The only female and eldest child of the Iweala family, Dr Onyinye Onyi Iweala has revealed why her mom, the WTO DG, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala wears African designs in the stead of English wears.
In an exclusive session with KOKO’ Adenike Sobo, Dr Onyi was asked the secret behind her mothers’ choice of style and representation of Africa.“Speaking about her choice of style, I think once or twice I have seen her dress the English way. She’s always repping Africa. Why does she do that?”, she was asked.
Replying, Dr Onyinye noted that her mom’ choice of style is intentional and for practical reasons. Mentioning economic reason, Dr Onyi stated that these fabrics and ensembles usually come at reasonable prices and are unique. Read also:Â “My Mom Is Wonderful And Amazing”, Ngozi-Okonjo-Iweala’s Daughter, Onyi Iweala, Reveals Her Mother’s Daily Routine, Dedication And Challenges
“I mean, it’s really for practical reasons. So you know, when she was going to work, you can get a lot of these outfits made, you know, up and down, the Ankara everything for a very reasonable prices, you know, and they make unique outfits that look good, that help you stand out. And it’s easy to pick on an ensemble so practical purposes for that reason.Dr. Onyi further stated that her mom is also using the medium of her style to encourage Africans to diversify in the economy and use locally made things. “But then secondly, like what you said, she’s trying to represent for Africa, she’s trying to represent for Nigeria, she’s trying to represent for textile manufacturers. You know, my mom wants to encourage the Nigerian economy to diversify, right, like, we should depend on things aside from oil”, she added. Read also: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Makes First Visit To Nigeria As WTO Director-General
“Oil is great but like we should have other things just in case and one of the things that Nigeria is so good at is our textiles, our fashion, our creativity. So I think in her own way, she was buy Nigerian, wear Nigerian the same way the US people do it all the time. You know, I’m American too and I’m like, proud to be an American, made in America Made in USA. My mom is trying to show Nigerians and Africans, we can do that, we make great stuff like let’s buy this stuff. Let’s represent and you know, Nigerians are already doing that. So it’s something to promote and encourage”, she said.Photos Credit: Getty
“Speaking about her choice of style, I think once or twice I have seen her dress the English way. She’s always repping Africa. Why does she do that?”, she was asked.
Dr. Onyi further stated that her mom is also using the medium of her style to encourage Africans to diversify in the economy and use locally made things. “But then secondly, like what you said, she’s trying to represent for Africa, she’s trying to represent for Nigeria, she’s trying to represent for textile manufacturers. You know, my mom wants to encourage the Nigerian economy to diversify, right, like, we should depend on things aside from oil”, she added.
Photos Credit: Getty
