The likes of Tunde Fagbenle, Pius Adesanmi of blessed memory, Ebenezer Babatope, Reuben Abati, etc., were men I looked forward to reading their articles back then. And it was on the pages of those newspapers that I read Casmir Igbokwe’s Musings from Cardiff. Good old days when there was limited contents about the UK or the abroad. And all we could do was imagine what the Queen’s country looked like or how it worked when we read such articles.

Back then, I would literally visualise myself in the stories or scenarios Casmir described, and maybe say what folks say these days. “God help me, don’t let me die in Ikorodu Ikotun”. Well, maybe not exactly, but since I was identifying as the writer, I imagined myself writing my musings too. I am in Toronto with my family for a few weeks, and here I am doing this not just for the culture, but also because which Alhaji goes to Mecca without talking about how tall the rooster is? Well, not my Alhaji. If you didn’t get the joke in my last sentence, forget about it.

So my musings from Toronto.

The Cold can Kill

When people say cold can kill, trust me, it is not a figure of speech. Infact cold kills faster than heat. So the next time you complain about Lagos heat, remember that cold kills faster than heat. Well, not to sound hypocritical, you could actually protect yourself from cold, but imagine yourself in Lagos heat without electricity and your neighbour’s I better pass my neigbour generator blasting away at 2 AM. God help you.

I have had two close shaves with this death cold. On the first occasion, I wanted to get something at a convenience store on the ground floor of the same building I was in. They didn’t have the particular item, so the storekeeper suggested I could get it at the Walmart store across the road. I foolishly decided to take a quick walk across the road. By the time I got to Walmart, my fingers were numb, and my skin was cold and pale. On the second occasion, we went to a basketball game and had to walk a long distance to reach the Uber. The last time I felt the way I did when we eventually got into the warm ride was when I heard my Dad’s voice in my hostel two days after no one showed up to pick me up during a break in school, after enduring a harrowing term in the boarding house. I felt like someone just literally saved my life.

Thankfully, the weather is getting better and, in infact, has been great for the past few days. I stepped out of my apartment yesterday wearing just a T-shirt and shorts, and it was not bad. God be praised!

Time is Money

Ever heard of the saying “Time is Money”? The past few weeks have taught me respect for time in a different way. I respect time, but down here, it is different. Back home, “I’m on my way” could mean I’m still in the shower. Here, “I’m on my way” means I’ve left my house, Google Map is running, and I’ve calculated traffic to the minute. Canadians don’t play with time. Appointments start at 2:00 PM, not 2:15 PM Nigerian time.

The first awakening I got was when I ordered food on Uber Eats, and by the time I made my way through the stairs to the front of the house, the driveway was empty. I panicked for a moment because I was very hungry, until I saw that the dude had dropped the food by the door and vanished into thin air within a minute. I had also seen a delivery guy slide a package to the door while using the second hand to take a picture. These days, I don’t even bother trying to meet the person delivering the order. I just pick it up at the door before I break my teeth running through my tight basement stairs.

The time factor also comes into play when booking rides. In Lagos, you book rides when you are about to get into the shower, then you start making plenty of calls, turn left, turn right, take the estate code and all that nonsense. By the way, my estate back at home had better relax because I wonder what it is we are protecting. Down here, your Uber driver will wait exactly 5 minutes before that cancellation fee hits.

There is a limit to “bigmanism”

I was torn between saying there is no big man in Toronto and what I eventually used. I choose to say there is a limit because I want to believe there are uber-rich folks who can afford to live like kings, but in general, everyone MUST DIY. Infact, DIY is King.

Two days after we got here, I messaged my Airbnb host to ask if he could send someone down to help clean up the apartment and do some laundry. Within a minute, he was at my door, explaining how easy it is to use the vacuum cleaner and sweeper, and even to do the laundry. Then he said, “If you insist on getting someone, you would be looking at $120 to $150 per visit.” Guess who is now using the vacuum, doing the dishes and doing everything himself? Yours truly. 😁 We were going to get a nanny, but when I heard things like paying $30 to $40 per hour for a 12 - 24 hour shift, I immediately remembered that babysitting is actually not a big deal.

Then, while the people are very friendly, I believe they see it as intrusive when they touch your bags or belongings. So when you get off an Uber, you have to find a way to help yourself if you have stuff in the trunk. The Uber driver would gladly watch you while you get yourself sorted.

