Victoria Ndu

Author| Community manager, #3MTT Akwa Ibom state| Enforcing digital literacy in Africa| Host- #VoicesWithVictoriaShow

[Victoria Ndu @VictoriaNwanna]

🔥 Our chat with @aproko_doctor is LIVE on YouTube! 🎙️ We dive into his journey, plus a special invite to *The Aproko Nation Fiesta.

Click the link to watch & get empowered: https://t.co/Q21vgFIQJX

#VoicesWithVictoria #AprokoDoctor #Inspiration

[TechCabal is preparing for Moonshot2026 @TechCabal]

PARTNER: Scaling a small business is tough. Access shouldn’t be.

The Empower Her Programme is supporting 2,000 women in Nigeria with the skills, tools, and funding they need to grow.

From digital finance to micro-grants, this is what real inclusion looks like.

#EmpowerHer #WomenEntrepreneurs #AirtelAfricaFoundation #AAFFinancialInclusion #NigeriaBusiness #AirtelNigeria

[Vincent The Therapist @mrhighfoster]

He is 31 years old

At nine months old, a failed measles injection by a local nurse caused avascular necrosis, leading to lifelong hip pain and leg weakness until his hip replacement surgery

Four of his siblings died in childhood (likely related to sickle cell trait in the family), making his survival a "statistical miracle"

At age 10, he dropped out of school due to poverty but returned after his mother worked as a cleaner for six years to pay his fees

He learned chess as a kid at a local barber's shop in a Lagos slum while playing video games with friends

Barely spoke English when he started secondary school (mostly Yoruba at home) but quickly picked it up from classmates

His mother was a petty trader (thrift clothes seller), and his father sold spare parts. They met in a Lagos market

Chess helped him develop a strong photographic memory, which he used to cram for exams and survive without parental allowances

He became Nigeria's No 13 ranked chess player and earned the National Master title at age 20

He won gold medals representing Yaba College of Technology in the Nigeria Polytechnic Games and the RCCG Chess Championship

He also won the National Friends of Chess Tournament and the Chevron Chess Open

He got a diploma in computer science and used chess winnings to support himself through school

Founded Chess in Slums Africa in September 2018 as a volunteer-driven nonprofit after visiting slums like Majidun

The organization has reached thousands of underprivileged kids, including producing a 10-year-old champion with cerebral palsy

Tunde Onakoya broke the Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon (over 60 hours) in Times Square, New York, in 2024

Featured in CNN African Voices for his work

Tunde has a younger brother (two years apart)

He credits chess with saving him from slum poverty and giving him an "intellectual identity"

He once simultaneously won 10 chess games at the DLD Conference in Germany

First African to win the Lideramos Youth Award for Social Impact in Spain.

Won the Corporate Chess Championship in Malawi with a perfect 7/7 score

Tunde dreams of building the world's biggest chess institute in Nigeria
.
.
.
.

Tunde Onakoya has brought attention to Africa through Chess.

He started teaching chess at a younger age to children.

I'm talking of around 2013/2014 when he was meeting at parks around Lagos State, just to teach kids in the open (mostly after work hours)
.
.

Today, I am more interested in telling you more about him, and how he has also risen from a place of deep poverty and struggles.

He has done soooo much for people and it's only expected that these past impacts would show on him as well

You might have your reservations about him, but you cannot downplay how he used the game of chess to bring great changes to children's lives.
.
.

A lot of children now have access to education, purpose and meaning, thanks to Chess.

You are also part of his story. Tunde didn't do all these alone.

Your support, your accolades, your retweet, your reposts, everything

So look at the bigger picture.

Think of the kids whose lives have changed from taking alcohols and drugs on the streets of slums, to having regulated mental health and more purpose driven lives, due to Chess and the opportunity it brought.
.
.
.
.

Tunde can't certainly please everyone, and yes, there might be actions that many people would attribute to him being human.

But if children would smile again, because he created an opportunity for them to have their smiles again.... Then it's one of the best legacies anyone can ever have.

And you also can create your own legacy to which nations would applaud, recognise and help preserve 🫂

The sky is big enough for you, I and Tunde to shine and shine bountifully well ❤️
.
.
.
✍️ Vincent the Therapist

[POJU OYEMADE @pastorpoju]

Learn to convert areas of your weakness into the strongholds of strength in your life.

