We all know who seun is, if any of you doesn't know who he is then you are not a nairander and is not supposed to be here, well the person might be excused because this site is also for friends of nairanders. Seun whose full name is oluwaseun osewa hails from ogun state in the western region of nigeria. He is the owner, creator, and sole administrator of nairaland. He was born in 1982, I could write on and on on but that would use up most of the material i have reserved for the HISTORY OF NAIRALAND a category which would be coming soon. Below is the most recent interview which seun granted the renowned interviewer Dipo Tepede. Enjoy. ANOTHER INTERVIEW WITH THE NAIRALAND KING!
Seun’s first interview actually caused a snow ball on this site heated with accusations and counter accusations. Are all these allegations true? Seun decided to chat with me to clear the air on these accusations; he also talks about his dreams, future ambition and comments on HYIP. You really need to read about this young guy that has built one of Africa’s largest online forum- this forum is the second largest populated site in Nigeria (Alexa ratings). Why not sit back and enjoy the Nairaland King speak his mind……..
1. Wow, it’s been sometime now so what have you been up to?
I’ve been trying to find a real-life business to complement Nairaland.
I’ve researched so many businesses: comics, movies, sales agencies,
concierge services, libraries, video rental business,… and that’s
just the tip of the iceberg. But I’m yet to launch any one.
That’s because I’m too risk-averse. I’m so afraid of failure.
2. Do you know the nairaland.net admin personally or otherwise?
I know he’s a Nairaland member who got into a fight with me in the
webmaster section and got banned, but I’m not sure which one exactly.
I’ve not really done much to unmask his identity, though. If I really
wanted to know, I would in 30 minutes or so. but his beef is very
personal, I must say.
Because he’s paying for the nairaland.net domain, he has to keep
fighting me in order to grow his site. He can’t afford to forgive and
forget anymore. Isn’t that sad?
3. The nairaland.net admin has laid some accusations against you? Have you
heard them? What do you think of them?
Which accusations specifically? I’d like to respond to them one by
one as you raise them.
4. In one of the accusation, he calls you a liar and sees himself as a
protector of truth. What is your response to these allegations?
I’m not a liar; I’m an ethical businessman. I believe that trust is
the foundation of business. You can’t go to the market to buy
tomatoes if you’re afraid that the seller will take your money and run
away! You can’t partner with an untrustworthy person.
I strive to tell the truth at all times so I can in turn demand the
truth from others.
5. There is also one Paul Ola that described you as uneducated and
your forum is for uneducated people. What is your pick on that?
That’s not worth responding to. Educated people don’t say such things.
6. What are all these spams and bots and how can they covertly
register themselves to your forum?
As I indicated in my last interview, I spend a lot of my time deleting
spam accounts. This is a battle that every popular wiki, blog or
forum has to get into. And it’s no big deal, because I’m currently
winning the battle. I have made registration a bit more complex.
Read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spambot for more info.
7. So let’s move to other juicer stuff, so how far with your career?
Have you started the movies, plays, etc?
Alas, I’m yet to get the right script, so the dream has been suspended for now.
8. What challenges are you facing right now on film production and
what are you doing to ameliorate these challenges?
It’s easier to make money if you’re a film distributor or marketer,
but I want to be a producer. Yet, I don’t have a tolerance for the
financial risk involved, nor do I want to swindle investors into
sponsoring a movie that may fail to make a profit. Obviously, I’m
stuck!
9. Have you gotten a story for your film and what is the name of this film?
I believe I need a great story because that’s where Nigerian movies
are weak. You don’t need special effects and such, but you need a
good story. I don’t have one yet.
10. What is it like producing films in Nigeria and do you think your
film would be a second rated film?
It will have a first class story. In that respect, it won’t be second-rated.
11. What is your experience so far between e-commerce and traditional
marketing style?
Hmmm.
12. Do you believe you have done well for your age in terms of
entrepreneurship?
My age is not something I consider. Sometimes I feel I know nothing
about entrepreneurship and that I’m lucky to have Google Adsense to
save my neck. I seem to lack what it takes to do business with
Nigerians, but of course I’ll keep trying until I succeed at something
new.
13. If you have a chance to mentor someone (assuming you are not
mentoring anybody) as an entrepreneur; what would be your first advice
i.e. entrepreneur 101?
Advice: Read the Bootstrapper’s Bible:
http://www.nairaland.com/img/bootstrap.pdf
14. What do you feel about the rankings of Alexa.com stating that
Nairaland is the most populated forum and second most populated site
behind This Day?
I’d like to say “take that” to the people who claim I inflate my
traffic statistics.
http://www.alexa.com/browse?&CategoryID=25813
15. Apart from Alexa, what other prestigious rankings or accolades
have you bagged?
I’m not really into awards these days. As a webmaster, I think the
best award I can get is to see people falling in love with my site and
getting the advice they need.
16. Most people say you are cruel and stern in your approach to
corrections; if true, is there really a reason for all this?
I’m not cruel. How could you suggest such a ridiculous thing! I’m as
sweet as sugar! However, I can be very brusque because I just don’t
have enough time. I wish people could understand why this has to be
so. The time to cajole people to obey is just not there. If I have to
apologize for every post I have to delete, I will have to spend 72
hours a day just apologizing and Nairaland will never grow. Why
can’t we all just obey the rules?
17. What are your opinions as a business man towards schemes like
Nospetco, Treasurlink and Sefteg; would you get involved in these
schemes?
I think all pyramid schemes are scams. Even if you manage to make a
positive return, the people you introduce to the schemes will probably
lose their money. If they lose their money despite your assurances to
the contrary, then you have scammed them.
The scammer is not just the person who starts the scheme; everyone who
invites people to join the scheme is a potential scammer, because the
only way to avoid being scammed is to scam others. What a dirty
game!! People should avoid them at all costs!
18. Is there romance in sight for Seun and what are Seun’s
perspectives to marriage?
Send your CV to seun@nairaland.com for processing. (pretty ladies only!)
19. One last word, on the political situation in Nigeria and how it
affects you as an entrepreneur?
The government is ignoring its primary responsibility of maintaining
law and order and moving into industries best served by the private
sector. It is sad that with the police, courts and prisons in
disarray, our government has time and money to waste on white elephant
projects that will never work such as PHCN. It is sad that some
industries have been declared out of bounds to those of us who don’t
have billions. However, I am optimistic that hardworking people will
continue to thrive in this country. Somehow, we are still stumbling
in the right direction.
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