There is Sanity on the Roads

There is sanity on the roads because people obey traffic laws to the letter. On the way to our apartment from the airport, the driver was driving beside a haulage truck for a long time. I felt uncomfortable after a few seconds because I couldn’t imagine myself driving beside a Dangote truck in Lagos for a long strecth. But here was someone driving beside a truck with belief and confidence that no one would move mad.

Infact, the first time I noticed someone drive differently was a Somali man. I know where he is from because I asked him after he had looked at me and said, “my brother, we just did it the African way” with a grin on his face. And for a minute, I didn’t know how to respond. Maybe to say “no bro, this is not the African way”. But then won’t I be deceiving myself, or rather ourselves? So I just chuckled.

Wrapping this up, Toronto is beautiful. The roads are clean, wide and safe. The road network is also impressive, to say the least.

I could go on and on about my musings, but I have to pause here, for time is money and chores are waiting. Hopefully, I will do a sequel dedicated to the infrastructure, greenery, and beauty. The rooster here is very tall. And very cold. But it crows on time.

See you on the next one.

I live in Nigeria with several problems that are more pressing than someone somewhere being unable to connect with his colleagues for a quick meeting.

Infact while the call was an important one, this episode is the least of my real-life experiences of how your environment can impact you, change the entire course of your life, or even make or mar you. I recall when we were going to have our son, my wife had been admitted to probably one of the best hospitals in the country. The electricity kept cutting out during a routine procedure. I can’t remember exactly what the nurse was trying to measure, but it had to do with a small machine that printed my wife’s vitals in real time. To be fair, the light came back on almost immediately, but each blackout meant the nurse had to restart the reading.

After some time, I noticed she was beginning to get agitated, and I had to throw a flat joke to diffuse the tense atmosphere. Every day, we see real-life stories of how just being in an environment influences every aspect of your life. I was at an event where the late Mohammed Fawehinmi, son of the human rights activist Gani Fawehinmi, had said he would not have been confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life if he had gotten adequate care when he had an accident. And yes, I know accidents happen everywhere, but what happens after is how your environment can make or mar you.

In Nigeria today, the very rich and upper middle class try to create a different experience by providing basic amenities and infrastructure for themselves or ourselves, LOL, from water to security to even roads. However, I once heard someone say it doesn’t matter how rich you are, if you’re from a poor country, you’re poor. The environment in this instance is not just the physical space, but also the social and cultural context. The people you surround yourself with, the norms and values you adopt, and the opportunities available to you all shape your trajectory.

But it is not all gloom. While your environment can shape you, it doesn’t have to define you. Even with all the challenges in this country, it is still home to very resilient people who are committed to seeing the opportunities that abound in this country and seizing them.

There are several examples of young people doing great things from Afrobeats to Nollywood, from Sports to Tech and Robotics, from fashion to real estate, despite the several infrastructural challenges. From my opening experience, while I could not finish the call, I took the initiative to ask if I missed out on anything and went on to work on my deliverables. So maybe that’s the key, acknowledging the environment, but not letting it dictate your outcomes.

The first time I witnessed this, I had woken up to find a gentleman struggling to move the gas cylinder placed in my yard. The dexterity with which the gentleman jumped the fence when he noticed a moving figure was nothing short of spectacular. I would have allowed him to take the cylinder away for such an acrobatic display if he had waited 😁. Having witnessed this, I called someone to secure the cylinder, made a mental note not to leave valuable assets in the yard, alerted my neighbours to stay safe, and moved on.

Soon, my neighbours started reporting similar incidents. After a while, someone suggested we add an extra layer of electrical wires and bottles to the fence, which I obliged and paid the artisans to fix. Thankfully, I decided to see what the artisans have been up to after some time and noticed that they had also gone ahead to mould extra bricks on the low fence demarcating my yard and my neighbour’s.

When I saw it, I asked them to remove it, even though they had moulded up to four rows, despite their much hesitation and reluctance. I asked them to remove the “security wall” for several reasons. One, I don’t like confined or small spaces, and if I had my way, there wouldn’t be fences in the world. Two, it felt weird to create an extra barrier between myself and my neighbour, and lastly, as I mentioned to the artisans, raising the fence between myself and my neighbour is not going to stop anybody from getting in, so why deform the space for no reason?

Does this mean I am not security-conscious? No. I mentioned earlier that I had secured the only valuable item I have there. Am I ruling out the chances of theft? No. What I have done is to ensure that petty thieves don’t have their way while maintaining a pleasant environment for me. For the bold thieves, I expect the estate security to take care of them, and for the gun-blazing real thieves, I expect or imagine that the government should take care of that with its security architecture, and believe in God’s protection.

