Taekwondo Maestro, Blessing Nwakanma, is a 2nd Dan Kukkiwon & 4th Dan National Black Belt Holder who represented Nigeria at the 2014 Commonwealth Taekwondo Championships, where she won two medals. Amidst being an Athlete, Nwakanma is also an Entrepreneur who delights in producing different material for public use. The double Commonwealth Taekwondo Medalist and Obafemi Awolowo University trained graduate talks about her taekwondo and entrepreneurial experiences
Excerpts
My journey to greater heights in taekwondo
I started Taekwondo in 2005, in my 300 level when I was in the University. Our club was and is still called the Awoversity Taekwondo Klub. I started under GM George Akinola and we had many instructors like Seun Ajomale, Peace Ogunnowo, Leye Dawodu, and Jimmy Ogunnowo.
When I started competing, the initial emphasis was on Kyeorugi [fighting] but after about three years, I started doing Poomsae [forms] and combining both aspects in competitive events.
My competitive experience
Internationally, I represented Nigeria at the 2014 Commonwealth Taekwondo Championships, where I won two medals – a Silver in the Group Poomsae and a Bronze in the creative Poomsae.
For the National Sports Festival, I lost in Ogun 2006 in the Round of 16. This was my first major championships. Subsequently I lost in Kada 2010 edition at the Quarterfinals in both the Kyeorugi and Poomsae and went on to win a Gold in the Poomsae event at the Eko 2012 edition.
For the Korean Ambassador’s Cup. I won a Bronze in the Kyeorugi event in 2010. In 2013, I won three medals – a Gold medal in the Team Poomase, Silver in Individual Poomsae and Silver in Kyeokpa, and was also won the MVP award at that edition. I stopped competing in Kyeorugi after 2013. At the 2014 Edition, I won three medals – Gold, Silver, Bronze in the Team Poomsae, Creative Poomsae and Kyeokpa. In the 2015 Edition, I again won three medals – Gold, Silver, Silver –in the Team Poomsae, Creative Poomsae and Kyeokpa respectively.
At the 2016 Lagos International Classics, I won two medals – a Gold and Bronze in the Poomsae events.
Handling stress and representing Nigeria abroad
I try as much possible to relax and stay focused. I keep my mind in the competition mood so I do not get distracted. Consequently, I think about the end results and the reasons why I am competing and what I want to achieve.
I felt so great. It was a wonderful experience and I felt very proud representing the country.
Coaching Kids and Teenagers
By doing relevant courses, I attended the International Olympic Committee [IOC] – Nigeria Solidarity Coaching Course, which was done in 2015 in Ogun State. I also attended the Kukkiwon International Master Coaching Course Certification Seminar, which was done in Calabar, Cross River in 2016. When you add the coaching knowledge to the experience I gained as a National and International Athlete, it helps me impact more knowledge to my students.
My Engineering path
I studied Chemical Engineering at the Obafemi Awolowo University. Even though I was admitted in 2002, I graduated in 2008 because of a two-year strike. I have always had a flair for creativity and a passion for making fashionable cards. I never really enjoyed being away from my desk making cards. Initially, I wanted to study architecture, but I never got admission to study that program instead Chemical Engineering was the option offered to me. I accepted it because it was under the Engineering field and I also loved Engineering so I wanted to give it Chemical Engineering a try. Consequently, even though I worked as a Chemical Engineer with the Lagos State Government, my passion has always remained with exploring my creative side through making luxurious cards. My company, Nebshyne Ltd, is a luxurious card-making company that makes high-end and affordable hand-made cards tailored to special events in people’s lives.
Starting my personal business
It started way back when I was in Obafemi Awolowo University. I had friends in the Architecture department and I noticed that they made cards for students who paid for it. As I watched them, I picked up quite a few things, got more interested and started doing it. I used to take my designs to them and get better as time went on. Students started buying my cards and I was making a little from it, especially at peak period like Valentine and Birthdays. As time went by, I became an expert at it and started training other people, so the company gradually came together. It was officially registered in 2010.
Business challenges
I aspire to Increase quantity of quality staff that can deliver quality cards. Currently, the bulk of the creative work is tied to me, as my staff handle mostly only the operations. I need to find and train a lot more creative staff so I do not have to work overtime every time to meet up with the huge demand for our cards.
My personal business and Taekwondo career
No it does not. When I am working, I am there with full concentration and when I am competing, I am focused as an athlete. In Nigeria, being only an athlete does not make you financially stable. After one’s sporting career finishes, what next? Having a business makes you focus more as an athlete. When you think of the fact that the allowance you get from camp cannot sustain you, it gets you thinking and worried on how to pay the bills after camp. So having a business helps you not think of paying those bills and you can just focus on being an athlete.
Message to Athletes
I will advise them to get something to do – a job, a handiwork, just something to support themselves. Any kind of work that will bring in legal income. Definitely, having multiple income sources is just the way forward.
Martial arts and my career
Yes, it did and it still does. The confidence that I have built over the years does not just end up in my athlete phase, it follows me to other areas of my life. Whether I am at work, at home, or walking down the street, there is this aura around you that people see and feel that you are doing something outside the ordinary.
Has Taekwondo ever helped you in any confrontation?
Yes it has. I have been harassed once, robbed once. I defended myself on both occasions. These incidents made me value the martial arts even more.
What does having the first ever female taekwondo federation president mean to you?
It just shows you how strong women can be. Her emergence as the president has encouraged a lot of women in the sport to move forward in their careers. It is awesome having a female president right now, who is taking control and making the difference in the Nigeria Taekwondo Federation.
Still doing Taekwondo business
Of course, I still train myself and I run a Taekwondo school at the weekend. I taught taekwondo at the Lekki Taekwondo Academy for five years before setting up my own taekwondo school. In-between, I also take executive self-defense classes.
