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Obasanjo’s Internet – Honour Aghedo

Posted on by Damilola Oyeleke

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 favorites on how they relate to the Internet and what it means to them and their work. This week, the Project Manager at ONErpm, Honour Aghedo, talks to us about how he uses Obasanjo’s Internet. 

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

So this is strictly right now because the NBA season is on. I wake up three times, At 2 am or 3 am to watch the NBA matches. Then I wake up at around 5 a.m. because I hate Lagos traffic and I have to go to work early. So when I wake up early, the first thing I do is to check the recap of the NBA match that I’ve missed – if I can watch the highlights or final quarter of the match. Then I say a quick prayer, open my You Version bible app, and read the verse of the day. After that, I check in with my good friend, stretch, and get ready for work. If I’m not going to work, I’m sleeping till 7:30 or 8 am then I stretch and do everything and go to the gym. I’m trying to get my summer body ready so I can look like Usher Raymond. 

How do you use the internet for work or pleasure?

Both of them. So here’s the thing, I think pleasure gives this creative juice that you apply to work and make work more fun. I work as a project manager at ONErpm so I create strategy, do content marketing, and press releases, and liaise with the content team and directions. So I’m on Twitter getting ideas on what to add to our marketing campaigns. I don’t know if you’ve seen Ajebo Hustlers’ album announcement where they used musicians as cartoon characters. That was gotten from social media. So it’s work and pleasure at the same time. 

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

So I’m the biggest SDC fan. I’ve been a fan since 2010. In 2011, when they dropped a record I’d always be the guy tweeting their records like “Guys this is interesting.”  I loved music and just believed people deserved to listen to it. I was in everyone’s DMs, tweeting at them, telling them they needed to hear these people. I even did a review for them. At this point, I’d never met these guys o, I was excited to be a fan. We finally met in 2015. They played me unreleased music and we bonded. 

In 2017, I was rounding up my NYSC program in Osun State and I also had a challenging Marketing exam. I got a DM from TEC saying he was working on an EP and asking if I was in Lagos, and that he wanted me to be a part of it. I wasn’t in Lagos o, but I was going to be in Lagos. I and an old friend of mine who is a videographer met up with him. While they were sharing ideas, I was listening to the music and writing notes. When I left, I just started posting snippets of the lyrics “Pardon me, Goddess, you wouldn’t mind if I sat here a while cause you’re just my type.” People started asking where the lyrics were from and I’d say “SDC. Palmwine Music. Coming soon” I was just hinting at lyrics and people kept asking me where I got them from. Then Wale was like “This thing you’re doing is making sense o.” I was like “Ehn. It is? I don’t know o but thank you.” And then I asked people who wanted to be part of the listening session to sign up. It was at the listening part I met one of my mentors Chin Okeke and I expressed my interest in working with him. We exchanged contacts and asked me to send my CV. That’s how I got into the entertainment industry and live events.

Your favorite social media platform and why?

Twitter. I’m still not used to calling it X. Twitter is my favorite because you’re not the smartest person in the room. If you are open to learning, you’ll learn so much. You’ll see things from different angles, it will blow your mind. For example, I don’t have to agree with @sugarbelly’s opinion but I can recognize that it is very curated and articulated. There’s another guy who in 2021 spoke about wheat prices going high and how that will affect the cost of bread. In 2023, bread was over N1000, now bread is N1,500. There is also @Thevunderkind who is like he can be anything he wants to be. I’ve seen him go from live, to entertainment. Twitter is an interesting place. You’re seeing people’s opinions evolve in real time and you see them rebrand too. 

 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?

It would be in 2021 when I worked on Justin Beiber’s Peaches remix. I remember tweeting “Yesterday’s dream, Today’s reality, tomorrow’s history.” Fast forward to 2022, I’m working on Justin Bieber’s Beautiful Love produced by Masterkraft. I facilitated their production and handled the clearance and negotiations for it. I worked on that in 2022, but I didn’t know when it came out. I went to see Masterkraft and then he thanked me and told me that the record was out. It was a full circle moment because before that I had worked with Akon. So I tweeted that and I was getting a lot of congratulatory messages. At some point, thank you don dey pain me so I just muted the tweet. 