I have laid this background due to recent heightened security awareness, which by itself is a good thing. However, my appeal is for knowing where to draw the line between security, irrational apprehension, and a pleasant user experience. As product owners or managers, people will come up to you with suggestions on how to “heigten the security” of the product. Your job is to know where to draw the line.

Back to the scenario I painted about expecting the estate security or government for protection, platforms and systems are working tirelessly to protect us from harm on the internet, and it takes minimal effort for any responsible user to stay safe online.

For instance, email services like Gmail are using advanced algorithms beyond the capacity of the Ikorodu hacker to detect and block suspicious emails. If an email is sent from an untrusted domain or a domain that doesn’t match the sender’s usual location, Gmail will alert you and ask if you’re sure you want to proceed. This added layer of security helps prevent phishing attacks and keeps your inbox safe from spam and malware.

Messaging Apps like WhatsApp have implemented measures to protect users from unwanted messages and calls, giving you control over who can contact you.

Most macOS and iOS devices have built-in security features that prevent users from installing untrusted apps, meaning you can only install apps from the App Store or trusted developers, and that additional verification is required to install them, reducing the risk of malware and other cyber threats.

Almost all platforms now enforce two-factor authentication (2FA), adding an extra layer of security to the login process, ensuring that even if a hacker gets hold of your password, they won’t be able to access your account without the second factor, which is usually a code sent to your phone or a biometric authentication like a fingerprint or face recognition.

So why do people still get “hacked”? Hacked in quote because if someone takes control of my Grandma’s Whatsapp because my Grandma sent the “Ikorodu hacker” who claimed to be from Meta her Whatsapp OTP, should Meta introduce another layer of security, “maybe 3FA” as a response to that, or educate my Grandma about not sending OTPs or codes to anyone?

Security is not just about building walls; it's about striking a balance between protection and user experience. Most people get “hacked” not because of a lack of security measures, but because of human error, weak passwords, and sharing sensitive information with strangers, and definitely not because the average Ikorodu has any special skills or resources. The chances of surviving an actual “hack” or espionage from a well-resourced state-sponsored institution are next to nothing, even for the most careful individuals.

In the end, it’s not about the Ikorodu hackers, or any other group of hackers for that matter. It’s about us, and how we approach online security. By striking a balance between protection and user experience, we can create a safer and more enjoyable online environment for everyone.

Before you say things like, "There are cheaper schools." Yes, I know there are more affordable schools, but we all want the best for our kids, right? And for my rich folks who would say, ‘expensive is relative,’ and maybe this looks fair when you compare it with other international schools around the world, let me put this in context.

I (my parents) spent about half of that amount from Nursery to getting my BSc degree. Thanks to the almost-free primary school owned by an Aunt that I attended, the tuition-free government-owned Lagos State Model College that I attended for my secondary school education, and the next-to-nothing fee I paid for my degree at the Obafemi Awolowo University. It would actually be less than 2 million naira if I compute it, and here I am with the possibility of paying more than double that amount for a toddler who would probably just watch cartoons, sleep, dance to some rhymes, and at most, read “Ahh” for “Ahhpple”.

Since I received the invoices and got an idea of how much the fee costs, I have come to appreciate our situation, the help we get, and one invaluable gift given to David by his Uncle’s girlfriend, now wife.

I say 'our situation' because I can work remotely, and my wife has stopped formal employment for this period, so we are almost always at home. Although we haven’t set up a rigid homeschooling curriculum for David, being around him allows us to teach him his alphabet, numbers, rhymes, and other pre-nursery terms, and to introduce him to new concepts.

'The help we get' because David’s nanny has also contributed to getting him up to speed with learning. Every day, I hear new syllables, words, or concepts from him, and if they did not come from me or my wife, he most likely learnt them from her. Although I caught myself the other day telling her, albeit jokingly, not to teach the poor boy English from Benue. Benue is a place in the North Central part of Nigeria.

‘One resourceful gift’ David has received looks like a tab. Not electronic, but it has greatly helped him in identifying figures, numbers, words, and even concepts. David has not set foot in school but knows his numbers up to 20, the alphabet, several words, rhymes, and more.

Which brings me to the point of this article: maybe homeschooling is not such a bad idea after all. With the right resources and support, parents can provide their children with a fantastic education, even if it’s not traditional. And let’s be real: with the state of our education system, no one can blame you if you decide to take matters into your own hands.

Of course, I’m not saying it’s going to be easy. It takes a lot of effort, patience, and dedication to homeschool a child. But, if it means giving them the best possible start in life, isn’t it worth it?