[Kalu Aja @FinPlanKaluAja1]

You are taxed on income earned, not on assets owned.

If you own 1 BTC, you pay no tax.

If you sell 1 BTC at a loss, no tax is due.

If you sell 1 BTC at a profit, you pay tax.

Staking BTC? Yes, income from staking is taxable.

To banks: if you have N1m in your current account earning no interest, there is no taxable income.

What if that N1m is moved to your savings account, and you earn 10%? Then you pay tax on the 10% interest earned, not on the N1m.

What if someone transfers cash to your account? This creates a transaction record. Will you pay tax? If the cash moves into your interest-bearing account, yes, on the interest earned. I believe your bank will report the interest earned to NRS.

Bonds? FGN bonds are tax-exempt, meaning interest earned is tax-free.

Insurance? Premium payments are tax-free when you purchase a policy and pay premiums.

Retirement savings account? Contributions are tax-free, growth is tax-free, and withdrawals are also tax-free.

Rent? You are entitled to a relief of 20% of the tax paid, subject to a maximum of N500,000.

Are all transfers to and from your account taxable? Tax is not solely assessed on your bank balance; authorities will review your transactions to identify taxable activities. Your transactions may be used as a basis for an assessment based on best judgement. Translation? Avoid depositing non-business checks into your account.

Stocks? Same principle:

Holding? No tax.
Selling at a profit? Pay tax on the profit.

What if it's a gift or inheritance? Generally, no tax.

My advice? Businesspersons should keep receipts and documentation, scan them, and file them. Use more cards and fewer cash transactions to create an audit trail. Hire an accountant.

Remember, it is the income generated that is taxable, not the asset itself.

[NvitiNg @Nviti_ng]

Your customers don’t wait.
With Nviti, they don’t have to.
24/7 replies, sales closed, customers happy.

#SMEs #customersupport #AIforbusiness #Nviti Amorim quantrix

[Victor @NduOVictor]

During my NYSC in 2017/2018, I asked God - after now, what next? God told me not to apply for any job and just stay back in Uyo after my service.

After service, I left NCCF and rented a single bedroom accommodation (paid 30k yearly rent). About a month after NYSC (I think June), he told me that I was going to leave the country around July the next year (2019). I was so confident about this, and told everyone that cared to hear the good news. I didn't know how this would happen, but I trusted God enough to apply for my first international passport in September 2018.

In October 2018 I was depressed and wanted to give up on software development which I started in 2013 during my undergraduate years. I felt bad because some of my coursemates were already moving ahead, and I was stuck in a single room accommodation on instructions not to apply to any job. I remember tearing an application form I printed online, because God reminded me that it would be a waste of time to apply for a job and travel to Lagos for an interview I was still not going to get. I had past experiences where God proved his word, so I kept trusting him.

I even rejected a job offer of N200k in February 2019 because they refused to bump it up to N250k. My mum and sisters were shocked because it seemed fair for a first job. Only my dad understood when I told him that God told me not to apply to any company yet. If I had taken this job, this would have blocked what was bound to happen next.

In 2019, it was as though the clouds gathered, and in April I was accepted to participate in the hackathon at the first edition of @digitalexplorers, with hopes of being sponsored to relocate to Lithuania. I wasn't selected, but it marked the beginning of many international connections I received in 2019.

The next opportunity came in April, where I had a free mentorship from a tech recruiter (a senior developer at DeliveryHero - Berlin). He coached me and prepped me for a job at DeliveryHero with relocation support to Berlin Germany - we exchanged emails almost daily from April to July, where he taught me what knowledge to gain and how to answer interview questions. I still didn't get this job, but the rejection letter from DeliveryHero spurred me into applying for as many jobs as I came across.

I went back to God in prayer reminding him of His promise and its timing, because he promised me "outside country" by July and I still didn't get this one. He gave me a date: 4th of August. Nothing happened on that day, but he reassured me.

On 5th August, I signed my first employment contract with a Portuguese company. On 12th August 2019, I signed my second employment contract with an Australian company, and they immediately began the processing of my visa - I eventually dropped the Australian job because they were affected during the economic impact of the 2019 bush fires and COVID which followed afterwards.

