How Lorentia Chiejina redefines education in Lagos

Lorentia Chiejina is the proprietress of Rednaxel Nursery and Primary School, located at Ajao Estate of Lagos. A lawyer and now school administrator, Lorentia has a strong passion for raising kids and transforming them into critical leaders. In this interview with Start-Up Digest editor ODINAKA ANUDU, she outlines what motivates her and her long-term plans for Nigeria’s education.
Tell me how you started.
This whole thing happened as a result of my vision for children. I was asking God if I could have something like an NGO that would enable me to take custody of kids and develop their potential. You know kids have potential. When you stay with them, you can learn something from them. If you are someone that loves children like I do, you can tap something from them. So that’s the old dream but I didn’t have a support. To have an NGO is usually capital-intensive. One thing God told me was to register Rednaxel as a school so as to impact on the lives of the children. God will ask you how you are able to impact the children. It’s not about collecting money from them but making an impact on their lives.
I went to the University of Ibadan Staff School. At the age of three, I was already reading and writing. This was because my teachers were qualified and they understood our dreams.
When I got the revelation that I had to register the school, I called a friend to register the school in Abuja. She said, ‘You are a lawyer and you want to go into education?’ I didn’t have money but it kept reverberating in my mind to start a school. Finally, I started asking questions and I registered with the Ministry of Education in Lagos. I registered it and kept the certificate but it kept recurring in my mind to start the school fully. So, I thank God we are close to two years in Ajao Estate. Our children are increasing. What we practise here is the British curriculum, a little bit of the Nigerian curriculum and a bit of Montessori. The Montessori aspect of the curriculum is just telling us that we need to use visuals, audios to teach the kids. If you are teaching a kid, you should show them what it is, unlike in those days when people grew up memorising sounds. Now, you show them how to put square pegs in square holes. We have the Phonetics teacher, the Montessori teacher and all of them are qualified. They are all certified by the British Council. We have the crèche and the nursery.

What does it take to run a school?
To run a school, you must have the passion, the vision and the mission. It’s not just about school fees. In fact, every morning, you must read your mission and vision. You need to raise kids that will go out there and compete, even internationally. That’s what we are here to do. Running a school requires being passionate about kids so as to be with them. You must have the knowledge. I am a lawyer but I took a course in Early Childhood Foundation and I have online courses in education. I went further to have my Montessori certificates.
How much have you invested in the business so far?
A lot of money. I got finances from different sources—loans, support from parents and family members. I owe my success to my husband, friends and family members who share my vision.
I started with millions of naira. If I had my way, I would start small. But maybe because of my passion, I had to start big. I am talking about N4 million plus. I will advise any entrepreneur who wants to start any business to start small in the best way. Thank God I was able to withstand the storm. The passion and God kept me going. We rose from four to 10, to 15, to 20 and more.
What are your long-term plans?
In the next five years, I want to see the kids go out there and compete with kids in Lekki. You know they have international students in Lekki and I want kids here to compete with them and win. In 10 years’ time, I want to have a boarding school. We also want to have branches in Lagos, Asaba, Lekki and other places.
You are located in Ajao Estate where there is competition. How do you cope?
Sometimes when I look at schools that are already established, I try to find out what they are doing. It’s not about time and the number of years you have put in. One good thing that sets us apart is our Montessori materials. Another challenge is that many schools do not want partnerships. This should have been better in the industry should have been good in the industry.
Is running a school worthwhile?
Yes, it’s worth a while if you know what you are looking for. I want these kids to call me tomorrow and say, ‘I am Chisom, former pupil of Rednaxel. I am in the UK, running my master’s degree’. The gain may not come immediately, but after a while, you start seeing profits.
Tell us about your business plan.
The little I can tell you is that we should be having new intakes in December. We have already put things in place and we know the number of children we are expecting. We have pre-ordered their books for one year. We have a policy that makes teachers attracted to the school. We train our teachers regularly. We will expand but we won’t leave this place completely.
What’s your advice for upcoming entrepreneurs?
Pray and God will show you your path. Then, there is something you have passion for. If it’s not all about money; if it is, I can make more money in my legal profession. But it’s all about passion. Don’t give up. Challenges will come but don’t give up.