QUADOOWEAR CEO WRITES OPEN LETTER ON HIS 29TH BIRTHDAY

MY NAME IS ALLI QUADRI OLALEKAN, AKA QUADOO, AKA LIGHT, CEO QUADOOWEAR CLOTHING COMPANY. MY INTENTION WITH THIS OPEN LETTER IS TO REACH OUT TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS I CAN IN THE SPIRIT OF MY BIRTHDAY WHICH IS 27TH JUNE, AS I KNOW THAT I CANNOT HAVE A PARTY TO ACCOMMODATE ALL MY PEOPLE, MY LOVED ONES AND FANS . I FULLY UNDERSTAND THE VALUE OF HUMAN BEIGN, TO ME, HUMANS ARE THE ONLY TRUE VALUE THERE IS IN THE WHOLE WORLD. I WILL LIKE TO APPRECIATE THOSE THAT I CAN REMEMBER FOR NOW, THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN A PART OF MY SUCCESS, THOSE WHO DOUBTED LIKE THOMAS AND THOSE WHO BELIEVED LIKE THE CENTURION.

I WAS BORN IN 1988 IN THE GHETTO OF GASPER STREET, LAWANSON, SURULERE, LAGOS, NIGERIA. THIS IS MY GEOGRAPHICAL DNA WHICH EVERY OTHER THING IN MY LIFE TIME WILL RELY ON. SOMETHING LIKE A FOUNDATION. I AM A MILLENNIAL,THE BABY BOOMERS, THE CHOSEN GENERATION. WHEN I WAS BORN I CAN SAY THAT WE WERE STILL VERY MUCH
INTO TRIBAL WAR, RELIGIOUS WAR, AND OTHER DARK THINGS WHICH EMANATE FROM LESS UNDERSTANDING OF WHO WE ARE AS A PEOPLE. THE WHITE MAN STILL DOMINATE OUT CONSCIOUSNESS, NOBODY WANTED OUR THING, WE ALL LOOKED FOR ANSWERS OUTSIDE BUT NOT WITHIN, NOBODY WANTED TO BUY MADE IN NIGERIA BUT FOREIGN, FELA ANIKULAPO KUTI, THE MUSIC PROPHET SANG ABOUT THIS BACK THEN. WE WERE MAKING OUR GRAVE, WE WERE INVITING OUR HARD TIMES AND RECESSION.

I COULD REMEMBER HEARING THE NEWS OF THE DEATH OF SOME PROMINENT PEOPLE IN OUR SOCIETY LIKE FELA KUTI, ABIOLA AND GANI FAWEHINMI, JUST TO NAME A FEW OF THOSE WHO WE BELIEVED WERE PATRIOTIC NIGERIANS INNOCENT WHO GOT MURDERED. THE NATION WAILED FOR THESE SOULS, IT WAS A WICKED SOCIETY BACK THEN. I REMEMBERED NEWS OF KILLINGS DUE TO RELIGIOUS AND TRIBAL DIFFERENCES IN IDI ARABA AND OTHER PLACES IN NORTHERN NIGERIA. I REMEMBER HOW HAPPY NIGERIANS WERE WHEN WE HEARD THE DEATH OF ABACHA, WE ALSO FELT THE MIRACLE THAT HAPPENED WHEN OBASANJO WAS RELEASED FROM PRISON WHERE HE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE KILLED BUT BECAME THE PRESIDENT. THEN TELECOMMUNICATION CAME TO NIGERIA.

BOLA TINUBU CAME WITH HIS VISION, STRONG AND TIMELESS, THANK YOU SIR FOR YOUR HARD WORK IN MAKING LAGOS STATE A MODEL FOR OTHER NIGERIAN STATES AND IN AFRICA.

ALHAJI ALIKO DANGOTE WOULDNT LET THE DREAM DIE, WHO ELSE MADE NIGERIA REMAIN GIANT OF AFRICA IF NOT FOR LIKES OF DANGOTE AND GLOBACOM'S ADENUGA. TUBABA IDIBIA KEPT US ENTERTAINED WITH THOSE LOVELY SPIRITUAL TUNES. I ALSO APPRECIATE OTHERS IN SPORTS, ENTERTAINMENT AND EDUCATIONAL SECTORS.

