All Quotes

"As visionaries, it's our role to set the course and take ownership. While delegation is key, it thrives when aligned with your team’s unique strengths. Remember, others may approach tasks differently—and that’s okay!"

"Software development is a very painstaking business…It takes a belief in what you are doing. If you do that, success will come along but you don’t focus on money as a primary driver."

"Our legacy has always been about innovation with impact. Whatadeal is a natural extension of that legacy – an evolution that aligns with our vision of delivering value-"

"Digital commerce should not be transactional; it should be an experience – one that is seamless, engaging, and rewarding."

"We are redefining how customers access great deals across travel, events, and e-commerce."

"No country in the world is doing what we are doing in e-commerce, travel and events. It is a tradition we have perfected."

"The transition to Whatadeal represents more than a name change; it is an intentional shift towards creating an ecosystem where customers don’t just find deals, but experience real value."

"Our platform’s core philosophy at Whatadeal is that great experiences and valuable offers should be effortless, not complicated."

"Our mission goes beyond providing access to deals; we’re building an ecosystem that fosters engagement, trust, and long-term value for our customers."

"With travel, events, and e-commerce at its core, Whatadeal seamlessly integrates these services to create a streamlined, rewarding, and modern user experience for today’s consumers."

"I think to sustain the growth, we must lay emphasis to a few things and I will start by advocating that we must maintain stability in the policy and regulatory environment"

"Why we moved as fast as we did over this period is as a result of fair amount of regulatory independence that the organization had."

"Our focus should not only be that money is being made in the industry but that this decision of government has suddenly changed the landscape and provided phones in the hands of most Nigerians, and provided telephone “access” because even if you do not own a phone, you will likely find a place to make calls near your location today”"

"I think also going forward, we must emphasize on growing broadband infrastructure, and not just growing it for the sake of it but catalyzing its adoption and usage, nationwide."

"even within the African continent, we should encourage building of optic fibre that links the countries of Africa because that will help us do local peering of Internet, keep local networks linked to each other, reduce price of communicating within the countries in Africa and perhaps greatly increase broadband speed."

"It’s been a big part of my life and I consider myself really opportune to be in this place at this time especially in the past ten years in seeing the telecom industry transform to what it is today."

"And obviously, in thinking about sustaining the growth also means that it is still work in progress and there is still much to be done despite the achievements we have been made so far"

"He lived in the saddle; every year of his apostolate was marked by the organization of a new congregation or the building of a church. Of all the missionaries who worked in that field none deserves so well the title of "Apostle of Kentucky". His direction of souls was so efficient and enlightened that to this very day the grandchildren of his penitents are still prominently known for the earnestness of their faith and the solidity of their virtue. His well-deserved fame reached Baltimore and Bishop Carroll induced the Holy See to appoint him Bishop of New Orleans, but Father Nerinckx refused the honour. The Catholic education of children was his most cherished work."

"I have had many wonderful students over the years. Many have gone on for their master's and doctorate degrees and that has been most rewarding for me."

"I used to prefer teaching to administrative work, but by the time I left teaching in 1995, the students cared about nothing but the grades and they didn't care how they got them. I believe in knowledge for knowledge's sake. But students now need a reason for everything. Everything has to be useful and entertaining. And they don't study."

"I could have had that pleasure, but then the sacrifice would not have been complete."

"Fifty years a Jesuit and forty years a missionary, one of the noblest men that ever laboured in the ranks of the Church in Montana, his fame stands very high in Montana."

""As a child, I remember I always used to tell myself “I want to be great.” I was not sure what I wanted to be great at, but every time I looked at myself in the mirror those words would play out loud in my mind. It was later in my teenage years that I knew I wanted to be a speaker or trainer, especially after watching people like Zig Ziglar, Joyce Meyer and many other speakers and pastors on TV for the first time. I had no idea that I would spend my adult life speaking and providing training in technology for girls and women and being a speaker on various platforms." Angela on her dreams as a child"

""....however, if she can slowly learn to overcome them and stays focused, she will be shocked by the great person she will become in the future." Angela's word of motivation to women"

"I have learnt that graduating from a tertiary education is not the end of learning. We have to continuously re-skill ourselves. I have learnt that there are many roads that lead to success and if someone has not had the chance to take the traditional route of formal education that does not mean that they will not be a success. We often forget that our natural talents can make a way for us."

