Grace Egbagbe Biography
Grace Egbagbe had a successful career in the media that spanned 27 years and culminated in her position as Executive Director, Marketing, at the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA). She embodies elegance, class, and intelligence. Read Grace Egbagbe Biography here.
Sweet Reminiscences
I was born in Makurdi though my parents come from Okpekpe, a small village in the Edo North area. I grew up all over Nigeria, at a time when the feeling of oneness was still strong. My dad was a paramedic with UNICEF, in the Department of Health, which was in charge of disease control. Whenever he received a radio call that there had been an outbreak of measles or chicken pox in one location or another, he would take off immediately, and it would take some time before we saw him again. At a point, my sister and I would cry pleading to go with him. That was how he started to take us with him. We used to long for our stay in the ‘guesthouse’ in the bush, where we all stayed during his tours. It was far removed from the village itself and was surrounded by bush. In the night, we would hear the shrill and frightening cries of baboons and other animals. I used to also enjoy my dad’s cooking whenever we were away from home. He would mix everything together: Egusi, pepper and all, and funny enough, it used to taste very good. It tasted even better than what my mum cooked at home.
It was always an exciting time of adventure when my sister and I accompanied him on his travels. We lived in all parts of Nigeria: Makurdi, Kaduna, Asaba, Katsina-Ala, Gboko, Ijebu-Ode, Ilaro, Bonny, etc. We didn’t experience any cultural barrier; we felt we were one and we integrated well into any society we found ourselves. The only hitch about the travels was that our schooling was always interrupted. Each time we moved, we had to change schools. Just when we were settling down in a new environment, we would move again. In spite of this, we managed to get good education. My mum had ten children but lost two. She lost the ones before and after me. I lost my younger brother, Livinus, when he was four years old. It was very painful. That was my first encounter with death. His death hurt me deeply. My childhood days were very fulfilling. My parents demonstrated their love for us in many ways. Dad took great care of us. We also knew him for discipline. He was ready to use the cane on anyone of us who misbehaved. My mum used the fear we had for dad to put us in check whenever we were becoming too playful.
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Feeling Good
I was conscious of my height, 5 ft. 8 inches, until I went to the U.S. to study. There, I found taller people, and six footers who played basketball. My best friend, Luanne, was 5 feet 10 inches. I did not feel too tall anymore. The other part I was sensitive about was my bust. When I was younger, I was quite busty but I didn’t have large buttocks like some African women. My friends abroad kept teasing me that I could integrate well with them because I looked like them. When I see some buttocks, I thank God I didn’t have much! Now, I am very comfortable with my body and I think it is from being enlightened. I feel very comfortable, and since God created me this way; He can’t be wrong!
‘Your Daddy is Here!’
I remember my growing up days with nostalgia. When I was in the secondary school at Agbor, my dad visited me riding this big solid motorcycle. Every time I heard the sound of a motorcycle, it’s amazing. He would be right at the school gate. Whether I was in the classroom, dormitory, or in the dining hall, I would hear the sound. I would exclaim excitedly, ‘My dad is here, my dad is here!’ My friends would not believe me, until about ten to fifteen minutes later when I would be asked to come to the principal’s office to meet my dad. When I was at the University of Ibadan, every time we were on vacation my dad would be at Queen’s Hall to take me home. This time, he would ride a big dodge van, and the announcement would ring out ‘B34’ that was my room in Queens Hall. ‘B34, your daddy is here; B34, your daddy is here!’ Those were memorable days. These days, one doesn’t see parents’ especially fathers, taking time out to pick their kids from school. Everyone is busy! They leave the mothers to do all the work, while they miss the opportunity to create a bond with their children.
‘Grace Egbagbe Fails Her Exams!’
Education at the primary level was fractured due to my father’s transfer from one part of the country to another. But from the secondary school level, there was more stability because I was older and my parents could afford to leave me in a good boarding school. The school was Mary Mount College, Agbor, a catholic school, which had many of the teachers as nuns. They were quite committed to their work and we were taught to excel in everything we did. I was leading the class in examinations, most times. I had a contender, Maria Ojoga, who was also good. When we wrote the school certificate exams, classes five and six were merged because secondary school education had just been changed to 5 years from the former 6 years. So, classes 5 and 6 were brought together to collectively write the exams. About 56 of us wrote the exams, and my result was the best, followed by Maria Ojoga.
