My name is Ogugua Ajayi
As a little girl, I loved stories,
I loved reading them, I loved telling them.
I remember on many occasions gathering my siblings around me to regale them with tales from boarding school, tales both real and imagined, I knew the power of a good story.
The power to captivate, entertain and educate.
So, let me tell you my story….
I was born in the late 70’s. I am the second child of the Late Micheal Ashikodi Agmamuche and Late Love Patricia Agbamuche. The second child of my mother, and fourteenth of my Dad. Yes, you read right… I have 13 sisters and 5 brothers.
My name ‘Ogugua’ means comforter/consoler. The full version ‘Oguguamakwa’, means ‘the one who comes to wipe away tears’. You see, I was born a few days after the passing of my older brother. My birth was said to have brought comfort amid sorrow. I hope it did. I would like to think so.
I grew up and settled on the ‘set’ path. I went on to study Law at The University of Ibadan where in addition to getting a degree in Law, I got a wonderful husband! I practiced law for a year and then decided to pursue one of my dreams, Early Childhood Education. This led me to write a children’s book, “Pat The Cat”, a first of the Babies to Toddlers Early Learning Series collection.
I sort of stumbled on writing Novels. One evening, I literally typed out some thoughts on a story that came to me and this led to my first novella “Blessings in the Dark” I also produced my first audio skit “The Break Up” the same year. My second novella, ‘Full Circle’ came soon after that.
I went in for my master’s in creative writing at the University of Kent where I graduated with both a distinction in the course and a new love for writing TV scripts.
This led to my foray into movie making. ‘Just the two of us’’ and ‘The thought of you’ which I wrote and co-produced, have garnered over a million views between them on YouTube.
It’s a whirlwind journey that I have enjoyed and still enjoy as I discover new ways to captivate, encourage, educate and, entertain.
At the heart of it all I remain always a story teller.
Ogugua