EARLY CHILDHOOD

I ATTENDED MUSLIM PRIMARY SCHOOL, IDI ARABA, SURULERE, LAGOS. I COULDNT REMEMBER SO MUCH FROM THAT TIME, I GUESS CHILDHOOD AMNESIA WAS REALY DEEP AND PROLONGED, ALL I COULD HAVE AS A HINT OF ATTENDING A PRIMARY SCHOOL FOR ME WAS MY FIRST SCHOOL LEAVING CERTIFICATE THAT SAYS I AM INDUSTRIOUS. WOOAH! I WONDER HOW THAT TEACHER KNEW THAT BACK THEN, HE OR SHE COULDN'T BE MORE RIGHT.

GLORY BE TO GOD ALMIGHTY FOR MY LIFE, ALL THANKS AND PRAISES TO HIM ALSO.

MY FATHER, LATE NOW, ALHAJI LATEEF OLATUNJI ALLI (RIP), THE MOST INDUSTRIOUS MAN I EVER KNOWN IN LIFE, MY MOTHER ALHAJA FATIMA ALLI, THANK YOU FOR THE LOVE AND CARE, FOR THE GOOD UPBRINGING AND TRAINING YOU INGRAINED IN ME, YOU BOTH ARE MY ROCK. THANK YOU TO MY SIX SIBLINGS MOST ESPECIALLY ENGR. RABIU AND MRS. BASIRAT ADESADA, GOD BLESS YOU.

I ATTENDED ANSAR-UD-DEEN GRAMMAR SCHOOL, SURULERE, "UP SCHOOL!, UP BOYS!" THANK YOU TO ALHAJI EL-IMAM, MR SANBE, MRS OSIFESO AND MR OPALAKUNE, THEY THOUGHT US THO.

THE QUADOOWEAR DREAM

I AM A VERY GOOD ARTIST AND SCIENTIST, BUT ABOVE ALL I AM A PATRIOTIC FELLOW, I WOULD SAY THAT MY DREAM STARTED FROM WHAT I SEE AROUND ME THAT I CAN CALL THE LACK OF BELIEVE IN THE COUNTRY BY EVERYBODY AROUND ME, NOBODY AROUND ME HAD VISION, I HATED THIS AND I FELT THERE HAS TO BE A CHANGE. WHEN NIGERIAN

COBBLERS MAKE UNBELIEVABLY GREAT SHOES AND LEATHER WORKS, THEY WOULD LABEL IT WITH POPULAR ITALIAN BRAND TO SELL IT, IF THEY DIDN'T DO THIS, NOBODY WILL BUY IT. I FELT IRRITATED WITH THESE KIND OF THING AND I WANTED TO CHANGE IT, OR AT LEAST DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT, SO I WILL BECOME A CEO, I WILL START A COMPANY AND WILL DO ALL THAT IS WITHIN MY POWER TO MAKE IT SUCCESSFUL, THESE WAS WHEN I WAS SEVENTEEN YEARS OLD. THEN I MOVED INTO THE STREET AND STARTED LEARNING HOW TO BECOME A COMPANY OWNER WHEN I GROW UP, SADLY I HAD NO SUPPORT FROM MY FAMILY, THEY WANTED ME TO GO TO A UNIVERSITY BUT I DIDN'T SEE TRANSPARENCY IN THE

NIGERIAN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM IN THOSE DAYS, EVEN TILL NOW, I WOULDN'T BRIBE OR DO MALPRACTICE ITS, NOT MY STYLE. MY DAD LATER WANTED TO HELP ME SET UP MY

BUSINESS, I BELIEVE HE SAW MY DEDICATION AND PASSION FOR WHAT I BELIEVED IN, BUT SADLY HE DIED WHEN I WAS AROUND 20 YEARS OLD.