After Mary Mount College, I went to Edo College for a two-year higher school certificate before going to the university. But halfway through the first year in Edo College, I sat for the preliminary exams to the University of Ibadan, and I passed. I also wrote the exams of University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I was admitted to Nsukka to read Botany/Zoology/Chemistry, and University of Ibadan admitted me for English, but because of the Nigeria- Biafra war, I couldn’t go to Nsukka. I read English at the University of Ibadan. After graduation, I went to teach at St. Ita College, Sapele. It was while I was there that I participated in the Bendel State Festival of Arts for Schools. I produced one of my favourite plays, Childe Internationale, by Wole Soyinka. It won the first position in the festival. The Commissioner for Education, impressed by the play, asked that I should come over to Benin. I was formally interviewed, in accordance with civil service procedures. I passed, and then joined the Bendel State Ministry of Education as an education officer.
In 1973, the Bendel State Government wanted to start television transmission in the state, with emphasis on education, information, and entertainment (in that order). A colleague, Stellamaris and I were sent to British Council Television, London, to study Educational Radio and Television Broadcasting. At that time, the place was known as the Center for Educational Development Overseas (CEDO). The whole programme ran for six months: three for radio and three for television production. It was fun being there, and it was my first contact with cold weather. When I came back, I taught English on television in Benin. I also presented programmes like ‘Voices from Within’. Also, I did not know I could sing, but yes, we sang on TV and generally we just had fun.
See More Outstanding Career
Having begun a career in the television industry, I needed good grounding in TV production. So I went to UCLA – the University of California, Los Angeles, to do an MFA in television and film production. I graduated in June 1978, came back, moved to Lagos, and joined the NTA- Nigeria Television Authority. Halfway through, in 1980 or thereabouts, I applied for a U.S government-sponsored course on Satellite Communications at the University of Hawaii. Then in 1982, I went to the University of Buckingham to read a two-year programme in Law. One of the high points of my career was meeting the famous Lord Denning. He made landmark judgments in family law. After the law programme, I attended the Nigerian Law School, and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1985. In 2001, I was transferred from the Programmes Directorate to Marketing. To practice advertising, I registered with APCON and did a one-year diploma course in Advertising. I knew no education was a loss, that was why I did a diploma instead of getting a waiver. I won the best female graduating student award, the best overall graduating student award, as well as three other prizes. And all of these came with cash! I was motivated by my son who saw me studying one day and said, ‘Mummy, you know how the papers love you. If you fail, they’ll flash it – ‘Grace Egbagbe fails her exams!’ That really geared me up.
Not a Tragedy!
When I finished from the University of Ibadan, I had a native marriage law and custom ceremony with a man from Gboko, Benue state called Dennis Ukume. However, after the ceremony, we had to dissolve it because the relationship did not turn out the way we expected. It was a major upset to me, not a tragedy. After it happened, I came to believe that whatever is meant to be would be. I grew up believing in honesty; to as much as possible tell the truth. My parents made it a point of duty to teach us moral values. My dad always said, ‘Tell the truth. If you don’t, you would be found out anyway, and then you would get double punishment for lying in the first place’. I also grew up with the philosophy of trusting in God. I believe that if one trusts in God, He will always order one’s footsteps, and turn one’s setbacks into advantage. I teach my kids these values too.
Some couples go into marriage with starry eyes, expecting everything to be rosy, and to remain so. I don’t need dramas on TV to tell me that reality is different. Couples must cultivate friendship before and during marriage. With friendship come love, trust, and companionship. As a child, I was free and comfortable with my parents because they were affectionate to each other. They maintained companionship with each other over the years. Companionship between parents encourages a sense of security in the children. Children grow up better in a home where there is love and peace. Even if it is one parent, and many relations and friends who give this love and peace, it is much better than two parents who fight all the time, leaving the poor kids traumatized. They thus see violence as a way of life. Another problem is, there is not much dialogue in some marriages. Couples do not open up to each other as much as they should. If there is dialogue, many problems would be resolved before they become worse.
Marriage is a beautiful thing. If one does not find the right partner, it would not make sense to marry for the sake of it. People should not get married too young. People get married between ages 20-21. I think it’s too early. One is emotionally immature to handle the complexities of marriage. No use rushing into marriage to rush out again. Why the hurry? The partners have their lifetime ahead of them, and hopefully, looking at a lifetime together. Just as young girls are counselled against getting pregnant at a young age because of the attendant complications, so also should young people be counselled not to rush into marriage. They should take their time, understand each other, and get some financial stability before getting married.
