YVONNE Ebbi is a big dreamer. She doesn’t
even take ‘no’ for an answer! She is an
incurable optimist, who believes in God,
therefore, she hopes for a better tomorrow.
“Hope emboldens and reminds you that
everything good will come,” she says.
“I run a corporate finishing school called
The Etiquette Place,” Ebbi quips. “We help
corporate organisations, executives,
professionals and everyday individuals
enhance their personal brand by putting their
best foot forward! We are interested in
people. We are in the business of people and
we want to help them view themselves as
brands and intentionally project élan,
panache and finesse in their daily
conversation. We have trained professionals,
executives and individuals from the banking
sector, telecommunication industry,
educational sector, oil and gas sector and
government.”
The senior consultant of The Etiquette Place
says her quest for civility and decorum has
birthed the passion to groom, develop and
tutor people from all lifestyles. “The Etiquette
place has been in my mind for years. Though,
I didn’t have all the details, I knew that there
was a social intelligence academy in me that
hungered for expression. I officially started
the business in June 2010. The business chose
me! The market decides. The market
determines,” she says.
Ebbi adds, “the market tells you what they
want from you…what to sell. You’ve got to be
observant. You’ve got to be attentive. You’ve
got to listen. The market looked at me and
decided that I embodied…personified etiquette
and poise. They placed a demand on social
manners and were willing to pay a premium
for it. The market gave me ideas that I could
turn a natural endowment into an
enterprise!”
She is not afraid of failing. She loves life.
She is excited about waking up and starting
the day. She is very passionate about
everything she does. Whether it’s speaking
dramatically about manners, writing poetry or
shopping for shoes!!! She is bubbly sometimes
she looks unrealistically happy. The practical
realist would probably look at her and think,
“What is there to be so happy about?”
Ebbi is spontaneous and will rather follow
her passion that waits for all the facts! She
takes a lot of risk? She’d rather be ridiculed
for her actions than regret not following her
heart. She likes to work with people who are
light hearted!
“My parents insisted on social manners and
proper behaviour. Those were hallmarks of
my upbringing, and indeed, a crucial aspect of
my childhood. Table manners, speaking
manners, courtesy, civility and respect were
non-negotiable traits at home. So, I had the
etiquette content…and that’s why I chose to
work as a consultant with Poise Nigeria.
Working as a consultant was very instructive,
and gave me a broad platform to realise my
competence and express it. I chose to learn
the processes and learnt enterprise from my
working experience,” she says.
According to the lady, “I started this
business with the clear understanding that it
will be a challenge… not a piece of cake. I’ll
liken it to nursing a baby. A baby needs all
your attention and depends on you totally…
for everything! The only reward you get at
first is the joy of seeing a dream becoming a
reality. You’ve got to understand that every
business goes through cycles always. You
begin at the infancy stage. The infancy stage
is a learning phase. At that stage, you’ll make
mistakes and they’ll become very useful tools
for future business growth. Be observant and
open to feedback and constructive criticism.”
A graduate of the Coaching Academy UK,
Yvonne says holds open programmes in
Sheraton, Lagos, every quarter, and “we
organize in-house sessions for organisations.
This year, we’ve scheduled open programmes
in Sheraton Hotel, Abuja and Ibom Meriden,
Uyo. We’re also planning a public lecture on
social intelligence.”
Yvonne worked as a consultant in Nigeria’s
pioneer Finishing School – Certified by the
Protocol School of Washington — and trained
thousands of executives in the art of savoire-
faire and executive presentation.
She is two-time recipient of the editor’s
award for outstanding achievement in poetry
from the International Society of Poets and
her book of quotes is fast becoming an
executives manual. She is equally the
executive Secretary of the United World
Colleges; a global NGO, which brings together
young students from all over the world –
selected on personal merit – with the explicit
aim of fostering peace and international
understanding.
