COVER
April - June 2017 •
The Lion King
• 13
BY BOLA ATTA
A BASKET OF BLESSINGS
AGBANI,
A
gbani Darego walks into a hall
full of young aspiring models,
some too short, some too big
for the tape measure and some who
were just right and scaled the first
hurdle. She was one of those who
passed the many steps to the top ten
models amongst the hundreds who
had lined up for auditions. At the
final stage however, the pretty young
teenager could not go any further.
She was too young.
This was about 18 years ago at the
‘Face of Africa’ auditions. It was the
first time I would meet Agbani. She
clearly stood out as very special even
then. Agbani was very disappointed
that she didn’t make the final cut. ‘I
thought I had it down and had gone
through the steps and passed every
stage until the final and suddenly I
wasn’t chosen’. Somebody on our
scouting panel had gone up to
her and her older sister (who had
accompanied her to Lagos from Port
Harcourt for the selection process) to
speak positive words and encourage
her to return the following year when
she would be old enough.
“I didn’t think I wasn’t pretty enough.
I was disappointed that I hadn’t
achieved what I came to Lagos to do
but I didn’t think it was the end’.
It certainly wasn’t the end for the
young girl whom the world would soon
get to know.
Agbani was raised in Port Harcourt,
Nigeria, the 6th of 8 children. ‘It was
a lot of fun growing up in a home
with many siblings. But as I was one
of the babies of the house, I often
wasn’t happy that everyone older
than myself felt they knew what was
right for me’. She went on to boarding
school at a young age and missed
home, her parents and her siblings.
One day my godmother came to get
me from school and I was so excited
to be going home to see everyone.
I didn’t know why she had come to
get me from school. But I got home to
hear from my Dad that my mum was
gone’.
Agbani was 11 years old when her
mother died. Her life was changed
forever. Her sisters did a really great
job as they were much older than
her. As did her maternal grandma
who moved in to look after them. ‘My
mum had always been a caregiver,
but my dad came and took over after
she passed away. He came in and
filled the role and did a wonderful
job being friends with all his kids’. A
rather emotional Agbani continued to
reminisce. “Its one of those situations
where you don’t really know what
treasure you have until you no longer
have it. Going back to school and
seeing my friends’ mothers come on
visiting days was so hard. You grow
up quickly after that and learn to take
care of yourself. I ‘ve always had and
continue to have the support of all my
siblings, but nobody can ever replace
a mother’ Agbani said with a cautious
smile.
At age 11, She dreamt about being
many things. ‘I wanted to be a lawyer.
Everyone in the house felt I would
be a good lawyer because I always
made my points clear. I am not sure
that I actually dreamt about being a
model. I was very skinny and different.
That earned me many names at
school such as spindle sticks. I would
see pictures of beautiful women in
magazines but it didn’t occur to me
that I would one day be one of those
women’.
Agbani’s dad, like most African
parents in those days, was opposed
to her becoming a model. He hadn’t
wanted her to make that first trip to
Lagos with her sister for the Face of
Africa auditions. It was at the auditions
that she met the scout for the Most
beautiful girl in Nigeria(MBGN)
pageant. The lady had invited her to
come for the pageant auditions the
following year.
‘My dad said I wasn’t going to the
pageant. But he decided to sleep
on this decision and woke up the next
morning saying he had had a dream
I was
disappointed that
I hadn’t achieved
what I came to
Lagos to do but I
didn’t think it was
the end.”
