Chief Quincy Olasumbo Ayodele, today, is a society face, whose influence and high wired connections cuts across the society. This feat, she did not achieve out of nothing, but her expertise in the world of herbal medicine in which she majorly offers slimming solution. Through her brand as an herbal slimmer, Quincy, is no doubt a household name, having been around for over two decades.
Wanting to know the first step that ushered her into the journey of herbal medicine, light skinned and eloquent Olasumbo went down memory lane of how seeking solution to her case of Obesity eventually opened her eyes and led her into offering slimming solution.
‘The idea came from the fact that I used to be very fat before and sickly. I used to be taken all over Nigerian hospitals; even abroad for one type of sickness or the other because of the obesity I was suffering from then. My height is five feet and I was weighing ninety five kilograms and when a ninety five kilogram is over a height of five feet, that is first class obesity and I did not know it because I was not a practitioner then. The doctor advised that I should reduce my weight but I was reducing my weight in a wrong way. I used to go to clubs where they do aerobics and all that, they were doing good but after the exercises, that is when I would and take suya and the rest and regained everything I lost during the exercises. I was actually going through bad eating habit and the weight was not going, instead, it was piling up and I became sicker on a daily basis. Later my grandmother said, all this sickness I was going through was because of my size that my stomach, my breast and neck, I had to work on them. She made stuff I would be drinking to lose my weight for me. Lo and behold, I lost all the weight, I came down from ninety five kilogram to six kilogram and I became healthier.’
She continued, ‘It now occurred to me that these people we were going to the gym together should see what has happened. They were curious about what I used and I explained to them, and of course with my knowledge of the herbs, that was how I started the slimming plus the natural herbs and of course the exercise part of it, the diet and the rest. I had to go back to school to learn about natural medicine and that broadened my knowledge of the scientific aspect of the medicinal plant, the dosage, the administration and so on. When I started, natural medicine was a new thing and it was only few of us that could talk confidently about what we were using because the scientific world were attacking traditional medicine in those days, trying to cover it up but people like us….i did not keep quiet. Thank God for W.H.O that set in and started on development of African medicine and of course, with Nigerian government on our side by forming the umbrella body, creating NAFDAC for registration and so on. We moved with the trend and thank God for where we are today.’
As one whose brand has put her under the spotlight, we seek to know how she has coped with the fame since it was not what she planned for. She says been in the spotlight has not actually had any negative effect on her, but her experiences are nothing short of a thing of interest. She goes thus, ‘It has not really had negative effects but it has actually eroded me of my privacy. That I must confess it has taken away my privacy away from me completely. I can’t eat Amala in the public anymore (Laughs) I can’t enter into Buka and ask for Ofada rice and the rest. Even when I go to do my nails, its questions I will answer all through…oh, Quincy, what can I do and blabala. I can’t do what I am there for…that is why I stopped doing my hair because when I go to saloon, they will not even let me do my hair…I will have to tell them what to eat in the morning, afternoon and things like that.’
Quincy, unlike some other society women, has been able to keep her marriage in enviable shape. She shed light on the manual she adopted that has enabled her keep her marriage for many years.
‘It’s because I married my soul mate. My father researched him well before he allowed him to marry me and it was my father that gave me that gave me to him according to how it’s supposed to be. It was his father that came to search for me, the two fathers talked, and the marriage happened and we are happy. I do not even think about anything else other for my marriage to be okay. No argument, no hard feeling, I am a very happily married woman. I can say that to the glory of God and my husband can also say that. We have supportive children and my husband is also very supportive so I don’t see why my marriage could hit any rock because before I would go and talk in the public, my husband would have taught me, schooled me of what to say. He would go like, you know you are a village girl o, don’t go and cover your face like village girl and if you go and show any sign of shyness, I won’t be happy with you when you come back home and of course, usually, he’s in the audience.
It is indeed a chapter of interesting marriage tutorials that she opened when she was asked to give tips on how young couples can build a healthy home that is full of joy and happiness. Her words, ‘My advice is that you should involve your parents even before you marry…in the formative year because they have the experience. All this I love you before marriage is not true o. The love comes inside the marriage. You examine and test the men they bring for marriage because for instance, a man who cannot take care of his lady while dating will not take care of her in marriage. Men are supposed to be the leader and breadwinner of the family. And no matter how rich you are as the woman, you must submit to your husband. No matter how much we make at Quincy, my husband is still the one that gives me owo obe. He gives me housekeeping money, money to do my hair, my nails. He buys my clothes, he buys my underwears, he buys my perfumes and that started from when we were dating that he did not have any money then. A man must live up to his responsibilities… yes, a woman can step in to help if the situation warrants. You manage with him whatever he can afford.’ She submitted.
