Pageants are women empowerment programmes - Helen Prest-Ajayi

One-time Miss Nigeria, Helen Prest-Ajayi, speaks with TOFARATI IGE on being a former beauty queen, lawyer and author

You were crowned Miss Nigeria in 1979. 40 years after, how would you compare pageants then and now?

40 years is like another lifetime and when you talk about pageants, there was really only one then and that was Miss Nigeria. It was government-run because Daily Times Newspaper was owned by the Federal Government, so it had the weight and interest of federal might behind it. The pageant was also national; zonal competitions took place in the four zones of the country. One couldn’t just go to Lagos as contestants do now. One had to win one’s zone before one could come to Lagos to compete in the final. The competition was fierce. I feel pageants then were better supported financially. Of course, the economy was better. The prizes were far better and the opportunities were more. I won a Peugeot 504, a car that ministers of the federation were using as their official car those days. I was also given a salary of N6,000 at a time when a ticket to London cost N300.

You also have to realise that there was no social media and no Nollywood back then, so Miss Nigeria was the embodiment of every little girl’s idea of everything beautiful and glamorous. There was no other competition from any other source. Now, pageants and beauty queens are jostling for space in the media. There is so much competition that one hardly remembers who won what and of course people are barely famous for 15 minutes, then the nation moves on to the next new sensation.

Many people believe that pageants are superficial. How was it different in your time?

(Laughs). Of course, pageants are superficial. We are superficial creatures by nature. People are majorly moved by what they see. My friend of blessed memory, Remi Lagos, used to tell me, “Helen, it is essential to be superficial”. You only have to look at the phenomenal success of Instagram and Facebook to realise that she was right. Little did we know that secretly, everybody wants to be famous.

A school of thought believes that pageants objectify women. What’s your take on that?

I have always disagreed with that. Having had the opportunity to participate and win a pageant, I have to say that they are women empowerment programmes. They give one a platform to amplify one’s voice and instant public recognition that opens doors and gives one opportunities.

You became a beauty queen at a young age. How did that impact your worldview?

I became Miss Nigeria at the age of 19 and my life changed forever. I couldn’t do ordinary things incognito anymore. It also made me think twice about everything I wanted to do, because I knew my choices had consequences.

As an author, what is your muse?

My muse is Jane Austen (an 18th century author). I’m not sure if it comes out in my writing but it certainly influences my world view.

Have you ever suffered ‘writer’s block’ and how did you deal with it?

Yes, all the time. I’m a terrible procrastinator. I overcome writer’s block by sitting down in front of the computer and staring at the screen. Then eventually, I start writing random words and sentences. After a while, I put them together and it starts to flow from there.

What has been your experience running Media Business Company?

It has been quite a roller coaster. I have gone through many reincarnations but my most successful and fulfilling venture is writing books.

What current projects are you working on?

I have just finished writing a book for people who struggle with communicating in formal English. The book titled, The Complete English Language Guide for full Comprehension and Understanding, is a step-by-step manual for the essential elements necessary for verbal and written success.

What are the most important business lessons you’ve learnt over the years?

Everything one does would take one a step further into what one should be doing if one doesn’t give up. No experience is wasted.

It is widely believed that Nigerians don’t like reading. What’s your take on that as an author?

I don’t believe that Nigerians don’t like reading. I think they are just so preoccupied with trying to survive, making ends meet, sitting through traffic, waking up at the crack of dawn to get to work and getting home late at night. What time would any sane person get to read? That is the reality. Reading requires a fair amount of leisure time.

What stirred your interest to study Law?

Absolutely nothing. I really wanted to study Fine Art but my mother insisted that I should read Law instead. I come from a family of lawyers. My grandfather was a judge and my father was a lawyer, so I guess it made sense to follow the family tradition. I’m happy I had the capacity and the grades to study Law. I later went on to get a Master’s degree in Law at Kings College London. I never regretted studying Law though because I believe it gave me the best foundation for everything I went on to do later. It instilled rigorous discipline in me and the capacity for logical thinking.

What was the first case you handled as a lawyer and how did it turn out?