I'm still in Nigeria though, but since then, I have worked remotely for multiple foreign companies till January 2025 when I decided to take a shot at building Nviti - an AI Customer Support assistant.

God's word came strong, and it has led me since then. It was worth following the voice in my head to guide me through the wilderness for a year because if I had taken the seemingly comfortable role, it probably would have taken me years to earn what I earned in my foreign job a month. The voice of God should be the first nudge to doing anything unhinged. Highly recommended.

[EMEKA NOBIS @iamemekanobis]

My Dearest Appeal: A Journey Towards Healing for My Mum

Dear friends,

I come to you today with a heavy heart to share our family's ongoing battle with cancer.

It’s been a challenging three years since my dad was diagnosed with Stage 1 Prostate Cancer. After numerous visits to hospitals in Owerri and Abuja, we finally found answers at the Six C Specialist Hospital in Owerri.

Thankfully, his cancer hadn't spread, and he has been receiving regular care and checks to manage his symptoms. However, the financial strain of his treatment has been significant, and we have poured our resources into his care.

Now, it is with deep concern that I share my mum's recent health struggles. In December 2024, she discovered lumps in her left breast, which led to an alarming diagnosis of Stage 1 Breast Cancer in January. As we sought the best possible treatment, we turned to Lakeshore Cancer Centre in Lagos, hoping for a positive outcome.

Unfortunately, after further testing in Lagos, the news was heartbreaking—her cancer had progressed to Stage 3 within just two months despite initial treatments.

She has bravely undergone six cycles of chemotherapy, each costing over N5 million, and now her doctors recommend an additional 14 cycles of an aggressive treatment protocol, totalling over N60 million.

As the first son, I’ve tried to shoulder the financial burden during this difficult time, but it has become overwhelming. The emotional toll this journey has taken on our family is profound, and we find ourselves in need of support.

I humbly reach out to you for help as we navigate this challenging path towards my mum's recovery.

She is currently receiving care at Lakeshore Cancer Centre in Lagos, where her doctors have also advised significant dietary changes and controlled homoeopathic treatments.

If you feel moved to contribute, any support would be a soothing balm for our family's pain. Please consider sending your heartfelt gifts to:

0094683137
Sterling Bank
Nobis Nnaemeka J

I also kindly ask you to share this message. Your support, whether through financial means or simply spreading the word, would mean the world to us.

Thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts. May you be blessed abundantly.

[NvitiNg @Nviti_ng]

We’re showcasing Nviti at #GITEXNigeria 2025
📍 Lagos | Sept 3–4

Africa has unique needs & opportunities. Nviti is building AI-powered customer support tailored for African businesses.

Let’s connect at #GITEX!

#AI #AfricanStartups #Innovation #TechInAfrica

[Victoria Ndu @VictoriaNwanna]

@NduOVictor 🤣🤣🤣

[Victor @NduOVictor]

I’m excited to share that I will be attending GITEX Nigeria 2025, the largest Tech & Startup show in West Africa, happening in Lagos this September.

For the past 8 years, I have worked globally as a software engineer, building products on a large scale. This time, I am building with the local context in mind.

I believe Africa has unique needs and opportunities, and building with this local understanding is the way forward.

If you’ll be at GITEX Nigeria, let’s connect. Meet me there!

[Joshua Mike-Bamiloye @jay_mikee]

On this app and everywhere, this video will ALWAYS be my disposition. God bless @pastorpoju with more and more wisdom.

[Victor @NduOVictor]

I came across an ERP that manages accounting, inventory, warehouses, orders, procurement, sales, marketing and even payroll.

But who is building a tool that manages, automates, and analyses communications for businesses?

Well, I am. We are launching soon.

[Victor @NduOVictor]

Building nviti dot ng, and now I can onboard users directly via WhatsApp, helping them easily create 24/7 AI assistants to improve their customer support.

[Victoria Ndu @VictoriaNwanna]

@NduOVictor @Abiolabaloye see this

[Olumide Soyombo @OtunbaSho]

I read @UnkleAyo ‘s thread and @OoTheNigerian ‘s response on @realFemiOtedola upcoming book release . My initial reaction is that two things can be true . Debates on twitter seem to always take the either/or position .