I follow a couple on social media who travel the world for a living, so their children cannot attend traditional school. When asked if their children are educated, their usual response is that travelling by itself is sufficient education for children. Stories of accomplished people who were homeschooled also abound, from Thomas Edison, who invented the lightbulb, to Serena Williams, to Nelson Mandela, and others.

As I close this, this is not an endorsement for homeschooling and does not in any way mean we are going to homeschool David or not. It is important that I make this clear in case you see him resuming school and you feel betrayed 😁. This is just me documenting my thoughts. This also does not mean he would or would not attend an expensive school because I or my parents spent almost nothing on my own education. Again, this is just me and my musings 💭.

And who knows? Maybe I will come back with a sequel in defence of traditional schooling if or when he starts school in a month or maybe in two years 😂.

Our story is one of resilience, grit, dedication, doing it afraid, and surviving in this challenging terrain. Now, the downside of taking this route is that I run the risk of sharing sad and possibly embarrassing moments about our journey, because these are real stories that must be consistent.

So, Tomi, here, is going to help give me signals when she feels a story I am about to share is not ripe for public consumption, and generally be my anchor while I am on this stage. Tomi BTW is our growth lead and is doing an amazing job pushing our growth efforts. Is it fine if I ask you to appreciate Tomi and some other members of our team at Cardtonic? I never miss the opportunity to appreciate the humans of Cardtonic at every chance I get.

On February 5, 2021, the CBN released a circular ordering banks and other financial institutions to cease dealing with crypto exchanges, crypto-affiliated products, and to close associated accounts. I recall this day vividly because it was the beginning of a new month and a Friday, which is usually a busy day for us.
That Friday, rather than focusing on operations, five of us on the management team, including the founding CEO, who had rushed down to Nigeria upon hearing the news, sat in our small conference room analysing the circular and what it portends for our product, livelihood, and future.

Some months before this circular, yours truly had foolishly quit a relatively “stable” job because some two crazy guys that I had known from the university had sold a funny idea to me on how they were trying to build the next big thing that would change how international payments and purchases are made. While we were in the conference room that night, someone made a joke that well, some of us did attend university and graduated with flying colours so maybe we will go dust our papers and return to formal employment, a diss meant for the founding CEO who had dropped out of school because in his words, “he got tired of all the theories in his computer science course and could not wait to start building products”.

After the jokes and some other difficult deliberations, we resolved that we are all together on this ship, and we are going to do all it takes to ensure we don’t turn off the light on this dream. What followed this resolution was both gruelling and uncomfortable. Overnight, we pulled down the off-ramp crypto product initially embedded in the Cardtonic product, deployed a new web and mobile app, and by Monday, we were reaching out to existing providers and other new providers to allow us to use their rails to pay our customers. I had promised not to motivate anyone during the course of this talk directly, and that is why I am only sharing our journey. However, I will make an exception here to say, “Jokes on you if you allow anything whatsoever to kill your dreams or innovation.” Innovations are meant to be a new way of doing things, which people or even regulators could therefore misunderstand. Four years down the line, and crypto has now become the coolest kid on the block. Established brands are using stablecoins to facilitate payments, with millions of dollars raised in funding. Banks now use it as a legal means of exchange, and even governments are creating national digital currencies. As a result, almost everyone everywhere is now open to the idea of a digital currency.

Thankfully, we didn’t let our crypto off-ramp dream die in the moment; it has now become Breet, a fully independent product that is making crypto spendable in Nigeria and Ghana with its own independent management, team and corporate structure.

But I digress, back to our journey and how we navigated that phase, the next few days were gruelling as we had to manually process thousands of payment requests by our users who had also seen the news, did not know what to expect and were on red alert. But we had long resolved in the past that it would never happen that we would be unable to pay our users. While our payment rails shut the door on us, we had to find crude methods to pay users, including using personal accounts at some point. Today, we have one payment provider at every point in time trying to partner with us.

While that episode was one major challenge we faced, it does not capture all the different difficult moments and how we navigated the challenges. The Tech ecosystem in Africa is building momentum, but it was not always like this. I recall with nostalgia the early days when payments and collections felt like constant firefighting. Customers expected their money to be available; failed deposits resulted in support tickets and escalations with the service providers, who were not always available.

Days when customers were willing to drag you to hell because they had just requested 2,000 or some amount of money, and while the sum of money has been processed on your end, the user has yet to receive it, and regardless of your explanation about a downtime happening somewhere, you are at fault because you are the responsible party to the user.

