One of the adornments of local communities is a TEDx event where their local ideas are refined and their narratives are redefined.
On Saturday, May 13th 2023, the local town of Oyo was a hurly-burly of excitement as it hosted its first community-based TEDx event called TEDxAllianceWay. It was an electrifying event where innovative ideas, thought-provoking talks and inspirational stories converged under the theme “Evolve.”
The event, held at Atiba University Hall, Isokun had an infectious energy which reverberated throughout the day as attendees, ranging from students and professionals to entrepreneurs and community leaders, gathered to immerse themselves in the power of ideas. Regardless of their inclinations, everyone present at the event found an idea that stood out and resonated with them.
Emphasizing the goal of the event and how it strongly ties with the theme, Abdul Azeez Abass Abiola, the licensee of TEDxAllianceWay shared during his opening speech, “We have a strong conviction that today’s discussions will lead to outstanding ideations and that our ideations will lead to actions. And that our actions to fruition. We see this congregation as one which is poised to bring about a form of evolution.”
The carefully curated speaker delivered a series of talks that resonated with the audience and left an indelible impact.
Steven Loya, fondly regarded as the Future Minister of Education in Nigeria, as the first speaker at the event charged the audience that by unlocking the power of education, we can create a world of possibilities.
The second speaker was Hammed Kayode Alabi, the founder of KLCI. He emphasized the need for students to thrive beyond going to school. His passional talk nudged youths to be willing to sacrifice for dreams.
Another standout talk of the day was by Atoro Ibukun, a tech-savvy who shared his journey of embracing technological innovations.
It was like the talk of life when Ayo Akinpelu, a visionary entrepreneur and the driving force behind Soft Collections, spoke on how we can efficiently run a business to become rich. He shared the biggest five mistakes he made in his entrepreneurship journey and how best to elude them.
Ojo Boluwatife Emmanuel was also part of the formidable lineup of speakers at the event. The young astute leader shared the biggest lessons he has learnt in his journey of becoming. He encouraged the participants to find purpose and leverage the power of people to learn and grow.
Speaking last at the event was the phenomenal Oyo-blooded historian, Adejare Ibrahim. His talk on History 101 was an icing as he blew the entire hall away with his soul-piercing discussion on the need to be conscious of where we are coming from while we approach our destination.
Away from the talks, the event was brightened up by the wonderful performance from Jolade Tella who is fondly called The Human Calculator. His extraordinary talent with numbers surpassed the imagination of everyone.
Another amazing performance was the spoken word poem by Gbaruko Onyekachi popularly known as Kachi Fire.
While the experience at TEDxAllianceWay was different for every participant, some words with which they could describe the event are captivating, mind-blowing, fantastic, inspiring, surreal, awesome, great and so on.
The event was graced by important personalities including Prince Ajibola Alarape Afonja, the former Chairman of First Bank of Nigeria who is also the grand patron of the event, Siyanbola Saheed Akinkunmi, CEO of Omo Iya Kunmi Foundation, Olorunpoto Cephas Rahaman, Member-Elect Oyo East/Oyo West State Constituency and Lukman Ismail, CEO of S.A. Adewole Communications and a host of others.
Reflecting on the success of the event, the TEDxAllianceWay team gave attributions to the ever-dedicated volunteers, amazing sponsors and partners, and some important cornerstones of Oyo who demonstrated a huge commitment to the project.
TEDxAllianceWay undoubtedly left an indelible mark on attendees, igniting a spark of curiosity, innovation, and inspiration within them. The thought-provoking talks and networking sessions provided a fertile ground for leap growth. Thus, it fosters a collective momentum for progress and innovation in the ancient town of Oyo.