THE HUSTLE

THE VISION WAS CLEAR, THE MISSION WILL FORMULATE. I AM SUPPOSED TO PREACH BELIEVE TO THE PEOPLE THROUGH ENTREPRENEURSHIP. I STARTED BY PROMOTING MUSIC, DOING GRAPHIC DESIGN FOR MUSIC INDUSTRY PLAYERS BECAUSE I KNOW I WOULD BECOME A POPULAR BRAND WHICH WILL BECOME AN INSPIRATION FOR LOTS OF YOUNG NIGERIANS ALL OVER THE WORLD. I MET WITH TIJANI ADEGBOLA OF SHETADE IMAGES, AN ENTERTAINMENT PROMOTER AND PUBLICIST WHO WORKED WITH GLOBAL EXCELLENCE MAGAZINE AND PR FOR A LOT OF SUCCESSFUL MUSICAL ACTS LIKE SHEYMAN, OLU MAINTAIN, XPROJECT, KONGA, LINEO JUST TO NAME A FEW. THEN I MET OZONE O3 MEDIA AND WORKED WITH HIM, IT WAS A GREAT WORKING EXPERIENCE WITH HIM. I WORKED WITH SLIM JOE, THE OTI YAN YAN CROONER, MARIOSTYLE, MY REAL NIGGA AND THE STORY WENT LIKE THAT. I TOOK TIME TO IMPROVE MY GRAPHICS SKILLS AND ALSO LEARNT MOTION GRAPHICS AT DUDUTOONZ ACADEMY, IKEJA WHERE I LEARNT HOW TO USE PHOTOSHOP AND ADOBE AFTER EFFECT SOFT WARES. THEN I WORKED WITH OLYMORE PRINTS IN IKATE, SURULERE AND LATER AT LPC COMPANY, A LEBANESE FIRM AT APAPA. THANKS TO PASTOR IFE OF THE ABBA HOUSE CHURCH, SURULERE, FOR THAT CONNECT, GOD BLESS YOU SIR. AROUND THIS TIME, I MADE THE FIRST MAJOR MASS PRODUCTION OF THE QUADOOWEAR LUMINOUS TSHIRT, IT WAS A SELL OUT, BUT THE STRUGGLE IS JUST BEGINNING.

JOURNEY TO COTONOU

MY FIRST VISIT TO COTONOU WAS WHEN I WAS WORKING WITH DJ KENTALKY AS A MANAGER, WE TRAVELED FOR A SHOW ORGANISED BY STUDENTS OF THE NORTH AMERICAN UNIVERSITY, THEN I WENT BACK THE SECOND TIME WHEN I HAD A CONNECT WITH THE THEN VC OF HNAUB, MRS. DAISY HOUDEGBE TO MAKE DESIGNS FOR HER, THANKS TO AMAH USMAN PAPI, A FRIEND IN DEED FOR THAT CONNECT, THIS TIME I STAYED LONGER, SAY FOR ABOUT ONE YEAR. IT WAS NOT AN EASY THING OUT THERE, STAYING IN A PLACE

WHERE YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE LANGUAGE AND WITHOUT A STEADY INCOME OR SUPPORT, IT WAS A GROUND ZERO FOR ME BUT I THANK GOD FOR EVERYTHING. THEN WE HAD ANOTHER MAJOR MASS PRODUCTION AND ESTABLISHED THE QUADOOWEAR MOVEMENT IN COTONOU WITH FRENCH SPEAKING BENENOIRS BUYING OUR PRODUCTS, THIS IS A GREAT

ACHIEVEMENT FOR THE QUADOOWEAR BRAND.

GIVING BACK (FREE GRAPHIC DESIGN CLASS)
I DONT WANT TO WASTE TIME IN MAKING THE PEOPLE BENEFIT FROM OUR BRAND, WE DEVELOPED A WAY WE CAN EMPOWER THE PEOPLE AND AT THE SAME TIME SERVE AS A SUSTAINABLE PROMOTIONAL PLAN FOR QUADOOWEAR. THE FREE GRAPHIC DESIGN CLASS IS STILL ON AND EVERYONE CAN TAKE PART, WE WONT STOP, WE WILL GROW STRONGER.
INSHA ALLAH.

THIS IS OUR STORY.
THANK YOU FOR BEING PART OF THIS GREAT SUCCESS, THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING.
I STILL REMAIN A PATRIOTIC ARROGANT NIGERIAN.
LETS STAY TOGETHER AS ONE NIGERIA.
GOD BLESS NIGERIA.

SPECIAL THANKS TO THE QUADOOWEAR TEAM: Bobzee Pipi, Martha Elendu, Boka Gift ANDILY,Solomon Olabisi David, Ji San DIAMOND ABIODUN, KAMZEE CLOUD 9 BARBERS, Amah U. Francis, Chery Mond(CHERY PHOTOGRAPHY), DJ SUCCESS AND Kuva Davies