Onohi Edionwele, the founder of Pretty Abuja, reflects on grief and her journey from casual explorer to a leading voice in Abuja’s lifestyle scene.
With over 200,000 followers on Instagram, Pretty Abuja has become an essential digital compass for navigating Nigeria’s capital. The brand has been beautifully documenting restaurants, cafés, markets, cultural spaces, hiking trails, and moments of leisure that give the city its rhythm. But behind the carefully curated recommendations is a young woman who never intended to be seen, only to be helpful.
In this edit of The Woman Behind The Brand, we meet Onohi Edionwele, the elusive founder and curator of Pretty Abuja. Despite having a busy schedule and a cold, she gets on a call and discusses with us. She’s not one for interviews and appearances, so for many, she’s a mysterious figure.
In contrast to this persona and current health situation, her aura is warm and welcoming. She makes jokes and lightens the room. She discusses how grief reshaped her sense of purpose while building a lifestyle platform from instinct. Additionally, she believes Nigeria’s beauty deserves to be experienced far beyond just Lagos and Abuja, and hints at her brand evolving beyond a specific location.
Quiet instincts and a life before the brand
Before Pretty Abuja, before the audience, tell us who you were and are
My name is Onohinosen Edionwele, but most people know me as Onohi. I’m quiet. Observant. I notice things most people walk past. I think that’s always been who I am. Even as a child, I preferred watching to speaking. I like understanding how things work, how people move, how places feel.
In a way, Pretty Abuja came from that instinct. It was about curiosity. At my core, I’m still that person, someone who wants to understand the world gently, without rushing it.
Being a content creator forces you to create an online persona over time. What parts of your personality don’t show up online?
My meekness. People see structure and consistency online, but offline, I’m very emotional. I feel things deeply. I also have a playful side that people don’t really see. I laugh a lot. I’m not as serious as my work might suggest.
Do you think your friends would describe you like that?
They’d probably say I’m private, loyal, and very intentional. I’m not the loudest person in the room, but I’m present. Moreover, I show up when it matters. I’m also very protective. This includes my space, my people, and my peace. Once you’re in my life, I take that seriously.
Read also: Dr Kianna De La Mores on launching ONSKN and demanding care for Black skin
What does a typical day look like for you?
I love editing. Editing is actually my comfort zone. When I’m anxious or bored, I edit. People think I’m scrolling on my phone, but I’m really working.
If I don’t have meetings, I’ll go for a walk with my husband, call my family, watch TV, and just stay home. I’m actually very homely. If I’m not outside for work, I’d rather be at home.
You mentioned being anxious and described yourself as a homebody, yet your work is very public-facing. How do you balance that?
Pretty Abuja forced me to be an extrovert. Naturally, I’m not one. I enjoy being in my space.
The balance comes from knowing when to step back. I don’t need to be outside all the time to feel relevant. I’ve learned that being present doesn’t always mean being visible.
Surely, it must feel overwhelming occasionally. How do you decompress when it does?
People underestimate the healing power of doing nothing. Occasionally, I just want to shut my brain off and not think about posting, locations, deadlines, or expectations. When I’m overwhelmed, I remind myself that it’s okay to slow down.
Founding vision & journey of Pretty Abuja — a platform dedicated to the beauty in Nigeria
How did Pretty Abuja begin?
It honestly started on a whim. I moved to Abuja in 2015 from Edo State when my dad got a job here. Coming from a quieter environment, Abuja felt huge, exciting, and very new to me. I was eager to explore, to know places, to understand where people went and how they lived.
Back then, no platform offered an in-depth look at Abuja’s lifestyle. So I would Google everything. When I visited these places, I posted them on my personal Instagram page.
Real quick, the comments shifted. No one was talking about how I looked anymore—everyone wanted to know, “Where is this?” repeatedly. That was when it became clear I needed a separate page to answer that question. In its earliest form, it was a directory for people searching for locations.
Did you have any expectations for the page when you launched it?
None at all. I didn’t think it would become anything serious. I just said, “Okay, if you want the location, go here.” That was it.