I tell my friends building rails and infrastructures that they are lucky players in the ecosystem because the B2C is the real ghetto. While businesses are responsible, responsive to you and are always willing to cooperate with you, interfacing with users is another ball game altogether. Not to mention your obligations to regulators, partners and even app aggregators.

I could go on and on about the several challenges we have faced and how we have built resilient products in this challenging landscape, infact, these challenges no longer mean anything to us. We have learnt that before momentum is built, an object is typically moving at a certain velocity. To build momentum, a force needs to be applied to the object, causing it to accelerate and gain speed. The amount of momentum gained depends on the magnitude of the force, the duration of the force, and the mass of the object. At Cardtonic, we see all challenges as a force that accelerates the development of our product.

What started as a random discovery when the co-founder needed to buy make-up accessories for his then girlfriend - now wife and had to use a Sephora gift card because his Naira cards did not work has now grown to the super app facilitating cross-border payments and purchases with its virtual card, gift cards, international bills payments and other several alternative methods, servicing over 1.5 million users in Nigeria and Ghana without any external funding at least up on till now save for the initial 5 million in personal savings at inception.

We have done this because:

• We did not give up on dreams,

• stayed consistent in providing value over vanity marketing campaigns,

• focused on revenue as fuel and discipline as our compass,

• remained resilient because we wanted to build a company that exists regardless of external funding, not because of it.

As I wound down, building resilient fintech products for Africa’s dynamic economy requires a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities that come with it. At Cardtonic, we’ve learned that resilience is not just about weathering the storms, but about harnessing the power of challenges to build momentum. As we continue to innovate and push boundaries, we’re reminded that our journey is not just about building a fintech company, but about empowering millions of Africans to participate in the global economy. To all the innovators, entrepreneurs, and dreamers out there, we urge you to stay focused, stay consistent, and stay resilient. The future of Africa’s fintech industry is bright, and we’re excited to be part of it.

Thank you.

That Sunday morning, I once again asked myself the rhetorical question, What is chasing this guy? Having achieved so much at a young age, why can’t you take a chill pill and relax?

So today, I imagine myself in his world and consider what could be driving him while trying to answer the questions at the same time.

Could it be passion? Ferdinand Foch once said The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire. Perhaps, there is a crazy passion that is driving him. After all, seemingly wealthy entrepreneurs like Elon Musk and Richard Branson are known for their relentless drive. Despite amassing enormous wealth, they continue to push the boundaries of what is possible. Musk’s ventures, from SpaceX to Tesla, are testaments to his passion for revolutionizing transportation and energy.

Perhaps he has a genuine passion for sitting behind his desk all day and night, looking for the next big thing or idea, while also ensuring that what is already working continues to function optimally.

Or could it be fear of Lack? I quickly moved on from this idea. After all, there is a famous tale of MKO Abiola, one of the wealthiest Nigerians at one point, asking his pastors not to pray against devourers on his wealth because there is enough for the devourer. The point is that there is a certain level of wealth a person attains at which the fear of lack stops being a problem.

Some Crazy Financial Goals or level of wealth? Maybe this is it. Perhaps he is pursuing financial goals that only he can envision. But I will be quick to scrap this if I were to answer this question based on my own philosophy of wealth. I personally believe it is unfair to both the recipient and those who are currently living in the moment to leave an insane level of wealth for the next generation. As a matter of fact, I believe a solid education, exposure and a modest trust fund should be enough for your children. Because why not? This gives them a sense of ownership over their own lives and independence.

Or there may be a looming countdown signalling that there is not enough time to create a lasting impact. I blame Yoruba Nollywood movies for this, but we are making assumptions, right? So I am tempted to use this occasion of his birthday to pray for a long life for him and his. But let’s assume I am no pastor, the average life expectancy of a person in his part of the world is 84.2 years for women and 81 years for men. So it's safe to cheer to long life. Jeun lo.

Or maybe Kay is just a psycho, not the unassuming serial killers we see in movies, but maybe he is psycho, and his victims? Productive tasks and endeavours. But I am not Kay, so on this occasion of his birthday, I join others in asking, ‘What is chasing you?’

Happy birthday to a solid guy!

Day two was a lot better. Shout out to Kunda and friends. Sadly, I had to ignore the screen time limit of less than 30 minutes daily that we had in place. I was not happy with the change, but I needed to work, and one sure way to stop David from distracting or disturbing me is when he is watching Kunda and friends. I still wonder how vibrant visuals from animations can keep kids glued to their screens forever.