The Joys of Motherhood
Motherhood is fulfilling in all its facets. I had my kids in the most difficult circumstances. My life would have been completely empty without them. They bring meaning into my life, and I thank God for giving them to me. If a child is loved and well taken care of s/he would grow into a responsible human being. The child would also be sensitive to the needs of his parent. The need might not necessarily be financial. The needs revolve around love and care. Parents should not train their children because of what they hope to gain from them. It would be a frustrating and wasted venture for the parents. From my children, I have learnt to be patient in my dealing with others. Through my children, I have learnt that there are gray areas. Life is not black and white. My children have also taught me how to appreciate people and how to say ‘thank you’ for things I used to take for granted. These are things I’ve learnt from having expressive children.
I Felt Slightly Superior
I was lucky to have a father who believed in education. My dad would have sold his last shirt to send us to school. I recall that an uncle of mine advised my dad not to send his girl children to school, but my dad refused. I got so much love from my parents that I never once felt insecure or inferior. If anything, I felt slightly superior. My dad was proud of me because of my performance in school. I worked hard not only to feel good but also to make my parents happy. I learnt that it is very good to work hard. We grew up also with that. If you work hard, the sky is the limit. Do not expect any favours because you wouldn’t find any. But work hard and it will pay off. The society discriminates against women, especially single women. Most people think that one has to be a ‘Mrs’ before one can earn some respect. But I am not, yet I’m respected. I have job fulfillment, and that is more than enough for me. A friend confided in me once and said, ‘Look, I don’t really love the man I got married to. I needed to be a ‘Mrs So and So’ to be able to get on in my career’. As soon as she got married, she got promoted. The other year, she was asked to head the organization she was working in, only because she got married. She said someone had told her in confidence that if she did not get married, she was not likely to get that promotion. And so she just married one of her colleagues.
Working Behind the Screen
I was a newscaster because someone went on leave and there was a need for an urgent replacement. NTA was short staffed at the time. I also presented ‘Saturday Night Show’ on NTA Benin. Being before a television screen means everyone gets to see one always and would easily recognize one outside the screen. But working behind the scene is more fulfilling for me. I experience inner joy and fulfillment at seeing the final form of a programme I created on screen. That is the ultimate. What we have done in NTA is to re-strategize. Today, NTA has network centres from where news emanate. One can watch news from the Sokoto, Ibadan, Benin, Enugu and Kaduna zones. This has helped to bring Nigeria together. One can watch the Sokoto zone, for example, an area in Sokoto State that one has never been to. But through the broadcast, it comes closer to one. A company would more likely advertise on a channel that has a wider reach to people. NTA is government–owned and funded. But this does not mean all our news is about government. We try to balance things up.
Government today is vibrant. People expect us to be critical of government all the time, for no just cause. There is more to NTA News than government issues. However, NTA cannot run away from news about government. People need to know what is happening in the country, what the government is doing, and so on. There is no use criticising just for the sake of it. When I joined NTA in 1978, there was no Director of Programmes. So I acted as Director of Programmes. Incidentally, President Obasanjo was the Head of State then, and he wanted to encourage small-scale farming, growing one’s food in one’s backyard so that there would be abundant food for all. We needed to create a programme that would reflect this.
So, I created the play, Cock Crow at Dawn. Of course, we were given guidelines. I wanted an indigenous name that one could not easily identify. Hence, the name ‘Zemaye’ which I gave the lead female character. One would have to be Afenmai to know what it means. It means ‘let us live’. The other characters’ names reflected the different parts of the country. A good producer was needed for the serial. Peter Igho, who won the best producer award during the television festival, was chosen. Today, he is the Executive Director of Programmes. Dwindling resources, and maybe funding, among others, contributed to the programme Cock Crow at Dawn going off air. But right now at NTA, we are thinking of bringing back more drama programmes, more series, and more comedies. We are working on them. We show a larger percentage of Nigerian programmes than any other station. We have a rule that we cannot show more than forty percent (40%) of foreign programmes.
Romantic Novels and Egusi Soup
I read, write, and go to the movies. I’m presently writing a screenplay, but it takes so long. Sometimes, I wish there were forty-eight hours instead of twenty-four! By the time I’m done in a day, the day is over and the next day has begun. I read romantic novels. I also read novels by Jackie Collins, John Grisham, and Sidney Sheldon. From time to time I play golf. I play from 5.00pm- 7.00pm, but otherwise, it’s really hard for me. I’m lucky to have this figure. My mum is like that. My dad had a waist 32 until he died. I love Egusi soup. I like cooking when I have to cook. But these days, I don’t cook because I have people who do it for me. I like household things. I like to come back from work and walk into a nice bedroom, a nice home .