I recall most of my early cases were won on preliminary objections and technicalities. I focused a lot on the court rules and technicalities, because I noticed that a lot of people didn’t. By nature, I pay a lot of attention to details.

What were the highlights of your 15-year legal career?

One of the highlights of my legal career was when my law firm was given the brief to review and redraft the Maritime Laws of The Federation. I studied Maritime Law for my Master’s degree, so it was very fulfilling.

You spent 10 years as a teaching volunteer at primary and secondary school levels. How was the experience?

I would describe it as the best experience I had. I found out that I was good at breaking down subjects that children found complicated for them to not only understand but eventually like them. It also afforded me the opportunity to see up close what children found difficult to understand, how they thought and what motivated them to find solutions.

What do you think are the critical factors mitigating against the growth of the educational sector in Nigeria?

We are not paying sufficient attention to the acquisition of English language in early learning. We have to pay more attention to literacy, because literacy unlocks learning. The first two years of elementary school are the most important part of our education system. If the foundation is poor, nothing else one teaches would have traction. We see this happening now. University graduates are unable to write simple letters or string coherent sentences together. That’s all because we didn’t pay enough attention to the acquisition of basic literacy (skills).

Do you share the opinion that all primary and secondary schools in the country should be privatised?

No, I don’t. We cannot monetise everything. Education is a human right and should be a social responsibility. If you privatise education, those who cannot afford it– and going by the high poverty rate in the country, would mean a majority of our people– would not have access to education. Government should seriously work towards providing free education. Without universal access to education, we should expect to have a huge human capacity development in Nigeria. Without an increase in human capacity development, we should not expect progress in the country.

What is the Helen English Learning Programme about?

HELP is a teaching programme and application I developed that allows primary school children to take guided lessons in English– grammar, pronunciation and conversational flow– within an application that would take the form of an innovative game.

You spent your formative years in England. How did that shape you into the woman you’ve become?

This gave me access to great education which enabled me to think imaginatively and creatively. I am extremely grateful for that. I would not be the woman I am today if it wasn’t for that.

What can you recall of your days at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University)?

I remember driving through the gate down the driveway and thinking how beautiful the campus was and how happy I was to be there. I went in through A-levels, so everything went by so fast and before I could blink, it was over.

How do you balance your career and home so that none suffers?

There is no such thing. Either one concentrates on one’s family or one’s career. There are choices one has to make. There’s no shame in whichever one decides– just know there are consequences either way. If one tries to juggle the two, neither of them may come out well. Now that my children are all grown, I can finally concentrate on my career without guilt and I’m having the best of times. After spending over 20 years on my family, it is all about me now.

30 years is a long time to be married. How have you been able to keep your union ‘fresh’ over the years?

I think one has to keep one’s interests and remember who one was at the beginning of the relationship. Never lose yourself. Engage with life.

What are some of the fond memories you have of your childhood?

I remember watching the Miss World pageant on TV with my brother when I was about eight years old and I told him that one day, I was going to go for the pageant. He laughed so hard about it but fast forward another 10 years and there I was on the stage in London at the Miss World pageant.

What are some of the enduring lessons you learnt from your father that are still helping you today?

I learnt basic etiquette from my father. He was very strict about standing and sitting up straight, not scuffing one’s feet when one is walking and table manners. If one scraped the fork with one’s teeth while one was eating, one would be dismissed from the dinner table immediately.

What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Just write. Don’t be afraid. As you keep on writing, you would find your authentic voice and start connecting with your audience.

What common mistakes would you advise young entrepreneurs to avoid in order to become successful?

Stop playing to the gallery; stop robbing Peter to pay Paul and stop using monies from other sources to prop up your business. If it’s not making a profit, close it down and try again. You cannot be working (just) to pay salaries. Your business is to make money to pay you, not the other way round.

How would you describe your style?

If its fashion, I have not really changed that much over the years. I still feel less is more. If its lifestyle, my style is ‘easy luxe’.

What are your hobbies?

I cannot really say I have hobbies. I just do what I enjoying doing all the time. I love reading and I do it whenever I can fit it in. Of course, I have many fantasy hobbies. Those are things I see myself doing in my mind but never quite get round to in reality. They include tapestry, quilting, chess, painting, scrap booking and gardening.

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