Obasanjo’s Internet – Ajibola Grey

Did you know that there are approximately 4.66 billion active internet users worldwide? Can you imagine all the different ways in which we all use the internet? Obasanjo’s Internet is our interview series where we speak to some of our internet favourites on how they relate to the internet and what it means to them and their work. This week, content creator and social media influencer Ajibola Grey shows us around his corner of Obasanjo’s Internet. 

What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?

The first thing I do when I wake up is say my prayers. I don’t say it out loud, but I do pray before I open my eyes. Then I go on Twitter and head straight to DammyB’s page to retweet all of her vendors’ tweets. 

How do you use the internet for work or pleasure?

For both actually, and also as a coping mechanism.

What moment or episode in your life would you say captured the essence of the internet?

I think it was the time I recorded a voice note for FK Abudu and it blew up out of nowhere, I didn’t even see it coming. I recorded the voice note as a joke with my agbero persona and it kind of blew up.

https://twitter.com/TheAjibolaGrey/status/1331942242722963456?s=20&t=NIQaW8oO6U1a0IKcc9p8bQ

Your favourite social media platform and why?

Twitter. It’s a platform where you can have actual conversations with people, unlike other platforms where you just go through the content. On Twitter, you can reason with people and observe their thought processes through the things that they tweet. I call Twitter the correctional app because if you think you can just pop in there and say anything, people will definitely school you. I think Twitter doubles as both the most educational social media platform and the most toxic one. It’s also the funniest social media platform, a lot of the content on Instagram and Facebook comes from Twitter.

What was the last meme you saved?

Do you remember the first time something you posted went viral? What was it? How did it make you feel?

I really can’t remember the first thing I posted that went viral, what I do remember is the first time a tweet of mine went properly viral. It was a voice note I recorded for Wizkid and it went really viral. I had to mute the conversation later on because it really went viral. I was overwhelmed because it was a whole lot, my mentions were blowing up and my followers were increasing, people had different opinions about the voice note. In the voice note, I was praising Wizkid so, of course, other fan bases came at me. After that instance, I just mute any viral tweets and move ahead from the conversation so it’s not too overwhelming for me.

@wizkidayo pic.twitter.com/qzMOUgd3OA

— ODINAKA. El Toro. (@TheAjibolaGrey) October 29, 2020

What’s the most outrage you have ever generated over something you posted? How did you react to it?

I don’t exactly tweet out of pocket. But then last year, 3rd of July to be precise, Lilo made a post about people buying fake designer items and then she posted this picture of her Rolex. I went ahead to quote the tweet with something along the lines of “even the Rolex is fake.” It wasn’t exactly a tweet that generated outrage, but she ratioed me by replying to my tweet with the receipt of the watch.

https://twitter.com/Liloaderogba/status/1410709339669733377?s=20&t=NIQaW8oO6U1a0IKcc9p8bQ

I managed to make light of the situation by turning it into a joke, I hosted a space about it, ranted and everything and everyone just laughed over it. Jola even made a whole thread chronicling the Twitter space I held. I don’t think I really post anything controversial because I realised that sometimes you have to keep your opinions to yourself and I don’t think I want strangers on the internet insulting me over a harmless tweet. I’ve learnt that people will always take your tweets out of context, especially when they are controversial.

What rules do you live by on the internet?

Mind your business, stay in your lane, and you don’t have to contribute to every topic. I know it can be very hard to hold back your opinions, especially when you feel very convinced that you are right and correct, but sometimes you have to hold back your opinions. I will never argue my reality with people on the internet. When it comes to personal things about myself, I keep it out of the internet entirely, it’s just love and light.

What is your guiltiest online pleasure?

That will be going through beautiful women’s media. I might not follow them, but some people are really fine and I just enjoy looking at beautiful women. But that stopped after I got married to my beautiful wife, DammyB and now all I do is go through her tweets.

Would you say you have an online persona?

When people meet me in person, they realise that this is a different person from who they met on the internet. I’m more composed, articulate and eloquent, I speak a lot of English. At the same time, I can switch to the agbero persona if the need arises. So on the internet, I relate to the streets and the trenches more. 

What’s your favourite emoji and why?

😂I’m always laughing on the timeline, so I use it a lot. ❤️too because I have so much love to give, so I just show everybody love, and also because I’m a Yoruba man.

Are you particular about your feed?

Yes I am.

YouTube or TikTok? Which do you prefer and why?

YouTube, because I learn a lot of stuff on YouTube. I cook and a lot of recipes I use, I have to go on YouTube to learn them. Also, I’m a millennial.

Which Nigerian creator do you think the world needs to see and hear more of? 

Agba and Vader and Igbowolf

Who is the coolest person you follow and the coolest person who follows you? 

 They are all crackheads, except for DammyB of course, in fact she’s the coolest person I follow. The coolest person that follows me is DammyB.

 What is your favourite Nigerian podcast?

I Said What I Said and Tea With Tay. 

Have you ever hooked up with someone you met online? 

Can’t I lie? Well, I have hooked up with a couple of people from the internet. 

5 people you’d love to see answer these questions

@vader_wildcard, @theigbowolf, @layiwasabi, @UTisKore, @jesuischiby