I will be the first person to say people with privilege need to admit and own their privilege . There’s room for a grass to grace to story and there’s room from grace to more grace story . The issue is when people with privilege try to paint their story as a grass to grace story. I don’t agree with that narrative because while it’s a valid story, it’s still a different story .

When a successful entrepreneur from a well-known or well-off family shares their story like Femi Otedola recently with the announcement of his new book, the same old debate resurfaces:

“He was always going to make it… he was born rich.”

It’s a tempting narrative. Simple. Linear. And mostly wrong.

Let’s be clear: privilege is real , it could be financial, social, or educational. And yes, it can open doors. But doors don’t walk themselves through. What happens on the other side of those doors is a different story.

I know this firsthand. I was raised in a very comfortable and entrepreneurial home . So yes, I had early access to a Windows 95 PC the year it came out I was fascinated by it. That exposure shaped my curiosity and eventually, my career.

But privilege alone didn’t build Bluechip Technologies though. It didn’t convince customers to trust us when we had no office and no reputation,

It didn’t decide invest in Paystack, PiggyVest, or LemFi

Privilege Is an Advantage, Not a promise.

In my book Vantage, I share :

“Your vantage point determines what you see. But it doesn’t determine what you do with what you see.”

Some of us start life standing on a taller hill. That’s true. But what you see from that hill is only valuable if you act on it. If you build. If you persist. Privilege might show you the view. It won’t take the steps for you.

I’ve met people with every advantage in the world who never pushed beyond it. And I’ve backed founders with nothing but grit and brilliance who built phenomenal businesses

What Matters More Than Privilege?

Here’s what I’ve learned after over 100 startup investments across Africa:

1. Execution beats entitlement.
2. Curiosity compounds faster than you think.
3. Character and reputation creates doors.

We must not reduce people’s stories to the wealth of their parents. It flattens ambition, and it ignores the daily choices, failures, pivots, and sacrifices that truly define success.

Femi Otedola’s story deserves to be heard, just like every other builder’s story does. Not because he had money or a name, but because he did something with it and so should you.

Whether you start from a mountaintop or a valley, your vantage point is just the beginning. What you do next is everything.

We move!

[Oo Nwoye @OoTheNigerian]

Ironically, the same privilege (or lack thereof) can be attributed to opposite outcomes.

This famous meme best illustrates it.

[Oo Nwoye @OoTheNigerian]

I disagree with @UnkleAyo's thesis (agenda?) - that almost exclusively attributes the success of people with some pedigree to their ��privileged” backgrounds. It gives ammo to lazy people who refuse to put in the work and need an excuse to hold on to.

The context to the argument: Femi Otedola has a book “Making it Big” coming out and Ayo argues that there is almost nothing for the "common man" to learn from him as he is the son of a former Governor, therefore everything he's achieved is as a result of that privilege. Or that there is a very high correlation.

I couldn't disagree more, and it is important to do so publicly so people can have a broader picture before they make up their minds.

Let's get one thing out of the way: coming from an economic advantage gives you certain opportunities when starting out in life. Coming from an economically disadvantaged background gives a level of friction.

But does the economic advantage guarantee you extraordinary success - ESPECIALLY IN ANOTHER FIELD, or does it merely reduce your chance of failure?

Ayo had cherry-picked several examples of people who've made a great success of their lives, but “happen” to come from privileged backgrounds, and attributed their success to their backgrounds. Thereby committing the fallacy of Post hoc ergo propter hoc.

That argument is very unfair to them, and dangerously gives the excuse merchants something to hold on to. Ironically, this is counter to his usual preaching of personal agency.

I'm not here to bat for @realFemiOtedola, I'm squeamish when I appear to “defend” Nigerian “Bankers” and “Oil Magnates” who made a lot of fortune from round tripping currency and fuel subsidy. To be clear, this is not just about Otedola, but the general argument that diminishes hard work of people that come from pedigree.

Femi Otedola’s dad was Governor for one year in the failed 3rd Republic alongside 29 other Governors, using a conservative 4 children per governor (my northern brehs, I hail o) we would have 120 children. Let's round it down to lazy maths and say 100. Is 1% of 3rd republic Governors children being successful 15 years after their dad was governor evidence that it was critical to their success? Kemi Olunoyo’s dad na former Governor too.

