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A Web3Bridge cohort member who forgot he had applied.

Just under six minutes in Ikorodu, Lagos with a Web3Bridge Cohort 12 member, the sixth episode in the run of short interviews We Them Media filmed as the cohort wrapped.

Web3Bridge founder Ayodeji Awosika opens from the same building, counting the cohort in and out and listing the countries applications for the next one came from.

The introduction is brief and the audio is against it: a name, a state, and “So I’m a front-end developer.” He came in through a friend, another developer, who told him to bring his skills to the course.

Asked how crypto is seen in Nigeria, he answers with what the school corrected. “we have some people nowadays, they use Web3 for scamming”, he says, where at the course “they are going to show you how to make your own money and you really understand the law of blockchain”. He rates it high: “one of the best platforms in Africa right now to show you how Web3 really works, how blockchain is really used”.

The story about the entrance test is the best thing on the tape. “I registered for the bootcamp online. I’ve forgotten that I registered for them”, he says, until the mail arrived saying he had a test that morning. “So they gave us tests of like 2 hours. For the next 30 minutes, I’m done with it.” The lesson he draws is not about talent. “Web3 Bridge actually taught me how to manage my time”, he says, because “they train us with time constraints. So you have to know how to manage your time.”

What he came for is plain: “I want to become a smart contract dev and to know more about blockchain”, and what he is leaving with is confidence rather than a certificate. “So I’m very confident in myself now to build on blockchain.”

Asked why building on chain matters, he puts it as a market rather than a movement. “Web3 is actually taking the world right now. Web2 is not giving what people need right now.” Building now “is going to be a very big opportunity”, he says, and “it’s solving a very big solution that Web2 cannot solve”.

His advice to anyone hesitating is a timetable, not a pitch: “it’s not too late. You can jump on the train right now.” Then the practical case, which several people in this series make the same way: “there’s food for you, there’s light, and you just have to come to class, learn, and have fun.”

The project is called Block, “a platform whereby you can subscribe for your subscription”, television and water bills among them. The MVP is done and the team is trying to launch.

What is in it

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Transcript

Transcribed and speaker-separated with AssemblyAI from the original audio, so nothing is masked. The letters are the model's speaker labels, not names; fillers are dropped by the model. Names corrected. Published in full so it can be read, searched and quoted. Search every transcript →

0:00AYeah, Web3 is essentially taking the world right now. Web2 is not giving what people need right now. So I think Web3 is giving us what we need now. To build on blockchain now is going to be a very big opportunity and it’s bringing more money and it’s solving a very big solution that Web2 cannot solve.

0:31BHello everyone, my name is Ayodeji Awosika. I’m the founder at Web3 Bridge. For the last 5 and a half years, Web3 Bridge has been training amazing developers in Nigeria and in Africa. Trust me, 4th Wave was amazing. We had 74 guys into the course, 89 guys graduated from the course. They are intense. But then 4th Session is going to be bigger than this 12th course because we’ve had guys apply from Cameroon, from Togo, from Kenya, from Zimbabwe, from Uganda, and yes, Nigeria is not left out. Trust me, you don’t want to miss the experience. Today I’m chilling with Matthew and his team at WeBe Media. Yeah, speaking with the guys I just finished from the court. Make sure you watch that. As we say here at With the Media, in 3, 2, 1, booyah!

1:12CWhat’s up, how fun, Albert? Welcome. Can you introduce yourself? Tell us, you know, your name, what state you’re from, and your tribe.

1:18AYeah, my name is Bam Gouya Elise Mizokwe. So I’m from Ocean State. So I’m a front-end developer.

1:24COkay, okay. And how did you learn about Web3?

1:27AYeah, I had about a 3 from French. His name is Black Adam. Adewale Yanonwa. So I’m a Web2 developer. So it was the one that introduced Web3 to me that I have to develop my games to come to Web3 Bridge.

1:42CAnd you say your friend introduced you to Web3 and to crypto. Yeah. How do you feel you see like the overall way people here in Nigeria see crypto and blockchain?

1:51AYeah, I think it is a very It’s a very big opportunity for me to join Web3 Bridge. And Web3 Bridge is one of the best platforms in Africa right now to show you how Web3 really works, how blockchain is really used. Because we have some people nowadays, they use Web3 for scamming. But in Web3 Bridge, they are going to show you how to make your own money and you really understand the law of blockchain.

2:18CAnd I’m curious how you would describe your experience being here, part of Web3 Bridge.

2:23AYeah, actually, yeah, my experience in Web3 Bridge is very fantastic. I think I’m grateful for myself to attend Web3 Bridge because Web3 Bridge actually taught me how to manage my time. So I think I registered for the bootcamp online. I’ve forgotten that I registered for them. So I just saw their mail this morning that I have tests with them. So they gave us tests of like 2 hours. For the next 30 minutes, I’m done with it. So, uh, when I check back, I noticed that it’s Web3 Builder actually training with that. So they train us with time constraints. So you have to know how to manage your time. So I’m very grateful for you to come to Web3 Builder.

3:02CAnd how would you describe your experience of mentorship here?

3:05AYeah, uh, my experience here is, um, uh, I have experience with the, the old stuff, um, with my friend also, uh, With the CEO also, I connect with a lot of people also. So I really like my experience.

3:24CAnd out of coming here, what are you looking to accomplish?

3:27AYeah, yeah, coming here, yeah, I want to become a smart contract dev and to know more about blockchain, as that’s the goal for me to come here. And I’m grateful. So right now I know more about blockchain. So I’m very confident in myself now to build on blockchain.

3:47COkay. And why do you feel like it’s important for people to be building on the blockchain?

3:50ASorry?

3:51CWhy do you feel like it’s important for people to be building on the blockchain?

3:54AYeah, I think Web3 is actually taking the world right now. Web2 is not giving what people need right now. So I think Web3 is giving us what we need now. So to build on blockchain now, is going to be a very big opportunity and is bringing more money and is solving a very big solution that Web2 cannot solve.

4:18CAnd I’m curious, what advice would you give to somebody thinking about applying to Web3 Bridge?

4:24AYeah, my advice is it’s not too late. You can jump on the train right now. And if you want to learn on Web3, I will advise you to come to Web3 Bridge. And this is the best platform that’s going to give you light, very comfortable way to sleep. And we are not thinking about food. food. There’s food for you, there’s light, and you just have to come to class, learn, and have fun.

4:46CAnd as the cohort wraps up, you’re completing a project as well. I’m curious, what have you been working on?

4:51AYeah, okay. I and my team, we are working on Block. So Block is a platform whereby you can subscribe for your subscription, maybe your TV, um, GGS TV. Uh, you can pay for your water bill, uh, some others. stuff, you can pay for it. So right now we are done with the MVP. So we are trying to launch. We are trying to launch now. So you can reach out to us on Twitter, um, um, eLock app on Twitter, Twitter Android. Yeah, way to find more about us on Twitter.

5:22CThat’s beautiful. And to wrap up, a question we like to ask people, we like to say, ask people, but we like to say booyah when we clap and close out our interviews. How do you think we spell booyah here at We Them Media?

5:33AYeah, B-W-Y-A-H.

5:36COkay, you want to count us down and we’ll say it?

5:39AYeah, 3, 2, 1.

5:42CBooyah!

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