With each year, it becomes clearer to the editorial board at YNaija, the premium our annual New Establishment list places on the work of young emerging players in diverse field within Nigeria.

Providing that first wave of recognition for the work that the men and women of our annual lists do in the communities is important for their growth and for our commitment to support innovation, courage and personal excellence.

Many of the alumni of our lists have gone on to do fantastic things, proving yet again, that our lists sieve through the morass of activity and nepotism that clog our creative industries and highlights the hidden gems within.

This year’s list is no different; from multi-disciplinary artists securing prestigious placements, self-taught developers founding some of the web’s most celebrated platforms, entrepreneurs breaking barriers on social entrepreneurship and activists galvanising the globe into action, the New Establishment class 2019 has proven they have the mettle to take on the world.

Entertainment, Culture, Technology, Advocacy, Media, Politics, Enterprise, Fashion

ENTERPRISE

Dipo Awojide (OgbeniDipo)

Dipo Awojide’s online persona OgbeniDipo has become synonymous with career development and self-improvement in Nigeria, an association that has come as a result of years of self-service. A senior lecturer at the Nottingham Business School and founder of BTDT Hub, career development start-up that helps young professionals align their career expectations with their skills and qualifications, Awojide has spent the last four years successfully helping young Nigerians find the joy in work and excitement in creating and crushing goals. He is also the founder of Ambidextrous Consult, a strategy firm that helps organizations streamline their internal structures to prioritize employees and create better, more inclusive workplaces.

He is a constant presence on social media, motivating young people to take their futures in their hands, offering valuable advice about internships, scholarships and other opportunities for personal and professional advancement. The effort that he has put into mentoring on social media has been reflected back in the phenomenal growth he has experienced on his social media platforms, tripling his follower base and positioning him as one of the de-facto figure heads for the future of enterprise and a champion of self-improvement in the country. And Ogbenidipo has no plans of slowing down.

Oluwaseun Ayansola (Founder, Commercially Aware/Woke Gen initiative)

With a first-class degree honours and accolades for being the best overall student from the notorious Faculty of Law at the Obafemi Awolowo University Oluwaseun Ayansola was clearly destined a leader in his set and an innovator with plans to change the world. But even while in school Ayansola was already showing signs of greatness. He was invited to attend the International Law Weekend by the American Branch of the International Law Association, the only Nigerian given the privilege his year. With graduate internships at the Nigerian Stock Exchange and revered consulting firms KPMG and Pricewater Cooper, Ayansola has had a diverse understanding of how business works in the country.

A legal internship at commercial law firm Sefton Fross, where he helped draft Nigeria’s newest Microfinance Bill would cement his interest in business and give him the push he needed to start Commercially Aware, his business that was created to connect young entrepreneurs to business opportunities by delivering business news and latest updates from the stock and opportunities markets. Commercially Aware also deconstructs information from business and capital markets into digestible factoids, Infographics and video accessible to young students and professionals looking to understand the industry.

Tayo Fabusiwa (Founder, Legal Pages)

Nigerian universities are hard. They are especially hard for students in the STEM disciplines, who not only carry the expectations of their families but also the quirks and idiosyncrasies of their tutors. Information is often scarce, and access is granted only to a favoured few. Tayo Fabusiwa first noticed this when he gained admission to study Law at the Obafemi Awolowo University where he threw himself into the university community, joining the University’s tax club and intellectual property law Club and founded the Advance Dispute Resolution club (ADR).

Challenged by a lack of information and resources for students without a pre-existing network either within or outside the school’s legal department, Fabusiwa began to compile information on and offline, eventually creating the Legal Pages website as a one stop resource for law students across the country seeking information about law firms, internship and scholarship options for students. Legal Pages currently publishes a magazine, interfaces with students for their needs during and after university and engages students looking for career advancement opportunities. Fabusiwa also works with Commercially aware, a non-profit startup created by Oluwasola Ayansola to help young graduates formulate tangible business plans and succeed in the entrepreneurship space.

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