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Life Conversation: Ogbeni Dipo talks about leaving Nigeria, old political opinions and dealing with online hate

Ogbeni Dipo discusses leaving Nigeria, the future for young Nigerians, and how he deals with online hate in this conversation.

Ogbeni Dipo is our guest on Pulse's Life Conversation (Instagram/Ogbeni Dipo)

Ogbeni Dipo is an academic entrepreneur and one of the most famous figures on Twitter Nigeria with more than 800000 followers.

Born Oladipo Awojide in Lagos, the Osun State indigene spent his formative years in Abuja but relocated to the United Kingdom (UK) over a decade ago.

He is particularly passionate about helping young people advance in their careers. "I want to solve Nigeria's and Africa's human capital development problem."

He has a buoyant career portfolio. Senior Lecturer in Strategy at the Nottingham Business School (UK), a career coach and the founder of three companies. BTDT Hub (a Human Capital Development Company), High Impact Careers (a Tech Company) and High Impact CV.

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He runs these companies remotely from the UK and tries to visit Nigeria as much as he can. "We have a team of 45 in Yaba, Lagos, with a Chief Operation Officer and two deputies."

"I left Nigeria over a decade ago after completing my NYSC. I left because I wanted to study abroad, gain international experience and exposure."

For Dipo blending into the culture when he first moved to the United Kingdom wasn't easy but, he found a way to adjust.

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"Being in a new environment, meeting lots of new people from all over the world and learning in a different environment was a bit strange but, I adapted."

He spoke about how having a well-to-do upper-middle-class family made it easy for him to leave the country, but he doesn't believe you need wealthy parents to leave Nigeria.

"You might be able to get a scholarship with good grades, or be able to save, and work while studying."

"Leaving Nigeria should be dependent on the career goals and aspirations of each person. There are a few people who have risen to the top of their careers without studying abroad. Dora Akunyili and Babatunde Fashola come to mind easily.

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"Having said this, my recommendation has always been if you have the opportunity, please leave, go gain international experience, education, and exposure. The outcomes are limitless.

"The best countries to migrate to are The United Kingdom (UK), Canada, Ireland, the USA, and the Netherlands.

"Young Nigerians are 101% assets. They are smart, creative, and bold. Well, except that the conditions in the country need to improve significantly so that they can thrive."

"If you are in the eyes of the public this is something to expect. So, I have developed a thick skin and I mostly ignore it.

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"But there are times when you need to occasionally fire back or set the records straight, especially when lies are being peddled."

This year renowned Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie spoke on the lack of empathy in Twitter conversations. "There are many social-media-savvy people who are choking on sanctimony and lacking in compassion, who can fluidly pontificate on Twitter about kindness but are unable to show kindness…?"

Dipo agrees with her.

"I completely agree with her. A lot of people who participate in and encourage cancel culture always find excuses or look away when their friends do the same thing. It is utter hypocrisy.

"We should be showing and extending more grace to ourselves and others.

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"People will make mistakes and occasionally commit errors of judgment. So long they haven't engaged in crime, and they recant and apologize for their errors, people should move on."

"There is a need to regulate social media by the tech giants. Racists and trolls should never have a hiding place on the internet.

"The Twitter ban was a needless decision. Livelihoods have been wrecked and businesses destroyed.

"It wasn't a well-thought-out idea. You don't try to solve one problem and create three. The Twitter ban was a poorly thought-out decision!"

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"The current political climate in Nigeria is tense and strained. Insecurity, unemployment, and a generally weak economy got us here. A lot of things could have been done differently since 2015."

"A lot of things have changed since 2011 and of course since 2015. There is this quote I like. 'Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.' Some of my opinions have changed in the last decade but, my ideology remains the same."

At the end of the interview, we joked about how he doesn't have a British accent although he has stayed in the UK for years,

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"Ha-ha. I ate pounded yam for 25 years in Nigeria, so it isn't that easy to switch. Some people can switch in two months but not me. I just speak clearly and that has never been an issue for my white British audience, I believe."

Life Conversations is an interview series at Pulse that tells people's life stories

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