I started the page in 2019, and even then, it still felt very casual to me. I didn’t sit down and say, “I want to build a lifestyle platform.” It just grew naturally.
What were the early challenges you faced?
I didn’t really recognise challenges at first. But COVID-19 was definitely the biggest one. Everything shut down. Nobody was going anywhere, and I was posting old locations, hiking spots, Usuma Dam—anything I could think of.
What surprised me was that the page grew even more during that time. I kept asking myself, “Why are people following this page when nobody can go anywhere?” But I think people were dreaming. They wanted to plan for when things opened again.
At the same time, I was still in school studying law. Law is very demanding, and juggling that with Pretty Abuja wasn’t easy at all.
What was the official moment that you decided not to pursue law?
I had a very tragic car accident. It was a head-on collision. I lost my best friend, and I broke both of my femurs. That experience completely changed my outlook on life.
Law wasn’t something I chose for myself; I was doing it largely for my dad. After the accident, I realised that life is too fragile to live for someone else. I only completed my bachelor’s degree and decided not to go to law school.
Instead, I decided to pursue what I genuinely loved. I went on to do a master’s degree in International Communication Management in the Netherlands — and as of then, Pretty Abuja had already shown me where my interests truly lay — communications, media, and digital storytelling.
Read also: Anita Omofonma on building ISIANOLA, bridging worlds, and designing luxury bags with intention
At what point did you realise Pretty Abuja could be a business?
My first “payment” was actually a sandwich and a drink. A restaurant invited me over, gave me food, and I posted their location. They got customers, and I didn’t think anything of it.
It wasn’t until I met someone else in the same space who told me, “People actually charge money for this,” that it clicked. I was shocked. I didn’t even know it was a thing.
That’s when I understood that what I was doing had value. I was driving traffic, visibility, and customers to businesses. Pretty Abuja officially started in 2019, and I eventually registered it as a company when I fully committed to making it a business.
How has running a business changed you personally?
It changed me a lot. I’m a perfectionist, so delegating was very hard for me. Pretty Abuja felt like my first baby, and I wanted to control everything.
But as it grew, I had to learn how to let people help me. I had to learn how to delegate, how to create contracts, and open up and trust others. That’s where my law background actually helped.
One of the biggest lessons has been learning how to take things easy. I used to overthink everything, even this interview. I’m learning to show up and dare to do it.
Is your proneness to overthinking why you chose to stay behind the scenes, making Pretty Abuja faceless?
Yes and no. There is my anxiety, and I’ve never liked the idea of people thinking they know you just because they follow you online. But Pretty Abuja is about the city, not people vicariously viewing Abuja through my experience.
Most people don’t know when I’m in Abuja or when I’m not. They don’t know my face. They just know where to go when they need recommendations. I liked that anonymity. It allowed the brand to exist independently of me.
Do you think this approach would evolve or broaden as success comes, and how do you personally define success?
I doubt it. When something you created becomes successful, people feel entitled to you. I had to learn that I don’t provide people access to my personal life just because they follow my work. Protecting myself is necessary.
Success is waking up and not feeling anxious about my life. It’s working on projects I care about. It’s having the option to rest. That matters more to me now than anything else. Simply put, it is peace, freedom, and the option to choose.
What’s next for Onohi Edionwele and Pretty Abuja
Where do you want to take Pretty Abuja next?
I don’t want it to be limited to Abuja. Nigeria is so much bigger than Lagos and Abuja, and I want people to see that.
I’m moving more into travel, giving people a glimpse of Edo State, Ibadan, and, in time, the wider West African region. want Pretty Abuja to evolve into an international lifestyle and travel brand.
Sometimes people complain when I post outside Abuja, but I won’t limit myself. Nigeria is beautiful, and I want people to experience it fully.
Get to Know Onohi Edionwele
Your dream destination right now?
Namibia. I want to see where the desert meets the ocean.
Your go-to comfort food?
Traditional meals — abacha, palm wine, bush meat.
Your perfect day off?
Sleeping and turning my brain off completely.
Outside of work, what truly excites you?
Travel. I love travelling so much. I love waterfalls, beaches, pools, and anything involving water. I’m definitely a water person.