By day three, we had established a routine that involved going to the reception and the nursery, having a siesta, enjoying Kunda and friends while I worked, taking an evening stroll, eating dinner at the outdoor restaurant, etc. I know children love routines but I was surprised at how quickly he adjusted to the routine to the extent that when it was time to go down the elevator to the reception, he starts dragging me to get up, or sometimes, he brings me my slippers, indicating it was time to leave the room.

The remaining days were less daunting, and we created unforgettable memories. However, even though we were in a great hotel without having to care for what to eat or how the room was cleaned, it was still evident that parenting is not something I could do alone. I was the most relieved after my wife joined us in Qatar after a week, even though I acted like everything was under control, and she could have extended her vacation. 😁

Although I didn’t get into McKinsey, one important concept I learnt while preparing for my case interview and that has stayed with me till now is the Mutually Exclusive, Collectively Exhaustive framework. I particularly like the MECE framework because it tries to break down a problem into exclusive components to understand the root cause and then gradually cover all aspects of the problem until it is exhausted.

So whenever I am faced with hydra-headed problems with multiple, sometimes competing perspectives, I try to first narrow it down into smaller mutually exclusive components and gradually cover all aspects of the situation. Come to think about it, all problems are clear, and most of the time, it is in a bid to solve a simple problem that we create complex “solutions” that are not solutions by themselves because we now have to solve the problems arising from the solution while neglecting the initial problem.

For instance, I moved out of an estate that was thrown into darkness for a while because the generator servicing the estate broke down. Before then, a power committee had been set up to mobilise residents in the community to contribute towards the purchase of another generator. Looks simple until you realise that about half of the residents in the estate are tenants, and understandably, tenants would not want to commit an amount close to or more than their annual rents towards the purchase of a facility that they won’t get to possibly benefit from for a long term. The homeowners are not affected by the power situation, so everything is fine as far as they are concerned. As if that is not enough, it was discovered that one of the members of the committee had “invested” more like gambled a part of the funds when asked to transfer the amount saved to the supplier as a deposit. So even people who would have paid are scared to pay, and since the estate does not allow individual generators and power supply from PHCN, EKEDC or whatever they choose to be called these days is non-existent, the community was thrown in perpetual darkness and rather than solve this problem. The focus shifted to setting up an audit and disciplinary committee to investigate the power committee and then involve law enforcement agencies to get them to release the funds and several other mediations with the homeowners and tenants.

Sadly, when you look around, you find that more problems are introduced while trying to solve a simple problem. A community is in darkness, an application keeps getting negative reviews on the app or Play Store, a business is not making profit and failing, the citizens of a country are living below the poverty line and can’t afford basic needs like food. All of these problems are clear, but it is in finding a solution that we introduce complexity to the problems.

What if we segment problems and address them with simple solutions? Using one of the scenarios described earlier, a business is not making a profit and failing. A MECE approach will be to narrow it down to revenue and costs. Are we able to increase revenue? If the answer is yes, how do we increase revenue? If the answer is no, which is hardly the case, then how do we reduce costs? It gives clarity into the problem or situation and makes resolving it easier.

When I was in the university, my favourite lecturer, Dr. Abeh, accosted me in front of his office and asked me to explain a complex statistical concept to one of the cleaners. I can’t remember the exact concept, but I still remember his words. He said if you can’t explain this concept to this woman, then you probably don’t deserve your first class. He went further to add that the height of genius is the ability to explain complex things in simple ways.

Our world is complex enough. The least we can do is communicate plainly and without ambiguity when solving a problem, brainstorming an idea, or even having casual conversations.

Cheers to simpler solutions 🥂

Normally, I don’t “famz” people but yo! This is the richest man in Africa right in front of me. So I said, Good evening, Sir. Can we walk together? I was right beside him after his slight nod and before his overzealous security could advise him otherwise.

Now that I am with the richest man in the neighbourhood, what better way to make judicious use of this opportunity than to ask him questions about money and wealth? So I asked quickly: Sir, what is the best financial advice you can give a young man hoping to create sustainable wealth?

He looked at me with a shrewd smile and asked, "Do you live here?" I answered in the affirmative. He said you asked for one, but I would give you three.

Financial advice number one: the fastest way to become poor is to oblige all money or financial requests that come your way. He said even with how rich he is, he knows not to oblige all requests that come his way. No matter how much you earn or get, your expenses must be managed. Not managing your expenses is the pathway that leads to penury. And by the way, people don’t care if you oblige all their requests anyway, and they will always want more.