One of my favourite analysis on this privilege = success analysis na @Davido v. @wizkidayo. Both could not come from economic backgrounds further apart, and both have achieved similar extraordinary successes. But people lazily try to chuck down David's success to his dad. Or that @burnaboy dey shut down stadiums globally cos E grandpa dey manage Fela?

[Fact: Early in @Davido's career, it was thought that he was a big fabu master cos though he always said his dad had money, yet sakpa wan finish am. He spent all the time living in studios with shigbain].

If na by “my papa get moni” dem dey make am for music, B-Red is from the same wealth and started around the same time as Davido. We have DJ Cuppy. We had Ibe Kachikwu's son etc. Why dem no blow like Davido? Is @AsaAsika the only grandson of Ukpabi Asika or previous Regional Governors?

There is a lot of criticism of Dangote’s business practices from many including myself that's valid, but his famed maternal grandfather was ONE of 19 children of a very wealthy man. Does that automatically lead to insane wealth down the line? Then where are the other Dangotes?

In most cases, the inheritors of great wealth coast along. Receiving generous stipends all their lives. A simple rule (not exclusive) of the thumb is by who and how a person came to be known. “Davido's Father”; “Ibru’s Son”.

In fact, I'll argue exceptional wealth is actually a barrier to individual “extraordinary” success beyond their origin. I believe comfort is an antidote to the drive required to succeed, especially in areas outside your comfort zone.

In tech, I see a lot of people who excuse their way out “Jeff Bezos is only rich because his Step Father gave him $250K to start Amazon”. Really????? If I give you $250K you go return $1Trillion organization? Then there are those that say @elonmusk’s successes with PayPal, Tesla, SpaceX, Nuralink, are because his dad had an "Emerald Mine"

Lol. Cope.

One Nigerian founder once vehemently argued with me that the only reason his Social Network app was not as successful as Facebook was that Mark Zuckerberg had raised $1B. “If you give me just $100M I will...”. I tried to explain it was the traction that came first but e ear don block.

Some would argue that Yaradua became President because of his privilege, they will not tell you that all Nigerian Presidents after, and most before (until Shagari) were born into extreme poverty and in many cases not knowing their dads.

The better way to look at the data of the effect of economic privilege on outrageous success is to look at the data of all successful people in an area and see the percentage of them are privileged. If you squeeze data neck enough, you could even argue that poverty leads to success because explain why na only who grow from Ajegunle dey make am for music and football in Nigeria. Ajegunle privilege innit?

I remember when Adenuga’s son, Paddy, wrote a 10K word story on how he tried to acquire a refinery (basically they guy just dey grab lunch around the world) at the end of it all, it expectedly came to naught. Did he go at it again and again until he succeeded, like most successful people have to do? Nope. He just rewarded himself with a nice holiday.

And that is how it is for a lot of people with great wealth. The economic privilege keeps them in bangles. The best case scenario is that they barely sustain the wealth. So when you see someone that becomes extraordinarily successful beyond what they came into, it's important to remove your biases and try to see how they succeeded because, AND, in spite of any advantage you may think they had.

One last example - Chidi Ajaere, the son of GIG Motors. Would he have been in that transport business if he was not born into it? Highly unlikely. So he was definitely advantaged. Is that why he has multiplied the business? Definitely not. If na by that, where are Edegbe and the great Ekene Dili Chukwu today?

If you do read Femi Otedola book, do it with healthy scepticism, like you should with any book. Ignoring it because his dad was a Governor for < 2 years?

This doesn't compute.

PS: I think Ayo just dey sell agenda and in many cases, Agenda >>>>. Data must obey agenda 😂.

[Ibrahim Suleiman @edomaloybwg]

I've come to the conclusion that most Nigerians understand, process, and express Pity.

But you see Empathy?
Zero.

And that for me, is a scary scary thing for the society.

[Victor @NduOVictor]

I'm building for WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, Website widgets, and API.

Aim is to command every channel of communication. Nviti gives you a bridge to these channels. Coming soon, in a matter of days.

[Victoria Ndu @VictoriaNwanna]

@NduOVictor 🤣🤣🤣 when you came back to Lagos and rushed to buy agege bread, the disappointment on your face was premium just after one bite