Olori Atuwatse III, wife of Ogiame Atuwatse III, the 21st Olu of Warri Kingdom, demonstrated a strong penchant for business long before becoming Queen.
In an exclusive interview on the TAP Podcast, hosted by Apostle Tomi and Nicola Arayomi, Her Majesty, born Ivie Uhunoma Okunbo, reflected on her personal background, faith, entrepreneurial drive, humanitarian work and transition into royalty.
After graduating from the London School of Economics and completing her law degree, and called to the Nigerian Bar in 2010, she spotted a gap in the Lagos market and launched a breakfast delivery service from her apartment.
‘I started my first company, a fashion company called Colour Couture, in university,’ she recalls. ‘Then I graduated from law school and I was trying to find a job in Nigeria and nothing was quite forthcoming. So I thought, ‘Why don’t I just start my own business? Why don’t I start a breakfast delivery business?’ So many people go out all the time and they can’t be bothered to leave the house.’
To fund the venture, she made a bold move that signalled her entrepreneurial grit. She sold the Range Rover given to her by her father for passing the bar exam, bought a smaller car and used the remaining proceeds to bootstrap the business.
‘I did set up an infrastructure, but I was doing it out of my flat,’ she says. ‘Initially, I was cooking. I made up all the menus myself, full English breakfast, yam and egg and the like. I got bikes, motorcycles, with the boxes at the back. It was the hottest thing in Lagos at one point.’
That willingness to build from scratch would later become an important part of the mindset she brought to her public life. She views her royal position not simply as a title, but as an expanded platform for enterprise, service and systemic change.
‘Postpartum anxiety forced me to slow down and confront things I had swept under the rug. It was in that broken place that I truly surrendered and realised God was preparing me for a heavy assignment,’ she says.
The experience also shaped her understanding of leadership and calling as she later stepped into a traditional leadership role within the Warri Kingdom, navigating public expectations and the psychological weight of complex social and political transitions.
Reflecting on her Christian faith, she spoke candidly about dealing with postpartum anxiety in 2018, describing the experience as a major turning point that forced her to slow down and confront issues she had previously set aside. She also revealed a playful side, describing herself as a passionate dancer, rapper and worshipper. ‘I love to dance and I’m a worshipper…reckless worshipper…and I do rap.” she says.
‘Long before the throne, my identity was anchored in being a daughter of God first. The title ‘Olori’ is an office and a platform to serve,’ she says.
That philosophy is reflected in her philanthropic work, including the Love Gardens project, which transforms school grounds into sustainable farms while teaching young pupils basic agricultural and entrepreneurial skills.
‘In February 2022, we started building farms in schools in our communities,’ she explains. ‘We’re at 12 farms now and have grown about 800 tons of food. But the children also do market days. They’re learning entrepreneurial skills at seven and eight years old.’
‘The Love Gardens project isn’t just about feeding children; it’s about dignity, sustainability, and teaching them early that they can cultivate their own solutions. We are transforming school compounds into engines of productivity’, she said.
Her approach to development is similarly rooted in people rather than resources. She believes that Nigeria and the broader continent will not be transformed simply through political cycles or surface-level interventions, but by reshaping belief systems and developing human capital.
‘Nigeria will be built by the people that are built by the Lord, to build the people,’ she says. ‘Everything rises and falls on perception. If you asked me what to pour into Nigeria, I wouldn’t say more oil or more money. I would say better belief systems, trust, and integrity. Our greatest resource is the people who walk upon the land, more than what’s underneath it.’
Today, Her Majesty sits on the boards of Wells Property, Wells Carton and Wells Bake House Ventures, while her focus has increasingly shifted towards building social infrastructure across Africa.
Through initiatives including the Royal Iwere Foundation and Elevate Africa, she continues to pursue grassroots economic independence for women and children, particularly in the Niger Delta.