Two, never let your money sit idle. Your money should be working for you, not just sitting there. Rich people are not scared to take loans because they know they can make more money and pay less in interest when they earn returns on the loaned cash. The best way to save is to make more on the “saved” cash.

Finally, think big, and when you are convinced about an idea or a plan, go for it and work hard at it. Many people want to do big things. Some take all the time in the world to talk and plan about it; some don’t, which is even more fatal. The successful ones do adequate research and launch their plans while they iterate along the line.

What I have just done is reiterate what Dangote said or did, although not in the circumstances I had painted. I feel even more obliged to write this because daily, I see young men and women hoping to get their lives together overburdened with obligations that are not their responsibilities in the first place or compulsory.

One such moment happened recently when I heard a ludicrous story about how someone, call him Mr A. had reached out to his friend Mr B. to loan some money. Now, Mr B would usually not loan money to people but because this is coming from a very close friend, he decided to ask some questions, He asked his friend about the reason for the loan and to his chagrin, Mr A. mentioned that his Dad’s last wish was for his children to buy a plot of land, construct a small property on the land so he can be buried on the land. This is aside from the other obligations that will be sorted by Mr A., who happens to be the firstborn.

Right there, Mr B. mentioned to him the danger of loaning money for such abortive exercise. And how he is not in anyway against him fulfilling his Dad's last wishes? If he had the means, sure, why not? But loaning money for such a thing is unfair to him and his future. If the old man wanted his last wishes fulfilled, it is only fair that provisions were made for such.

The same stories of my generation being overburdened abound. And maybe this is just another reminder: don’t kill yourself. If Dangote obliged all financial requests that he gets, he would be poor by now.

Fatherhood and Family
My boy, David, turned one on October 10, 2024, and we celebrated our second wedding anniversary about a week ago. That means over a year of solid fatherhood experience and double that of raising a family.

So, how has fatherhood been for me? Or rather, what has fatherhood taught me? Unlike the year 2024, which I could describe with one word, fatherhood cannot be described with one word. It can only be experienced. So, I will touch on some of the things fatherhood has taught me. “Some” because, again, I cannot possibly document all.

My first lesson of fatherhood was unconditional love—love so strong that you don’t see any fault or inadequacy in the other person. About some months ago, I was scrolling through my phone gallery when I stumbled upon a picture of David that I had posted on my Whatsapp status when he was around two months old, and I began to wonder how I had posted this picture of David looking so skinny. It then occurred to me that I did not see that skinny body at the time. All I saw was my precious baby that I was willing to flaunt and love up on without conditions or expectations. He has since become big, lost some flesh due to teething, and again recovered some, but one thing that has not changed for a minute is my love for him.

Fatherhood has also taught me patience, long-suffering when you have to deprive yourself of sleep, and everything put together 🥹. I am forced to believe babies are programmed to test your patience once they can move around. I learnt that one of the core of fatherhood is taking responsibility. I remember the first time David fell off the bed under my watch. Oh yeah, I’ve lost count now but I probably would not be alive to write this review if my wife had a gun on her that day. Now I can make a joke out of it, but that day I realised that fatherhood doesn't require you to be flawless, but rather, to be responsible, and being responsible comes with some mistakes but please keep them as little as possible, as the size of the child. Away from that near-death threat, it was a blissful 2024 on the home front, and I learnt a lot from my wife, too. Top on the list is to be more expressive.

Aside from these lessons, fatherhood has made me very self-conscious. Having understood that children will do what you do and not what you say, I just have to serve as an excellent example to my boy. And of course, fatherhood has significantly increased my knowledge about everything and anything, even though unconsciously. In my quest to become a better father and better understand the needs of a baby who can’t talk, I found myself reading numerous articles and books. Sadly, now that I think I know enough, I get a spoiler alert that no two kids are the same, so I guess the learning continues, and David says Yes!

Work and the Journey to Becoming Technical

“Scam app. They won’t allow me to withdraw the remaining $2 on my virtual dollar card.”

I had just woken up to a negative review on Google Play Store. When building a product focused on providing a seamless way for Nigerians to make payments across borders, almost everything is stacked against you. From payment processors to aggregators, regulatory agencies, API providers, even the App Store and most importantly, the amazing, sometimes difficult users. These bodies and others not mentioned combine to keep you on your toes.