The Etiquette Place has trained thousands of
executives in corporate organisations. “We
have also invested tremendously in the next
generation, exposing them to work ethics,
professional behavior, impression
management, and social manners. We have
achieved this through keynote addresses,
conferences, lectures and training sessions in
various youth groups including: AIESIEC
Annual Convention, Anabel Leadership
Academy Conference, NNPC Annual Youth
Conference, Churches, Colleges and
Campuses.”
The lady says, “everyone needs a mentor. A
mentor is simply someone who gives
guidance. I love young people and believe
strongly in them. Mentoring for me is an
investment, probably the most secure
investment! I find time to mentor young
people in an informal way. I choose my
mentees and work with about 10 to 20 young
people at a time…mostly ladies. We schedule
conversations and that tells me what they’re
really about and where they are going. This
determines the next step. I also meet with a
few ladies over lunch every quarter. When
they have been adequately mentored, I assign
younger ladies to them to mentor. I find these
young people every day and sometimes in the
most unusual places. We connect and that sets
the ball rolling.”
Yvonne reveals, “my plan is to build a
generation of socially intelligent Nigerians…
one individual at a time and to partner with
the Federal Government to create a National
brand of cultured and civil Nigerians. Also,
my desire is to enhance social skills in the
workplace, to portray the link between
professional attitude and the bottom-line in
corporate organisations and to build an
“Everything Etiquette” Hub!”
Her greatest achievement in life is the
realisation that she has helped young people
all over the world, especially in Africa —
Discover and Pursue their purpose…fan their
passion…outline their path…optimise
performance…maximize their personal
assignment and carve a unique profession.
Everything else is secondary. “That is why we
are preparing to launch Reminisce Africa…a
CSR/National Renaissance initiative; aimed at
contributing positively to ‘Brand Africa ’ by re-
awakening a sense of personal responsibility
in the youths to enable them take the
initiative and make deliberate impact in the
society. Using music, arts, media and talents,
we are creating a consciousness of
responsibility and patriotism in the minds of
young people. We want to literally buy back
the future,” she says.
SHE continues, “when I was young, I watched
Sound of Music and Maria’s role in the movie
helped me understand that I could realise my
dreams… inspire the odds against me. I
realised that being different was a
compliment and I didn’t have to fit in or
change my style. My originality is a plus and I
could use my natural ingredients to create an
impact and make a positive difference in my
environment.”
On women empowerment, she says,
sustainable empowerment can never be
external! “Empowerment is internal. It’s your
‘aha’ moment — when you realise your true
worth. It’s your wake-up phase, when you
know deep down in your “knower” that you
were made for more.
“It’s the self-awareness stage when truth hits
you like a thunderbolt…telling you that there’s
more in you than you think. You give yourself
a nudge. “I’m more than this” you hear your
real-self say. And then, you begin the journey
of fulfilling purpose. You ditch the blame
game and pass the buck no further. You jump
into the driver’s seat and retrieve the steering
wheel. With all your soul, you reach out for
your goal. You are now in charge and in full
control of your life. You decide where you
want to go and how you want to get there. You
take full responsibility for your decisions and
bear the consequences of your actions. Real
Life has just begun. You are E-M-P-O-W-E-R-E-
D!”
She adds, “our biggest challenge as women is
not necessarily what people think about us. It
is what we think about ourselves. The woman
has to understand how crucial her role is. She
is a helper in every sense of the word. She has
been divinely configured to help humanity…
to help nations…to help individuals become
all that they were made capable of being. The
woman is the backbone of the home, society,
community and nation. She is the chief
support network and when she fails to realise
this and act on it, things get messy and fall
apart and the centre can no longer hold.
Every woman needs to understand how
crucial her role is.”
Yvonne believes that all these women
emancipation and women equality
movements are a huge distraction from their
core roles and responsibilities. “My questions
usually run along these lines: Who ‘un-
empowered’ you? Who is supposed to
‘empower’ you? Who empowered the men?
Empowerment like authority is not granted; it
is assumed! I found this unique quote on
Facebook : “Women have forgotten that their
true power lies not in being feminist but in
being feminine” Truly profound!
