauty secret?
I drink lots of water and I try to simmer as often as I can. I am not the wash-your-face-every-morning and- night kind of person. Some women have a counter on their dressing table of different beauty products for different purposes, but I am not into all that. Although, now that you are reaching a certain age, you need to take good care of your skin because the skin is not as young as it used to be, but, I really don’t have any beauty secret per se.
You are a mother of two. You still look trim and in shape. What is the secret?
My secret is God. Seriously, because I don’t do anything in terms of exercise. I love swimming so I try to swim when I can but I don’t do anything special to be in shape. I think my children keep me busy enough.
We have so many awards in Nigeria. Why did you come up with the Exquisite Lady of the Year Awards and what makes it unique?
Yes, there are so many awards in Nigeria but which one is dedicated solely to women? The award stared in October 2009 and the idea stemmed from the fact that we have so many women doing exceptionally well in different fields. We have women who are inspiring and also they motivate others to do well in their own fields.
Yes, these women are recognized in one way or the other but I feel that there was no award that was dedicated to just women. It is not only about giving awards. It is also an avenue to create awareness about cervical cancer which affects a lot of women.
You publish a fashion, beauty and style magazine. What is the worst fashion you have ever seen?
Firstly, I must commend the fashion scene in Nigeria so far. I am very happy at what I see at events. However, some people still commit fashion blunder. There was a day I went for a premiere of an event and I saw somebody wearing a proper stockings that is a tight that has no toes with a pair of slippers. That was quite funny to me and I said to myself a lot of people want to emulate what people are doing and they look through magazines, they see people wearing tights and think they should wear tight too. But, then you are not supposed to wear tight with a pair of slippers.
It just looks weird. People should emulate fashion in the correct way.
What is it about womanhood that makes you happy?
The fact that I think women are the best in the world when it comes to multi tasking, in terms of being able to juggle everything. I can be cooking, be on the phone and doing this or that at the same time. That I think is a huge thing about women and the fact that I can dress up and look really nice as a woman.
What is that fashion accessory you cannot do without?
Is a pair of shoes an accessory? Then, I cannot do without my shoes (Laughs)
Why your shoes?
I love my shoes. If you want to make me starve, just take my shoes from me.
How many inches high?
When it comes to inches, the higher the better. A lot of people who see me at events, I am sure, would know as well that I am a shoe person. I love my shoes. I am not too particular about clothes although it is necessary. But, if I see a nice pair of shoes, I try it on and it is comfortable, I would think about that shoe forever until I buy it.
How do you unwind?
I go to the cinema a lot, that is part of what I do and I enjoy eating out. As slim as I look, I do love food. On Fridays, my children and I pig out. We have a special thing for Friday in my house so, we just eat and because there is no school the following day. It is survival of the fittest in terms of the last person to go to sleep. And usually, it is me that goes to sleep first (laughs).
What is your greatest fear?
My greatest fear would be to lose someone very close to me. I have lost many close people this year and I don’t want it to happen again.
What makes your day?
Ticking all the boxes makes my day. Every single day, I have a list of things to do and if I am able to achieve at least 60 percent, I am usually happy. And if I go to meetings and I come out smiling, I am usually very happy too because I have sealed a deal.
Who is your role model?
One of them would be my mother because she is a woman who is very passionate about whatever she sets her mind to do. She is one woman that would just go to any length for her children as well and she makes sure that she impacts knowledge into you. My dad is also my role model; he is the best father anybody can have.
He is extremely supportive as well and he wants to see everybody succeed, not just his children but other people’s children as well. I want to be able to help anybody not because I want something off them but because I just want to help them. That is what God wants us to do. I want to be like my dad.
What kind of woman is Tewa Onasanya?
I am a very easy going person. I don’t have my nose up in the air; I can’t be bothered about things like that. If I see you, I hug you and shake your hands. I am just a normal simple person. I am also loving, passionate and I love shoes.
What are your hobbies?
I try to swim, I watch a lot of movies at the cinema and I eat out a lot.
What was your understanding of marriage before you went into it?
There was a time somebody cracked a joke that there should be a handbook for marriage. The funny thing is I wanted to get married and I had heard stories of what different people go through in marriages but I never thought of those things. All we were just thinking of was that we love and care about each other and we want to spend the rest of our lives together, let’s get married and we did. I have to say I am very blessed with the kind of man I married and also his family and my family.
I haven’t and as God lives I won’t have any issues in my marriage. I didn’t tell myself, this is how I am going to act, or this is what I am going to do, in one or two years this is what is going to happen. It is not like we have a plan or a map but we have been married for nine years and it has been wonderful. I am an easy going person who instead of fighting with anybody, I will rather just make peace. So, I suppose that with the way my husband is, very supportive, we complement each other.
What kind of jewelry do you love to wear?
Really, I go minimal when it comes to jewelry. I wear a bit of small chains, some costume jewelry but they are simple.
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