Obi Asika

“Leadership is not about popularity, which is one thing Nigerians need to understand. Leadership is responsibility, leadership is doing the right stuff and sometimes the right stuff is the hard stuff, it is not popular, but it is what needs to be done.”

“The bottom-line is this – if you give up on what you are going to do, go to London and get the dough, what is your alternative? I don’t have a plan B; Nigeria is my plan A, B, C and D. The second thing is this – the entire world since 2009/10 has been on the ‘Africa on the rise’ narrative.”

“It is a confluence of a number of factors. There were people like me who were coming from strategic positions and believed that there was value in what our people do, and that value needed to be celebrated and put on a particular level.”

“Sometimes if you are lucky, you tap into the energy of your environment and your people, I am a firm believer in the confluence of culture and technology that is really where I am sitting right now. I believe that utilising technology to globalise our culture.”

“I think in Nigeria, we don’t even discuss failure. It is as if nobody failed, whereas we know that many of us have failed and continue to fail in our personal business enterprises. For me it is first about being honest with oneself about the reasons why an enterprise is not working; whether it’s business, personal or environmental, and then deciding on how to change it.”

“Most young Nigerians are focused on how to get a job, but entertainment becomes worthy of youth because it gives them an alternative expression. I think success in any aspect of life is measurable, and for me, success is not based on how much money you make but it is based on how much impact you have had.”

“It is an ongoing process. Your challenges are always the same: access to capital, try not to be too far ahead of the curve, I have always had that situation. So you are doing things that your environment really does not understand or is not ready for yet.”

“The key drive has always been passion and respect – for artistic integrity, for artistic talent across all elements of creative expressions: from an architect to a software developer, from a football player to a musician and film director. I happen to believe that film is the highest form of art in terms of creative expression. I think writing is the foundation of everything. Without the written word, you cannot begin to imagine the visual.”