“I believe that women who own businesses
can form strong, formidable platforms that
will increase the profile of Nigerian women. A
platform is a raised part of the floor. The fact
that it is elevated makes it remarkable.
Anything on the platform will be noticed. It
takes a process to own a business and when
you finally do, you become a platform. You
can choose to be a welcoming platform, where
you nurture others to reach their full
potentials or a platform full of thorns and
thistles. Success is nothing without
significance! When you realise this home
truth, your thinking changes and you look
beyond just making mega profit and living
large. You desire significance and relevance
and you also desire to lend your experience
and business shoulders to others and share
your experiences to upcoming entrepreneurs.
We can only truly win when we make others
win.”
TRIVIA
I STARTED school at Charles Walkers
International nursery School and later moved
to University Staff School, Calabar. For me,
the best part of school was the literary aspect:
preparing for the end-of-year school play or
doing a presentation at the assembly or
engaging in class debates. These were some of
the events that really got me excited. My
headmaster – Mr. Sunny Akpaidiok — was
very creative and passionate. He loved
playing the piano and was an amazing
composer. He understood the power of music
and composed songs that we could relate with.
These songs literally guided us throughout our
childhood and adolescent years. (I still sing
some of them)!
“He had such an excellent spirit and insisted
on excellence as a way of life. I remember the
end of year school production was so
professionally directed, it was a big deal to be
in the school play. We also had a diverse
group of children who had lived in other
countries. The variety and diversity made
learning fun.
“Ms. Green, the music teacher, was very
passionate about teaching songs. She used to
play the guitar. I loved her class. I also loved
my English teacher in FGGC, Calabar. Ms
Osoka is a very poised and composed young
lady. Her classes were very interesting. I later
got a prize for literature in school. Mr. Ugori,
the school counselor and his wife, a French
teacher, helped me discover myself early,” she
says.
The third child in a family of five children,
she has an elder sister, an elder brother and a
younger brother! “We lost a brother in 1994…
when he was only 16 years old. My parents —
Albert and Martina Ekop — met during the
civil war. My mum was a student nurse and
worked closely with my dad; a consultant
surgeon, serving with the 3 Marine
Commando of the Nigerian Army at St. Luke’s
hospital, Anua. My dad was impressed and
attracted by more than her skills as a scrub
nurse. He liked her beautiful legs! So, in a
place as unlikely as the operating theatre, a
romance of a lifetime was birthed and
nurtured. They fell helplessly in love and got
married in spite of the war,” she says.
Yvonne adds, “dad is an amazing storyteller
and instilled great morals in us through
stories. He loves literature and explained
many poems and classic stories to us. He told
us about The Sound of Music long before we
watched it. He loves to play word games and
puzzles and instilled the same into us. Dad is
a stickler for impeccable English and abhors
wrong grammar. He’s almost eighty now and
still makes speeches at public events. My Mum
is a very interesting personality! She is
lovable and very active…a very practical lady.
She made us understand how important it was
to cultivate the right attitude.
She taught us to be respectful, kind, honest
and humble. Mum is saddened by unkindness
and pride. She often said that education could
never replace common sense or dedication to
duty.”
The lady confesses, “my husband is my
biggest mentor. He’s logical and practical and
gives me that balance. He believes in me and
helps me climb slippery mountains. He is a
very strong wind beneath my wing! I am
married to my friend-for-life; Kenneth – a
brand consultant- and we have an amazing
son, Bryan. I am a product of God’s Grace,
God’s mercy and God’s love. I am delighted to
be His servant. I am indebted to HIM. I’m
inspired by nature and simplicity. I also like
Sudoku! I’m a good cook and it gives me great
pleasure to make tasty dishes for my family. I
love chicken curry and rice.
I’m learning to be patient! I’m
unconventional. I’ll defy the norm if I need to
and may break some rules… I got into a lot of
trouble breaking patterns as a child, but I also
paved new terrains and set the pace for
others.”
even take ‘no’ for an answer! She is an
incurable optimist, who believes in God,
therefore, she hopes for a better tomorrow.