 

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

I tweeted “Jesse Jagz is not underrated, he is rated just fine and he is probably overrated” I got calls and DMs telling me I was saying nonsense. I was like, “I’m not saying nonsense.” This guy says “cease fire, retire, desire.” What is he saying? “Open my window I stare, are you there?” And you’re calling it bars. My nigga is rated just fine. He says rhythms to sound cool but when you clock it, omo na one big wash. 

What rules do you live by on the internet?

First things first, be respectful. Some people could say stuff that doesn’t make sense and I’ll want to respond but I check myself if it starts to sound mean. By the time I finish paraphrasing, I ask myself if it’s worth it – giving someone engagement for something he probably knows does not make sense. 

Two, don’t disrespect women. I’ve seen people undermine women in real life. Don’t do it on the internet, it is way more disrespectful. What else do I live by? Drink water and mind your business. I’m learning not to rant anymore. 2024 is not the year for ranting. I ranted last year. This year, I want to live and laugh. 

What is your guiltiest online pleasure?

You see, when a record drops? I don’t go to my page. I just search the artist on Twitter to get proper feedback because people I know are probably biased. You get the real feedback on Twitter. Also, I have friends who I gossip with. What we don’t say on the TL, we say it in the group chat. That is also my guilty pleasure. I gossip a lot. 

Would you say you have an online persona?

Ah. Even in real life, they say I have different personas so I guess I do. I mean, my Twitter handle is called @kelvinlouhe and that’s not my name. 

What’s your favorite emoji and why?

The laughing emoji. My good friend always cracks me up so this is my most recent emoji. 

Are you particular about your feed?

IG feed? Yes. And this year I need to be more intentional about posting more. My feed is always things that I have on my phone; either my face or nature. And then the next post will probably be my art – cause I design too. Since I got a new ID account, I don’t post as much as I like to, but this year I’d like to change that. 

YouTube or TikTok? Which do you prefer and why?

YouTube! Frank Ocean’s mixtape is not on TikTok, it’s on YouTube. It’s not on any other DSP except YouTube. Also, whatever I’m looking for in terms of knowledge, research purposes, or banter, I find on YouTube. Fun fact, I’ve never watched 500 Days of Summer but I know a lot about it because I have watched a lot of clips on YouTube. I know the scenes and the conversations in the comment section. I mean, it’s probably the same on TikTok but I don’t see 500 Days of Summer on TikTok, I see it on YouTube. I don’t go looking for things on TikTok, but YouTube? That’s where I roll. That’s where I shine. 

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

My boy, Deji Osikoya AKA Dr Elijah. Deji has 9 lives. Deji went from music to tech, now he is doing comedy. He is living his best life. He has one of the dopest voices ever. When he says “Hi,” I’ll be like “Okay o, I’m not introducing you to any babe I’m talking to, please. I love you, but I can’t do that.” He is a dope actor. He is currently in Skinny Girl In Transit, season 7 as Doctor Elijah. The world needs to see Deji Osikoya more. 

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

A new friend of mine, Kayafat. A few of my friends and I went for a friendship reunion in Ghana, where I met Kafayat. I got to realize that she’s one of the coolest people. Her stories are very funny. 

The coolest person who follows me has to be my cousin Peter Osagie. I call him fashionista. He pretty much influenced my fashion. You know how back in 2012, people were sagging? My cousin went to Babcock so he stopped sagging. He made it look cool. Everything about him was so cool. 

What is your favorite Nigerian podcast?

I have two. The hosts of the first one, Submaroach, are troublemakers. I saw one of them recently and I said “Thank you for trying to be consistent now.” They kill me every single time – on one of my favorite episodes they were trolling my artist. And then With An S, my friends, Deji and Sharon are hosts on the podcast. They are doing something cool. And there is Music in Time. I don’t get to listen to podcasts as much as I’d like but those are the ones I listen to. 

Have you ever hooked up with someone you met online? Did you regret it? 

Yes and according to Moelogo, live life with no regrets. 

5 people you’d love to see answer these questions

Chin Okeke, Hillary Essien, Kafayat, Shakez (Akachi) and Kemi Israel (A&R at ONErpm)

Read previous Obasanjo’s Internet entries here.