But I love what I do. I get bored quickly, so maybe I would have been bored to death without the adrenaline rush from operating in a fast-paced, delicate environment. I have always preferred to focus on the growth and strategy aspect of a product, but I had to dwell more on the technical ecosystem of the product in 2024. Thanks to Kay for allowing me (if I am ever to write a memoir, that man deserves a chapter), and no thanks to Eazy 😁, who will never stop using technical terms in our conversation that happens almost every other day before Micheal disrupted our sweet relationship, although in a good way. Then Femi, whose first request will always be to inspect the Network tab, and Faith, who will always prefer to debug a problem during a live session.

So, in a bid to save time and move with more agility, I started opening the Network tab to debug the problems myself if there is an issue, and then to testing APIs to ensure they function as expected and to avoid developers tossing me around on the source of the issues, and reading comments on PRs to checking files changed to confirm that what I requested were the files worked on. I am still not a developer, and I doubt I have the time to be one now, but understanding the technical ecosystem has helped me greatly, and we can ship features as quickly as possible.

Still wondering what happened to the user with the $2 balance? We gave him the option to terminate the card to get his $2, which he declined. And maybe I should do some advocacy; if you ever get a hold of a dollar card or access to a platform that allows cross-border payment, please use it responsibly as we (Nigerians) are or will be affected by your actions or inactions. Don’t fund a card with $500 and attempt to book a flight of $2,700. There is no miracle in payments. And don’t try to sell fx at the same or even more than the buy rate in an attempt to profit from roundtripping. The product owners are not dumb.

Trip to the future and back and more Travels
During the year, I travelled to China on a business trip and was awed by the country's level of development and technological advancement. From the number of self-driving cars on the road to the proportion of electric cars they have in the country, which is easy to notice due to the different registrations for electric cars to the speed rails, tunnels and infrastructure. It felt like a time travel to the future.

Someone else may say, oooh, I have been to China and did not see all these things. Well, China is like a big elephant and your experience is shaped by the part you touch or explore. I visited about six provinces in China, including the capital city of Beijing, and thanks to our hosts who ensured we experienced the glamorous side of China. I doubt there are ungoverned areas anyway. The only time I felt some level of disorder was when we requested to visit a Nigerian restaurant in Guangzhou. I saw the look on our host's face when we mentioned the place we wanted to visit, but he obliged us nonetheless. It was when we got there and ordered the food that I understood the look. To put the situation in context, imagine your friend who has never been to Nigeria comes visiting, and you organize food in some of the best restaurants on the island, but your friend insists on visiting a bukka he has heard about in Okoko. Apologies to my folks from there.

China has been able to put technology to good use for food production, manufacturing and everyday living. Menial tasks that would have required human effort were automated in the places we stayed. I also like China’s approach to building software. I like the fact they innovate quickly and also prefer to build super apps. Their apps often incorporate numerous features to stand out in the highly competitive Chinese tech ecosystem. One thing I would, however, change if given the opportunity is to find a way to make the app less complex, even with the features.

I won’t do justice to those willing to visit China if I fail to mention that they admire black people. We visited a nightclub in Beijing, and I felt like a superstar. People were randomly coming to request a picture and make a toast to us. I initially thought our presence just amused them. However, the admiration was not limited to that event only; I am beyond certain it is not just amusement. I also admire their communal living and the intentional effort to ensure no one is left behind in extreme poverty. And if you haven’t learnt anything about Chinese tradition, learn that you are required to share food or drinks with someone else at your table.

I also made some family trips during the year, and I agree entirely with Saint Augustine’s opinion that the world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.

Back to Class because Learning Never Stops
Towards the end of the year, I enrolled for an MBA Essentials program at The London School of Economics and Political Science, and the only regret I have is waiting this long to take the course. It felt like the modules were specifically created for my development. The very first module on Leading with Influence was the perfect appetizer for what has been a fine buffet. Imagine learning about concepts that would have made a significant difference in your growth trajectory if you had learnt about them earlier.

If you know what the possible outcome of every conversation you have with people will be depending on the approach you take, It could give you the power to change your life. All relationships are transactional to some degrees. People are in them because we get something out of them or give something. However, understanding that you get more when you are not receiving can help you make better decisions. Also, I learnt that life should not revolve around trying to make yourself seem super awesome to others. But making others feel good or important is really what makes us special.

One of the activities that we completed was a power audit. We did a power audit during the course of the program to examine the value we give compared to what we receive from our key contacts. Even though I did not do badly, I have since resolved to further developing and continuously improving my skillset to make myself useful to others, contribute to multiple functions and organizations, and of course to meaningful initiatives. Maybe that is one good way for you too to start the new year.

Cheers to an amazing 2025 🥂