“Hope emboldens and reminds you that
everything good will come,” she says.
“I run a corporate finishing school called
The Etiquette Place,” Ebbi quips. “We help
corporate organisations, executives,
professionals and everyday individuals
enhance their personal brand by putting their
best foot forward! We are interested in
people. We are in the business of people and
we want to help them view themselves as
brands and intentionally project élan,
panache and finesse in their daily
conversation. We have trained professionals,
executives and individuals from the banking
sector, telecommunication industry,
educational sector, oil and gas sector and
government.”
The senior consultant of The Etiquette Place
says her quest for civility and decorum has
birthed the passion to groom, develop and
tutor people from all lifestyles. “The Etiquette
place has been in my mind for years. Though,
I didn’t have all the details, I knew that there
was a social intelligence academy in me that
hungered for expression. I officially started
the business in June 2010. The business chose
me! The market decides. The market
determines,” she says.
Ebbi adds, “the market tells you what they
want from you…what to sell. You’ve got to be
observant. You’ve got to be attentive. You’ve
got to listen. The market looked at me and
decided that I embodied…personified etiquette
and poise. They placed a demand on social
manners and were willing to pay a premium
for it. The market gave me ideas that I could
turn a natural endowment into an
enterprise!”
She is not afraid of failing. She loves life.
She is excited about waking up and starting
the day. She is very passionate about
everything she does. Whether it’s speaking
dramatically about manners, writing poetry or
shopping for shoes!!! She is bubbly sometimes
she looks unrealistically happy. The practical
realist would probably look at her and think,
“What is there to be so happy about?”
Ebbi is spontaneous and will rather follow
her passion that waits for all the facts! She
takes a lot of risk? She’d rather be ridiculed
for her actions than regret not following her
heart. She likes to work with people who are
light hearted!
“My parents insisted on social manners and
proper behaviour. Those were hallmarks of
my upbringing, and indeed, a crucial aspect of
my childhood. Table manners, speaking
manners, courtesy, civility and respect were
non-negotiable traits at home. So, I had the
etiquette content…and that’s why I chose to
work as a consultant with Poise Nigeria.
Working as a consultant was very instructive,
and gave me a broad platform to realise my
competence and express it. I chose to learn
the processes and learnt enterprise from my
working experience,” she says.
According to the lady, “I started this
business with the clear understanding that it
will be a challenge… not a piece of cake. I’ll
liken it to nursing a baby. A baby needs all
your attention and depends on you totally…
for everything! The only reward you get at
first is the joy of seeing a dream becoming a
reality. You’ve got to understand that every
business goes through cycles always. You
begin at the infancy stage. The infancy stage
is a learning phase. At that stage, you’ll make
mistakes and they’ll become very useful tools
for future business growth. Be observant and
open to feedback and constructive criticism.”
A graduate of the Coaching Academy UK,
Yvonne says holds open programmes in
Sheraton, Lagos, every quarter, and “we
organize in-house sessions for organisations.
This year, we’ve scheduled open programmes
in Sheraton Hotel, Abuja and Ibom Meriden,
Uyo. We’re also planning a public lecture on
social intelligence.”
Yvonne worked as a consultant in Nigeria’s
pioneer Finishing School – Certified by the
Protocol School of Washington — and trained
thousands of executives in the art of savoire-
faire and executive presentation.
She is two-time recipient of the editor’s
award for outstanding achievement in poetry
from the International Society of Poets and
her book of quotes is fast becoming an
executives manual. She is equally the
executive Secretary of the United World
Colleges; a global NGO, which brings together
young students from all over the world –
selected on personal merit – with the explicit
aim of fostering peace and international
understanding.
