Nike Adeyemi is the Founder of The Real Woman Foundation and visionary behind the “Get Up” movement. She is also the Co-founder and Deputy Senior Pastor of Daystar Christian Centre. She holds Master’s degrees in Architecture and Business Administration from Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Nigeria, and Business Studies from the Netherlands. She has also completed the Executive Programme at Harvard Business School and is a John Maxwell Certified Coach. Additionally, she holds dual doctorate degrees: a Doctor of Divinity and a Doctor of Social Services and Faith-Based Initiatives from Heart Bible International University, U.S.A. In this interview, she speaks on ministry and her efforts in empowering women, supporting families.

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Take us through your life, becoming a pastor’s wife and calling to help young women?

My dad is a university don and my mother is into administration; when I was in Obafemi Awolowo University, God drew my heart, and there was a particular fellowship – Christ Love Fellowship. I got into their midst and began to grow spiritually, despite the fact that I was already a Christian, but I was not a strong one. God showed me the gift in me; I did not see the whole picture, but I just continued to serve in the fellowship, go out for evangelism, and sing in the choir. I think that was when He was really preparing my heart to be a leader, to be someone who cares for other people. When I graduated with a Master’s in architecture, I came to Lagos to work. Then I met my husband; he was a young pastor. That’s how I became a pastor’s wife. He also said he saw the gift in me to be a pastor, and I yielded.

I also went into a bit of social work because I began to notice the girls on the streets and in Lagos you must have knowledge of social work in Lagos State. They require social workers until we set up a home, a place, and we continued to care for them with the skills we have learnt. I also use the word of God, raise a team, staff, and take care of them, going round the place.

I continued to do conferences, and when I’m not hosting conferences, I’m also speaking within the country and outside the country. I speak in various nations – the US, Canada, different places where I’m invited to encourage women, especially and after a while, I just began to follow the journey. I enjoy it. Sometimes it’s tough, but I know I’ve taken it as my call to care for the people, to speak to them, to see them delivered, to help women from all walks of life—not only women in business, ministry, young and old, women from all walks of life—because we all go through similar things.

For you, what has been the impacts of 25 years of being consistent?

Fulfillment and gratitude. I have staff and volunteer—they run it. I’m also there when they need my intervention. There’s email, WhatsApp; wherever I am in the world, I’m helping them as well, leading them. And sometimes, I’m still very much hands-on, especially when I’m in Lagos.

What birthed Get Up?

Women need to Get Up! We have been calling it the Woman Seminar every year. We have the conference, but this year, Get Up was a theme. But I found that it is more than just a theme. This year, I’ve been looking for another thing, and I found out that it has now come to stay – it is a mantra. “Arise” is from the Bible: “Arise and shine, for your light has come.” It’s more like, “Get up and shine,” as much as possible. If we look at the days we are in now – not only Nigeria, but all over the world – there’s darkness. When I say darkness is deep, vices are multiplying. Divorce, separation – it’s like humanity has gone down. Poverty has multiplied, and it is not only in Nigeria, because I’m widely traveled, I spend time in the US. It’s everywhere, so it’s time to arise and shine.

What are some of those vices peculiar with women?

Abuse – domestic, sexual and emotional abuse – from men and fellow women who are not also healed, who don’t know how to manage their own lives and emotions. Maybe they, too, were not brought up well; life happened to them, so they dish it out to someone else. What I said at Get Up, what I will always say: women, know your worth. Have self-esteem. What you don’t want, don’t take it from the start. If you are single, shine your eyes before you say yes. Know your worth, get educated, have skills.
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What is the major driver for the work that you do?