"I have learnt never to underestimate people. I, for one, have heard it said many times that STEM Technology is too hard for women and yet over the years little girls from all around the world and all walks of life have grown up to do exceptional things and build great careers, despite their familial, cultural, educational or financial backgrounds."

"We must never forget that we are only limited by our own beliefs. Once you know how to overcome them, you will be great."

"Our goal is to design systems that can be activated by light to selectively target cancer cells, while leaving healthy cells unharmed."

"By understanding how molecules absorb and use light, we can create new approaches that address some of the most difficult problems in medicine."

"A Community gives a sense of belonging and values. Being in a community bonded with values, goals, and good attitudes is essential in building and sustaining any product. Bami speaking on the importance of community to newbies in the TECH industry"

"I didn’t get all the help and resources I needed while building my career, I want to create a platform where community newbies can get resources and the bonds they need to get started. Bami on her motivation"

"The most important thing was that we started with an open mind. We had a plan, but we understood that the only thing constant in life is change. And that we had to be flat-footed so that we could adjust to the world because we’re not building a company that will be in isolation with what the realities are. We also knew that there will be changes because of growth and we were prepared for it. So every step of the way where we were mindful of what’s happening around us, and adjusting accordingly for optimization."

"Communication is paramount to your success, You need to articulate how your great idea is impactful, whether to your community, society or economy. Having strong technical skills is critical, but you must also be able to work with others and communicate effectively to bring those ideas to life."

"Consider the origins of beauty and you soon realize that it is a triumph of accident. Be it human or art, the chances are its parents were toxic waste."

"It’s been herculean. It’s been very tough because we’re doing what hasn’t been done before. There was no model. So, when you do what hasn’t been done before, it means that people can use you as a guinea pig. They learn quickly from your mistakes so they don’t have to make them and they can quickly leapfrog from the right things that you have done. So, it’s been tough, but rewarding. And I think that the reason we’ve been able to survive is because of the people of The Temple, my colleagues. There have been changes because not many people who started this journey with us are still here. Somehow, along the way, we’ve been able to find and work with people who share ideals and values with us, people who believe in the vision and the dream. And so at every point of the way, it’s always been the people. Also importantly, the funding because without the resources all you can just do is to plan. So, we’ve had the resources as well, and the people. Thanks to the board and the investors in The Temple Company who have helped us to continue to forge ahead."

"I would like to say that we are firm believers in doing, which makes us doers and not talkers because talk is cheap. So every time that there’s been a need, we have gone out to find a way to get something done about it and fill that need. With regards to infrastructure, when stakeholders were complaining about lack of world-class studio facilities, we went on to build ours. Today, we are very proud of Ogidi Studios. And that’s not to say that there are no other studios, some of which are in operation while others are in development."

"And like I said, when we launched Ogidi Studios; it was the best at the time and still the best in my humble opinion. And the studio that will be better than Ogidi Studios will still be developed by The Temple Company and it is coming. You can watch this space. With regards to capacity building, right from when we founded this company, we have run master-classes at no cost to attendees and in partnership with thought-leaders in the industry across different areas. We recently partnered with the Lagos State Government through the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, the University of Lagos and the Henley Business School to train about 1000 people, physically and virtually. We trained people in sound design, production design, songwriting, media studies and filmmaking, etc Again, we just go out and get things done. So, are we where we want to be? No. However, we’re in a better place. We intend to train some more in partnership with the Lagos State government and the Federal government of Nigeria. The more we address the deficits in talent, skill, and infrastructure, the better industry will be, and the better our economy will be."

"Considering the obvious fact that you came from public service to the entertainment creative space to disrupt the norm, how well or bad would you say you have done on a scale of one to 10 and then why?"

"If you reflect on your question and the value that you quoted, it just shows you the potential for growth. What is going to happen when we do everything professionally? In the creative industry, unprofessionalism is also a word that is relative because there are really no rules. Let’s take music for instance, sometimes the music that you make on your phone in the middle of the night that you think is not refined might be the one to win you awards. Meanwhile, the one that you sat in the studio that took you two weeks, 14 producers and 18 songwriters might not take off. So, every stakeholder spanning the entire stretch of the industry is a potential contributor to the financial size and value of the industry."

"Starting out The Temple Company, one of the talents you had on board is Bisola Aiyeola amongst others but she seems to be the last woman standing after 7 years – albeit doing great exploits – tell me the story behind the synergy."

