President of the Creative Designers’ Guild of Nigeria, Iyen Agbonifo-Obaseki, has said she has been called many names, including sit-tight president, but she is not fazed because she is interested in building the guild.
“I have different names, sit-tight president, Robert Mugabe. You know that in this world only a few people want to know what is happening to you in terms of your success, in terms of your pains, your challenges. Don’t forget that in the industry, a lot of people thrive on gossip,” she said in a chat with TheNiche.
The president of the guild, which caters for costumiers, make-up artists, art directors and set designers, explained that theirs is a peculiar association with four different sets of people under one group.
“When we started, we had only few of us who could actually stand the test of time in terms of proper education and all that. And I have been frustrated. I have gotten to a point where I said: let me drop this thing and go. We started from nothing, and for the guild to even get to where we got to, I spent my father’s money (may his soul rest in peace); I spent my family’s money, their time and energy to make sure we get to where we are,” she said.
She, however, said that after her painstaking work over the years, the guild has gotten to a place where she can conveniently say: “Yes, we are ripe now; if we call for an election, we can see people that will contest and I say yes, I am proud that these are the people leading me.
“Now, we are fully registered, unlike before. We can say, okay, this is a starting point. Like I tell my people, we have things that we need to consolidate on, and when elections take place, I will have my life back,” she declared.
On adding Obaseki to her name, the unmarried designer said that has always been her name. “I am an Obaseki and I still remain one by birth, by virtue of the fact that my father is an Obaseki. But I have been answering Agbonifo for sometime because Agbonifo happens to be a son of Obaseki too. My mum lived and died Mrs. Obaseki, my father lived and died Mr. Agbonifo-Obaseki,” she stated.
TheNiche gathered that she turned down the opportunity of being in front of the camera as actor because she wanted to live a simple life, to be able to do whatever she wants.
“(I want to) hop on an okada (commercial motorcycle) or on an aeroplane (anytime), because I know that when you are in front of the camera, your life is no longer your own; you are now like public property. So I want to do what I want to do. Yes, let my work speak for me, but not necessarily my face. I have my talent and I know when I can use that, and God has been really nice to me where I am,” she said.
That is true, but she discovered long ago that she needed to better prepare herself for her job and went in search of more training. That is paying off today, as she not only does costume and make-up on set, but also does set design and has been artistic director for films like Invasion 1897 by Lancelot Oduwa-Imasuen and Married but Living Single as well as for the new television series, Newman Street.
“I discovered that in our industry, there is a great vacuum in terms of those who do production design. We have very few art directors in Nigeria and you can count them on your fingers. I just feel that having spent close to two decades working on costume and make-up, and having been exposed to the rudiments of production, especially as it concerns the design unit, I just told myself that it is time to also take some steps higher than where you have been. Because of that, I had to take myself to some training, to at least up my game,” she stated.
The creative designer said her still remaining single is by choice.
So when does she plan to settle down?
“This is the question I always don’t want to answer,” she said.
“I am not God. He, my creator, knows the time and season for everything for me. But that is not to say that I don’t have suitors. Every time, even as I speak, to the glory of God, there are several suitors. But there are some things you must look for as a child of God. I would not want to go in because I want to get married; the person must be totally sold out for Christ,” she said.