The Etiquette Place has trained thousands of
executives in corporate organisations. “We
have also invested tremendously in the next
generation, exposing them to work ethics,
professional behavior, impression
management, and social manners. We have
achieved this through keynote addresses,
conferences, lectures and training sessions in
various youth groups including: AIESIEC
Annual Convention, Anabel Leadership
Academy Conference, NNPC Annual Youth
Conference, Churches, Colleges and
Campuses.”
The lady says, “everyone needs a mentor. A
mentor is simply someone who gives
guidance. I love young people and believe
strongly in them. Mentoring for me is an
investment, probably the most secure
investment! I find time to mentor young
people in an informal way. I choose my
mentees and work with about 10 to 20 young
people at a time…mostly ladies. We schedule
conversations and that tells me what they’re
really about and where they are going. This
determines the next step. I also meet with a
few ladies over lunch every quarter. When
they have been adequately mentored, I assign
younger ladies to them to mentor. I find these
young people every day and sometimes in the
most unusual places. We connect and that sets
the ball rolling.”
Yvonne reveals, “my plan is to build a
generation of socially intelligent Nigerians…
one individual at a time and to partner with
the Federal Government to create a National
brand of cultured and civil Nigerians. Also,
my desire is to enhance social skills in the
workplace, to portray the link between
professional attitude and the bottom-line in
corporate organisations and to build an
“Everything Etiquette” Hub!”
Her greatest achievement in life is the
realisation that she has helped young people
all over the world, especially in Africa —
Discover and Pursue their purpose…fan their
passion…outline their path…optimise
performance…maximize their personal
assignment and carve a unique profession.
Everything else is secondary. “That is why we
are preparing to launch Reminisce Africa…a
CSR/National Renaissance initiative; aimed at
contributing positively to ‘Brand Africa ’ by re-
awakening a sense of personal responsibility
in the youths to enable them take the
initiative and make deliberate impact in the
society. Using music, arts, media and talents,
we are creating a consciousness of
responsibility and patriotism in the minds of
young people. We want to literally buy back
the future,” she says.
SHE continues, “when I was young, I watched
Sound of Music and Maria’s role in the movie
helped me understand that I could realise my
dreams… inspire the odds against me. I
realised that being different was a
compliment and I didn’t have to fit in or
change my style. My originality is a plus and I
could use my natural ingredients to create an
impact and make a positive difference in my
environment.”
On women empowerment, she says,
sustainable empowerment can never be
external! “Empowerment is internal. It’s your
‘aha’ moment — when you realise your true
worth. It’s your wake-up phase, when you
know deep down in your “knower” that you
were made for more.
“It’s the self-awareness stage when truth hits
you like a thunderbolt…telling you that there’s
more in you than you think. You give yourself
a nudge. “I’m more than this” you hear your
real-self say. And then, you begin the journey
of fulfilling purpose. You ditch the blame
game and pass the buck no further. You jump
into the driver’s seat and retrieve the steering
wheel. With all your soul, you reach out for
your goal. You are now in charge and in full
control of your life. You decide where you
want to go and how you want to get there. You
take full responsibility for your decisions and
bear the consequences of your actions. Real
Life has just begun. You are E-M-P-O-W-E-R-E-
D!”
She adds, “our biggest challenge as women is
not necessarily what people think about us. It
is what we think about ourselves. The woman
has to understand how crucial her role is. She
is a helper in every sense of the word. She has
been divinely configured to help humanity…
to help nations…to help individuals become
all that they were made capable of being. The
woman is the backbone of the home, society,
community and nation. She is the chief
support network and when she fails to realise
this and act on it, things get messy and fall
apart and the centre can no longer hold.
Every woman needs to understand how
crucial her role is.”
Yvonne believes that all these women
emancipation and women equality
movements are a huge distraction from their
core roles and responsibilities. “My questions
usually run along these lines: Who ‘un-
empowered’ you? Who is supposed to
‘empower’ you? Who empowered the men?
Empowerment like authority is not granted; it
is assumed! I found this unique quote on
Facebook : “Women have forgotten that their
true power lies not in being feminist but in
being feminine” Truly profound!