"Well, it’s not just Bisola that is still with us. But I’ll talk about Bisola as a reference point for all the other talents that are still here after all this while. I think it’s really simple. There are no shortcuts for anybody who signs to The Temple Company intending to cash out real quick. Their expectations will not be met. This is because we believe very strongly in planning, research, and detailing. We also understand that it’s actually a long game. Your intention is not to have a career that is going to last for one year. So it is something that we have to continue to build. There are many ‘yeses’ that you will not be happy to say that you must say and there are many ‘nos’ that you would have to say that in the short term might not make a lot of sense to you as a talent. So again, it is about shared vision, goals and mutual understanding that every day will not be Christmas. So we’ll be there with you during the ‘highs’ and ‘lows’. There’s also the fact that our talent services are divided into two, management, and agency clients. For management clients, it is a 360 service that is also exclusive. However, our agency clients are at liberty to sign multi-agency agreements. When we find things that suit you, we’ll reach out to you. You earn, we share."

"Again, it is always about the people. Everything revolves around people. The people in government need us outside the government and the people outside the government need the people in government. So, we’re partners in progress. I did work in the public sector, so it gives me some experience. However, I don’t think it gives us any unfair advantage. I think what it has just done is that it makes us better prepared to help solve problems. Now that I am wearing the shoes of the private sector, it also helps me to know where the shoes pinches the most and in that regard, I advise the government or make requests that will be beneficial to all parties concerned."

"I will refer to an African proverb that says that if you want to go fast, go alone and if you want to go far, go with people. In any case, collaboration is the new competition. We ask ourselves a lot, what is the value of all of nothing when you can own a part of something. Now, time is also of the essence and it is in our best interest for us to be able to move and to reap the highest number in the quickest possible time. So collaboration is critical. And I mean, we just had to try it. So, once we find people who want the same things as us, or share our values, we are always eager to work with them for the greater good. So, it’s not about me or about The Temple Company, it is about Lagos, Nigeria, Africa and the world. And when it is about the world, we can go that extra mile to get the best results."

"It just looks otherworldly to me … like, what you would see if you were on the moon."

"Well, I don’t think we have really started yet. We’re only scratching the surface at the moment. I don’t think I’m going to feel like I’ve been able to achieve anything until our studio lot is done and we can embark on multi-million-dollar productions of international franchises in Lagos or Nigeria. Until when we can have a production of global standards with a budget of over $200 million, being executed in Lagos or any part of Nigeria, then we haven’t started. I think if you look at the average budget of a film project in global economies such as North America and the UK, it is worth sometimes everything that we have put out in the month. So until when we are able to accommodate that. I’m talking about when we have our film city or film village. At that stage when we can be carrying out multiple projects on a daily and monthly basis. When we can have the capacity to fully engage the majority of the young Nigerians who are keen on participating in the creative industry, then maybe I will feel special but right now, I just feel like there’s a lot more to get done. We are playing our part, we are adding our own quota. We are pushing the limits. We are going to continue to lead in any and every way that is positive. So, how do I feel? I feel like there is a long way ahead and we will get it done by God."

"I’m excited because the things that need to be done on a national scale have been done at the sub-national level in Lagos. The incoming president is exposed. He understands the power of the creative industry. He understands the power of tourism, and has played a significant role in the creative industry when he was the Governor of Lagos state. A lot of the things that we have done in Lagos just need to be replicated in other places. We have done the testing and it works. So it excites me what this incoming administration has to do. So I think his previous experience in governance will come to play in our favour."

"So we have a few projects that are coming on in television, film, and concerts. Some of them I can talk about and some of them I can’t talk about yet. There’s something huge coming up in December in Lagos. ‘Introducing the Kujus’ won an AMVCA award last year and we have done a sequel called ‘The Kujus Again’. This time the movie features Don Jazzy who is appearing for the first time in a movie. We’re also going to go into the production of a series for young people that touches on culture, Lagos, tourism etc, principal photography begins in May."

"We also just finished filming Ward 10, a limited series that will be released on one of the Video on Demand (VOD) platforms later in the year. ‘I Am Number’ with Bisola is coming as well as ‘Naija Meter’ with Mimi Onalaja. My guys and I have been busy. And then of course, also coming is the film city or village that we are going to lead and deliver over the next few years and perhaps decade."

"My research looks at how molecules organize themselves at surfaces—because that's where chemistry meets the real world."

"It’s essential to encourage more women into physical chemistry and show them the impact they can make."