Popular Nigerian actress, media personality, and fashion entrepreneur Oluwabukunmi Adeaga-Ilori, widely known as Kiekie, has opened up about a powerful turning point in her career—one she credits entirely to prayer, solitude, and total surrender.

Speaking on the Off The Top podcast, Kiekie reflected on a challenging period in 2018 when her fashion career seemed stuck despite all efforts and support from her parents. At just 28, she found herself overwhelmed, discouraged, and desperate for a change.

According to her, the pressure pushed her into a personal retreat where she completely shut herself off from the world.

“I locked myself up for days,” she revealed. “No food, no bathing, no change of clothes. I was practically on the floor crying. I told God, ‘I need you to turn my life around.’”

Kiekie said she cut communication with everyone, even lying to friends that she had traveled just to avoid being disturbed. Dressed only in a simple pink boubou, she spent days praying, weeping, and asking God for direction.

Then, unexpectedly, her breakthrough came.

On the third or fourth day of her isolation, she received a phone call from a woman who wanted her to sew clothes. Even in her unkempt state, she rushed to Ikeja to meet the client.

“I hadn’t even had a bath. I just brushed and ran to Ikeja. That was the beginning,” she said.

That encounter marked the start of a new chapter. From that moment, doors began to open, her brand gradually took shape, and her career experienced the upward shift she had long prayed for.

Looking back, Kiekie described the journey since 2018 as nothing short of amazing:

“From 2018 till now, it has been fantastic—fantastic.”

Her story has since inspired many, especially young creatives, as a testament that faith, persistence, and a moment of raw vulnerability can spark an incredible turnaround.