Theme: Breaking Through the Box

Udeme sits in class all day, looking out the window, his sights are set on something he can’t quite seem to put a finger on. He struggles with calculus and building mechanics, coursework he is definitely not interested in; “Keep the faith and stay strong, it will all be over by graduation” he tells himself. The struggle continues until he gets a white collar job and once again becomes another merry addition to the rat race. This is a story we’re all too familiar with, in fact this is the ‘MODEL’ story, a bit boring don’t you think? If you think so too, I bet you are going to like what comes next.

The first edition of TEDxUnilag, tagged: “Breaking Through the Box,” aims to look into topics centered around ushering young vibrant Nigerians (and people of the world) into a new thought dispensation. Issues on creativity, innovation, and a conscious shift away from the conventional way of doing things will be covered.

With carefully selected speakers that have managed to break through the box in their respective fields, each sharing and exploring unique stories and new ideas, we hope to tackle the mindset of the average Nigerian: resistant to change and alternative methods. To show young Nigerians that: practices are not set in stone, and you can break through the mould. There are people in our world consciously striving to do things differently and to show that change is possible.

University of Lagos
Akoka
Lagos, Lagos
Nigeria

Cecilia Okpo

Cecilia is a writer, spoken word artist and student of Law at the University of Lagos.

Chibuzo Ikonta

Owner and creator of the Body Language Studio and head capoeirista in Nigeria. He has created a platform for which dance and body movement can be appreciated in Nigeria and taken to a new level. He is an alumni of the University of Lagos.

David Apaflo

David Apaflo is the founder of Shelze Consulting, an SME focused accounting and tax advisory firm. His work experience spans accounting, taxation, investment banking and corporate strategy. He has worked with Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, Vetiva Capital Management, ARM Investment Managers, CardinalStone Partners and the Lagos State Government. He is a mentor to several young people and he sits on the board of Square Foundation an NGO dedicated to improving education in Africa. He currently serves as business adviser to over 15 startup and early stage companies in Africa. He became an Associate Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) at 19. and has a degree in accounting from the University of Lagos, Nigeria.

Eric Utere

Eric Isaac Utere, popularly known as Leri Q, is a music producer and sound engineer at Aristokrat Records. He started producing music at age 13. He comes from a family of creatives and artists.

Funfere Koroye

Funfere koroye is the Assistant Design Technologist at Day Water Man College in Nigeria. He has degrees in Industrial Design and Product Development. He also has an Apprentice Diploma in Footwear Building. He is a product developer, design engineer, and industrial designer with a flair for designing original, innovative and functional footwear. He is the founder of Fusion Kevlar which specializes in editorials, product design, product photography, branding and lifestyle. He is an avid lover of fine art, product design. He is actively involved in community service and has interned at Idea Builders initiative.

Kene Udeze

‘Kene Udeze is a user-interface designer & front-end developer. He is the User Experience Lead at Co-Creation Hub, Nigeria. He also runs the UXLagos Community. He works with startups to develop products with a user centered design approach and to carry out usability tests to improve user experience of existing products. He is interested in volunteering for causes around child education. He has a degree in Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Lagos and a Diploma in Software Development.

Kunle Idowu

Kunle Idowu is an Ndani tv comedian and actor. He is popularly known as Frank Donga from the YouTube comedy series “The Interview – A Tale of Frank Donga”.

Seun Odukoya

Seun Odukoya is a freelance writer, a poet and an award winning author. He has published three books: For Days and A Night, a free ebook; Songs About AIDS, a free e-comic; and Saving Dapo, his newly released book which is also his first print book. He has a degree in Educational Psychology from the University of Ado Ekiti (UNAD).

Wale Adetula

Wale Adetula is the founder of TheNakedConvos, an interactive community designed to create safe spaces where young Africans engage in open and honest conversations. He is a marketing professional with extensive knowledge in digital media marketing and brand management. He has worked with global brands such as Nokia, HP, Samsung, GTBank, and DHL. He is a self proclaimed unrepentant media addict. He has a BSc in Systems Engineering from the University of Lagos and an MSc in Media and Communication from Pan Atlantic University.

Yemisi Bokinni

Yemisi is a medical doctor who qualified with an MBBS degree and BSc (Hons) in Human Genetics from King’s College London. Her primary interests lie in Africa-focused healthcare policy and investments in health and biomedical infrastructure. Over the past 7 years, Yemisi has developed a portfolio of experience in medical technology for eye care, healthcare financing and public health at institutions in the United Kingdom, China, Ghana, South Africa and Nigeria. She recently began her career as a Junior Doctor in Gastroenterology at the Cambridge University NHS Foundation Trust for a short period, prior to orientating her efforts towards projects targeted towards facilitating the further development of medical infrastructure in sub-Saharan Africa. She is the Founder of ‘Daily Run Africa’, a health initiative focussed on agriculture, nutrition, sports and fitness in Africa through weekly discussions, interviews and video documentary.