I can still remember the look on his face, asking me the same question over and over, hoping I’d change my answer. But I stayed firm: “I’ll get a job.”
It was sometime in late 2017. I had just finished the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme. We were at the stadium, surrounded by excited corps members, all celebrating the end of our service year. Free at last—from the green and white outfits, from weekly community service, and free to return to wherever we called home.
Reporters were there too, trying to interview some of us. Many corps members declined. I’ve never understood the fear of cameras, so I agreed. The reporter asked a few questions, and then he dropped the big one: “What’s next?”
“I’ll get a job,” I said confidently.
“And if you don’t?” he asked.
“I’ll keep trying.”
Looking back, maybe they expected me to say I’d start a business or travel abroad. But honestly, I wasn’t thinking that far ahead. I just wanted to work, learn a few skills, and grow. I had a quiet belief that someday I’d run a business. But that day wasn’t today.
Nearly a decade later, it’s funny to see how many businesses—and problems—I’ve actually tried to tackle.
Pacetric
In 2018, I met up with Adepegba Oyebade, a former secondary schoolmate, and his friend Opeyemi Adeyemo at Ozone Cinema. They pitched an idea about building a sustainable transport system. It sounded bold but exciting.
We went ahead to register Pacetric, a tech company focused on developing sustainable transport infrastructure across Africa. The plan was to pioneer electric shuttle buses on university campuses.
We reached out to electric bus manufacturers like BYD and even pitched to universities like the American University of Nigeria and Covenant University.
Our biggest roadblock? The upfront cost. We needed the universities to buy into it—literally. Billions of naira upfront. Nobody was ready to make that kind of investment, and we couldn’t fund it ourselves. That was as far as Pacetric went.
Cloout
Like many young people, I was always trying to stay updated on what was happening around me. But even with a smartphone and constant internet access, I still found myself relying mostly on what was trending on social media for news.
The issue wasn’t access. It was the format. News often felt long, complicated, and, frankly, boring.
I started wondering: What if news was told the way you’d tell a friend? Straightforward, simple, no jargon.
In 2018, I started Cloout, a newsletter delivering smart takes on African business for Africans and Africa lovers. It began as a passion project, just me telling stories differently.
At some point, I started thinking about turning it into a business, which would have meant a major shift in the model and the type of content. I even chatted with Dan Oshinsky, former newsletter director at BuzzFeed and The New Yorker, about it.
Eventually, I realised I wasn’t ready. Still, I’m grateful for the lessons Cloout taught me over those three years.
Suno
Living in Lagos, I noticed something: public transport drivers and passengers rarely had the information they needed to make better decisions.
What if public buses could know where demand was high? What if passengers could find the best spots to catch a ride?
I envisioned a platform that showed real-time locations for drivers and passengers, arrival times, fare comparisons—the works. Like a live map interface for Lagos transport.
But when I dug into the logistics, especially the cost of using APIs like Google Maps, it didn’t seem feasible at the time.
I pitched this idea during an annual business competition. You can check it out here.
FinPadi
In 2017, I decided to spend a year diving into emerging technologies. Out of options like cloud computing and crypto, I chose Machine Learning—and wrote about it too.
When I later worked as an accountant at a boutique firm serving SMEs, I started noticing patterns. Entrepreneurs often only thought about bookkeeping or accounting when they were in trouble, fundraising, or facing rapid growth.
Worse still, even after engaging accounting services, the lack of financial structure usually persisted.
Despite advances in tech, many bookkeeping tasks were still manual and painful.
By 2020, the idea for FinPadi was born: accounting software that made recording and categorising transactions easier and maybe even fun. I wanted entrepreneurs to handle their finances proactively, not reactively. Maybe even gamify the experience.
Looking back, I still think there’s a strong case for something like this.
Quest
When I started out in journalism, I quickly realised that writing wasn’t the hardest part—getting sources was.
The higher you climb, the more important good sources become.
One of the biggest criticisms of journalism in Africa is that stories often lack depth and diversity. Sometimes it’s because of the fast-paced, ad-driven media environment. But a lot of it is also due to how hard it is to find and access the right sources quickly.
That’s where Quest comes in: a web-based platform connecting journalists and researchers with knowledgeable sources, faster and more easily.
I pitched this idea as my capstone project at the MTN Media Innovation Programme in 2022. Since then, I’ve seen a few other people working on similar ideas, which reassures me that there’s a real need.
It’s a data-heavy project, for sure. But every now and then, especially when I’m stuck on a story, I remember Quest—and the possibilities it still holds.