This is the greatest comeback story in history: At 12, This Man witnessed his father’s murder. Later Lost his life savings on 3 failed startups. Bet everything on one last idea. Today, his company is worth $3 billion. This is the story of Tope Awotona, the Nigerian-born tech. entrepreneur, founder of Calendly and the 3 lessons his journey teaches us about failure, resilience, and success: At just 12 years old, young Tope witnessed his father’s murder during a carjacking in Lagos. That moment shattered his world. But little did he know, this tragedy would ignite a fire within him, a drive to build something extraordinary. After his father’s death, Tope moved to America as a teenager. He studied computer science at the University of Georgia but found himself drawn to sales roles. Yet, something was missing. He wanted to create something that mattered. So, he took the leap into entrepreneurship. His first venture? An e-commerce site selling projectors. It failed His second startup? A garden tools business. It failed too His third attempt? A dating website. That also crashed and burned Each failure cost him time, money, and confidence. But each one also taught him something invaluable: His first failure exposed the importance of supply chain management. His second failure showed him the value of operational efficiency. His third failure taught him about market timing and the need for proper funding. By 2013, Tope was out of money, out of ideas, and out of options. But he wasn’t out of the fight. He had one last idea, and he went all in. Invested his entire life savings, $200,000, into a scheduling tool called Calendly . Friends thought he was crazy. Investors called the idea "boring" and "unscalable." But Tope had discovered a universal pain point: the endless back-and-forth emails just to schedule a single meeting. He knew this wasn’t just an annoyance, it was a productivity killer. With no external funding, Tope hired Ukrainian contractors to build the first version of Calendly. He kept it simple: A clean interface. Easy functionality. One core problem solved perfectly. And it worked. Calendly spread like wildfire. Freelancers loved its simplicity. Sales teams appreciated its efficiency. Recruiters shared it with their networks. By 2020, Calendly was generating over $70 million in annual recurring revenue. Then, COVID hit. The world shifted to remote work, and virtual meetings became the norm. Calendly became essential. In 2021, investors who once dismissed Tope’s idea poured in $350 million. Calendly’s valuation skyrocketed to $3 billion. Today, Tope Awotona is worth over $1 Billion dollars become the few Nigerian-born Entrepreneurs who has crossed the billionaire line The boy who witnessed tragedy in Lagos had built a tech empire. But His journey revealed three profound truths about success to Us: - Rejection is redirection Every failed startup taught Tope something critical. The lessons from those failures became the foundation for Calendly’s success. - Solve real problems Calendly didn’t chase trends, it solved a pain point Tope experienced firsthand. The best ideas come from personal frustration. - Constraints breed creativity With no funding, Tope focused on simplicity. That constraint became Calendly’s greatest strength. Tope Awotona’s story is proof that success isn’t about avoiding failure it’s about learning from it. So, the next time you face rejection, remember Tope Awotona’’s journey. Your greatest comeback could be just one idea away. #TechStories #calendly #tope

I JUST DEY VEX THIS MORNING. Guobadia was ordered to pay $40,000 a month in alimony, cover all costs for her to stay in their home for 36 months, and pay her legal fees. Williams also gets to keep the Rolls-Royce. And when the house is finally sold after 36months ( 3 years ) they will share the proceeds. And he has been deported back to Naaja. My Naija brother just loose guard for nothing . Pikin she no born for you . This baba naim yansh the most expensive kpekus for the history of Naaja. I never see a Naija man wey fall hand like this . He gained absolute Zero for the relationship- just kpekus from woman wey don born for another man...no be say she be young girl without a child oo.. If na Naaja this kind thing happen, dem go say she use jazz . Yankee women no dey do jazz . This was just a man carried away by kpekus. Young bro, learn oo...no loose guard or you pay dearly for it.

President Bola Tinubu will go down in Nigeria history, democratically as the most reckless, financially wasteful, with an appetite for borrowing, yet nothing to show for it. Tomorrow will mark 2 years he removed subsidy, the only thing Nigerians enjoyed from the government under the guise of saving and prudence. Where the subsidy money running into trillions of Naira goes into, we don't know, all we see is opposite, which is borrowing, borrowing ,borrowing in Dollars, Pounds, Euro, Yen and very soon, he will go for Cedis. Jagagban is steadily becoming a borrowing master.

The new pope is revealed as Robert Prevost of the US, the first American pope in history. He will be known as Leo XIV.

These are the achievements we must never fail to celebrate! They remind us, as Nigerians and Africans, that innovation is woven into our identity—just as it was for our forefathers. Our history is filled with innovators whose solutions addressed local challenges with global implications. Congratulations Oluwatobi Oyinlola

The DSTV van has arrived for broadcast to the entire continent of Africa. Let's make history together tomorrow at the first edition of Platform Africa.

PRESS RELEASE BY THE EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR OF RIVERS STATE My dear Rivers People, I address you today with a deep sense of responsibility and calm, as we navigate this unfortunate moment in our state’s political history. Since assuming office as your Governor, all my actions and decisions have been guided by my constitutional oath of office and a great sense of duty. We prioritized the protection of lives and property and ensured the continuous progress of our dear State. Even in the face of the political impasse, we have remained committed to constitutional order and the rule of law, putting the interest of our people above all else. This was why, immediately after Mr. President’s intervention to broker peace, we did not hesitate to implement the agreed terms in good faith, including welcoming back commissioners who had previously resigned on their own volition. Furthermore, we moved swiftly to comply with the Supreme Court's judgement immediately we received the certified true copy of the judgement to return the state to normalcy. These steps were taken not for personal gains but to foster peace, unity and stability in our dear State. Unfortunately, at every turn, members of the Rivers State House of Assembly frustrated our efforts, thus making genuine peace and progress difficult. Our priorities remained the security of lives and property and advancing the well-being and prosperity of Rivers people. Yes, we have political disagreements, but good governance had continued, salaries have been paid, and great projects were being executed to move the State forward. Above all, Rivers State is safe, secure and peaceful under our watch. At this critical time, I urge all Rivers people to remain peaceful and law-abiding. We will engage with all relevant institutions to ensure that our democracy remains strong and that Rivers State continues to thrive. We have always been resilient people, and we will face this situation with wisdom, patience, and unwavering faith in the democratic process. God bless Rivers State. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Sir, Siminalayi Fubara, GSSRS

Interestingly IBB in his book has cleared the air on the false narratives that have led to hate of the Igbo people that the 1966 coup was an “Igbo coup”. Read Excerpts on page 38 & 39 below. Unfortunately, the people benefiting from the false narratives want to surpress the information so it doesn’t get round. No thanks to the unreading public. This is why they have removed history from our curriculum and interests, so that we continue to dwell in misinformation and ignorance while they use it as propaganda against us. IBB also affirmed that MKO Abiola won the 1993 elections.

I received the news of the passing of one of the Afenifere leaders, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, with profound sorrow. Nigeria has lost a political leader whose decades of unwavering struggle for justice, democracy, and national unity have left an indelible mark on our nation’s history.