“I believe that women who own businesses
can form strong, formidable platforms that
will increase the profile of Nigerian women. A
platform is a raised part of the floor. The fact
that it is elevated makes it remarkable.
Anything on the platform will be noticed. It
takes a process to own a business and when
you finally do, you become a platform. You
can choose to be a welcoming platform, where
you nurture others to reach their full
potentials or a platform full of thorns and
thistles. Success is nothing without
significance! When you realise this home
truth, your thinking changes and you look
beyond just making mega profit and living
large. You desire significance and relevance
and you also desire to lend your experience
and business shoulders to others and share
your experiences to upcoming entrepreneurs.
We can only truly win when we make others
win.”
TRIVIA
I STARTED school at Charles Walkers
International nursery School and later moved
to University Staff School, Calabar. For me,
the best part of school was the literary aspect:
preparing for the end-of-year school play or
doing a presentation at the assembly or
engaging in class debates. These were some of
the events that really got me excited. My
headmaster – Mr. Sunny Akpaidiok — was
very creative and passionate. He loved
playing the piano and was an amazing
composer. He understood the power of music
and composed songs that we could relate with.
These songs literally guided us throughout our
childhood and adolescent years. (I still sing
some of them)!
“He had such an excellent spirit and insisted
on excellence as a way of life. I remember the
end of year school production was so
professionally directed, it was a big deal to be
in the school play. We also had a diverse
group of children who had lived in other
countries. The variety and diversity made
learning fun.
“Ms. Green, the music teacher, was very
passionate about teaching songs. She used to
play the guitar. I loved her class. I also loved
my English teacher in FGGC, Calabar. Ms
Osoka is a very poised and composed young
lady. Her classes were very interesting. I later
got a prize for literature in school. Mr. Ugori,
the school counselor and his wife, a French
teacher, helped me discover myself early,” she
says.
The third child in a family of five children,
she has an elder sister, an elder brother and a
younger brother! “We lost a brother in 1994…
when he was only 16 years old. My parents —
Albert and Martina Ekop — met during the
civil war. My mum was a student nurse and
worked closely with my dad; a consultant
surgeon, serving with the 3 Marine
Commando of the Nigerian Army at St. Luke’s
hospital, Anua. My dad was impressed and
attracted by more than her skills as a scrub
nurse. He liked her beautiful legs! So, in a
place as unlikely as the operating theatre, a
romance of a lifetime was birthed and
nurtured. They fell helplessly in love and got
married in spite of the war,” she says.
Yvonne adds, “dad is an amazing storyteller
and instilled great morals in us through
stories. He loves literature and explained
many poems and classic stories to us. He told
us about The Sound of Music long before we
watched it. He loves to play word games and
puzzles and instilled the same into us. Dad is
a stickler for impeccable English and abhors
wrong grammar. He’s almost eighty now and
still makes speeches at public events. My Mum
is a very interesting personality! She is
lovable and very active…a very practical lady.
She made us understand how important it was
to cultivate the right attitude.
She taught us to be respectful, kind, honest
and humble. Mum is saddened by unkindness
and pride. She often said that education could
never replace common sense or dedication to
duty.”
The lady confesses, “my husband is my
biggest mentor. He’s logical and practical and
gives me that balance. He believes in me and
helps me climb slippery mountains. He is a
very strong wind beneath my wing! I am
married to my friend-for-life; Kenneth – a
brand consultant- and we have an amazing
son, Bryan. I am a product of God’s Grace,
God’s mercy and God’s love. I am delighted to
be His servant. I am indebted to HIM. I’m
inspired by nature and simplicity. I also like
Sudoku! I’m a good cook and it gives me great
pleasure to make tasty dishes for my family. I
love chicken curry and rice.
I’m learning to be patient! I’m
unconventional. I’ll defy the norm if I need to
and may break some rules… I got into a lot of
trouble breaking patterns as a child, but I also
paved new terrains and set the pace for
others.”
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