I cannot lie to you; it is God. I remember when I set up the Real Woman Foundation, I had two kids then. We went to the streets, talking to prostitutes; we went to hotels. In fact, during the COVID pandemic, about three or four years ago, I looked back one day and just said, “Who sent me?” It would have been God because when I calculated the time I started, I was like 28 years old then. I was young. I realised that it’s the grace of God. Being a pastor’s wife, at some point, I found out that in the early years of the church—when we started Daystar, our church (Daystar will be 30 years this year)—we were like two years married then. The Lord opened my eyes that there are people outside. The Bible said, “Go ye into the world,” so I decided to go. When I saw those girls on the street, I would think, “This is somebody’s child.” I would discover the hotel, go in there, and start talking to them. I would become their friend. I started from Ikeja, Oregun area; someone discovered a hotel there and told me about it. We raised a team, and the team would go out to places. About two years in, I didn’t have a place to put them, to give them training. We have a physical place in Lagos. However, a year and a half ago, it got burnt, so we are renovating a new place. We are waiting for a new place. The good thing is that the orphanage did not get burnt. After five years of setting up the Real Woman Foundation, I created an orphanage; it’s called the Love Home Orphanage.

What birthed the orphanage?

The orphanage was birthed a few years after we noticed people started to bring in pregnant girls. We had to report to the Ministry of Women’s Affairs to set up an orphanage. That was then; now you have to go through the government. After about six months, they gave full approval to operate. Some children get and sometimes the courts send children to us who are under care and protection, others are cases of serious abuse, incest.

How do you integrate prostitutes, trafficked children back into society?

Through the years, when we train them, we don’t just do a flash in the pan. They stay with us. It used to be for about six months, but after a while, we allowed a year. And then many of them began to stay four years until they were ready. Many of them are university graduates today. When we put them in school, they do JAMB, they pass, and we put them in school. We found out that we could not put a time limit to it. Once you start to train them, you cannot stop. So, when they get educated, they are able to integrate better and not go back to what they used to do. They do not even want to go back because they find out that life is not okay. Today we have girls who now live abroad, married with their families. So, beyond that, I now found out that we also must reach the everyday woman – that is not a prostitute, that is not a sex worker – widows and everyday women who are in pain, but their pain is not obvious. Some have endured domestic violence; some are suffering and smiling. You know, women—we put on makeup and just go, but are depressed. So, we found out that it’s not only those on the street, but women too who are hurting and sometimes, the rich also cry.
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Were you able to practice your architecture?

Yes, for a few years after I got married and then I let it go because between supporting my husband with pastoring (which he also believes I have a gift for) and starting off the NGO foundation, Real Woman Foundation, I let my architecture go. But the experience and expertise are still there.

How can young women take on career life and family?

They should ask for the grace of God, and they should take time to rest in between and pray because it can be a lot, especially in times like this. In our time, we had help. Now, I don’t know about domestic help – if they are trustworthy, with what we read in the newspapers these days.

What advice do you have for parents on maintaining healthy relationships with their daughters?

We are going to keep encouraging parents to be present for their children—both fathers and mothers. Be there for your child. Don’t allow peer pressure in your own life too; don’t compare your child to other children. So, I think that parents can’t do it alone, that’s why, in my own time, on my social media handle on Twitter, I encourage parents. I encourage fellow women who have raised children. I encourage grandmothers too.  Let us adjust our mindset. Let us get into their world. Let us not be typical African parents—when they say one thing, you’ve slapped them, because when they say something and you shut them down, the next thing, they would not open up again. Please, let’s allow God to enlarge our hearts so that they’ll be very free with us. Even if we have to leave after listening and go back and say, “God, help me,” but let nothing scare us. because it’s better they talk to you than to an outsider.

What are your final words to the Nigerian woman out there?

Nigerian woman out there, don’t die before your time. Know your worth, have esteem, and carry yourself as such. You’re a child of God. You are light. Don’t kill yourself for anybody – married or not, mother or not. Take care of you because you can’t pour from an empty cup. If you don’t fill yourself up, you cannot. One of the ways I fill myself up is by reading my Bible. Sometimes I just play gospel music, lie on my bed, and fill myself before I go out to help people, if not, you get into depression; you deplete your energy unnecessarily. It’s tough, but try and balance things. Sometimes things won’t look balanced, but as we’re helping others—parents, spouse, children—the woman is kind of central. As you are doing all this, don’t forget yourself. Take that drink, balance it, less of junk food. Be intentional about yourself. When you have a little money, don’t spend everything only on your children. Sometimes it’s all competitive, and I know we put our husbands, we put our children ahead, but please don’t forget yourself. Get that massage, get that wellness, find time for yourself because if you die, the world will move on.
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