Mr Azeez Abolaji Lamina is the young Chief Executive Officer of Waves Media Limited, the company publishing the popular Waves Plus magazine and producing Waves Gist Zone, a thirty minutes talk show that airs on Unilag103.1fm every Friday evening and Wavesplus TV, which airs on Lagos Television and across all cable networks on DSTV, GOTV and Startimes.
He studied Mass Communication at the Lagos State Polytechnic after which he moved to the Lagos State University where he also studied Mass Communication and majored in Public Relations and Advertising.
Azeez is also a certified Member of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations and he equally attended Fate Foundation Business School where he honed his skills as a businessman. He has attended so many workshops, seminars and refreshes courses to stay on top of his game.
Through his various media platforms, Azeez has contributed immensely to the development of both journalism and broadcast professions and has also supported the development of the youths through educative, innovative, inspiring and challenging contents.
The enterprising, innovative, energetic and unassuming young man, who is still rearing to go, clocks 35 today and the Publisher/Reporter-in-Chief of THE IMPACT, Kunle Adelabu, engaged him in an exclusive interview on Wednesday, May 6, 2020, in celebration of his birthday.
We spoke about his life as a young man, challenges of growing up, how his parents’ divorce changed his life and how he discovered himself, emergence of Waves magazine and his other media platforms, his challenges as an entrepreneur, his education background, how he gets access to the highly rated personalities that feature on his magazine’s cover and on his Waves Radio and TV programmes among others. Excerpts:
THE IMPACT: Could you please introduce yourself to our readers?
Lamina: My name is Azeez Abolaji Lamina. I am a media entrepreneur, a social worker, public relations executive and a man continuously in search of knowledge.
THE IMPACT: You would be turning 35 next tomorrow (Friday, May 8), how does that makes you feel?
Lamina: I feel I owe God a lot of gratitudes for sparing my life to witness these moments of my life. The past years had been very eventful but I thank God for his blessings over the years. At 35, I am feeling I am a lot matured than I used to be. This Covid-19 break has assisted me to spend more time with myself and to read books which I think has prepared me for the challenges ahead. I equally had enough time to reflect about life generally. You need a lot of wisdom to live this life. I am trying to learn from the story and journey of everyone around me. It’s a crazy world out there. You really do not know who your friends are. Summarily, I think I am more aware and conscious of what I do and what people do to me at this age.
THE IMPACT: You mentioned earlier that you are a social worker? How do you mean?
Lamina: Yes. That’s a part of me that is not known to many people. I have been the Secretary of a non-profit making organization for over seven years. It’s a socio-religious Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) where we educate the public about various social issues that affect the society. We have our programmes twice in a year. May 1st and October 1st of every year to be precise. The foundation is called Nurah Foundation. This is another project I give my all because it affords me the opportunity to serve humanity.
THE IMPACT: Tell us about growing up?
Lamina: Growing up was interesting. I am from a humble background. I attended Debo Day Nursery and Primary School, Ikorodu, and Oriwu College, Ikorodu, for my secondary education. I trekked to school in the morning and also trekked back home in the evening with so much fun. Life was good. I wasn’t expecting too much. My parents tried their very best to make my younger siblings and I comfortable within their means. My mum washed our clothes while we played football. So, it was fun until the point my mum left my dad. And at that point, my life took a new beginning.
THE IMPACT: What do you mean by your life took a new beginning?
Lamina: As I said earlier, after returning from school, we simply joined our friends to play football and maybe run a few errands, eat and then go to bed. From this kind of lifestyle, I suddenly had to adjust to take on the mantle of leadership when my mum left. I had to cook for the family, ensured we wash our clothes and even those that belonged to our dad, ensured we go to school every day and return to do our house chores and so much more. It wasn’t easy at all but it was the best thing that happened to me. Those periods assisted me to discover myself. I was lazy and weak before but when my mother left, I found myself.
THE IMPACT: Did you later further your educational career?
Lamina: Absolutely, I never had a break except for when I was seeking admission. I studied Mass Communication at the Lagos State Polytechnic after which I moved to the Lagos State University to also study Mass Communication and majored in Public Relations and Advertising.
THE IMPACT: How did you manage to move on in life despite this challenge?
Lamina: That is the most interesting part of everything. The fact that I was tired of that lifestyle was what led to what we are witnessing today. If I had missed my way, certainly, my younger ones would have followed suit. So, I needed to be strong. I can’t thank God enough for His guidance which saw me rose beyond my background. I did not rise alone, I took my younger brothers along and they are doing very fine. One is an engineer with LSDPC and the other one is a fashionpreneur.
THE IMPACT: You have gone ahead to build brands in the past years, tell us about them?
Lamina: Yes. I believe God in his infinite mercy intentionally blessed me with the idea of starting my career early enough in life. I conceptualized the idea of Waves Magazine on December 26th, 2006, and we released our first edition in April 2007. The first edition was more like a political edition because then we interviewed all political aspirants in Ikorodu, about eight of them, and we published their manifestoes to the delight of everyone in Ikorodu. The first edition received wide acceptance and people could not believe I was the Publisher. The first edition was twenty-eight pages with only eight of them in colour.
We moved on and for the second edition, we published a 32 page all glossy magazine and that still beats my imagination because we weren’t breaking even then but my knack for quality won’t just let me settle for less after our first break. After publishing Waves Magazine for nine or ten years, I founded a Photography outfit named Waves Pictures and Affairs. Later that year, we debuted on radio with Waves Gist Zone. Waves Gist Zone is a thirty minutes talk show that airs on Unilag103.1fm every Friday evening. After two years of Waves Gist Zone, again, we added Wavesplus TV at the beginning of this year to the list of brands under our belt. Wavesplus airs on Lagos Television and across all cable networks on DSTV, GOTV and Startimes.
THE IMPACT: How have you been able to manage all of these brands as a young entrepreneur?
Lamina: I will want to return the glory to God because it has not been easy but for every challenge we faced, we moved forward a bit. The beginning was not fun. It got to a point I asked myself, who will challenge me if I am not publishing? That is to show you how frustrated I got but thank God I persevered. It is God who orders the steps of man. How I survived those excruciating periods undaunted is sometimes not clear to me. I believe I am just meant to do this.
THE IMPACT: How do you get trainings in these lines of businesses?
Lamina: I spent the whole of 2019 training myself in different capacities from the first quarter to the fourth. Last year, I attended Nigerian Broadcast Academy where I honed my skill in broadcasting knowing that I already have an eye for TV production soon. After that, I wrote the qualifying professional exam of Nigerian institute of Public relations and then I attended Fate Foundation business school to get requisite experience that would enable me establish structure for my businesses. I equally attended a lot of master classes and then get on the street because all of these trainings without street credibility are nothing.
THE IMPACT: What lessons would you say you have learnt in these past years?
Lamina: Those were the periods I learnt and digested the concept of persistence, consistency, hardwork, perseverance and as well as money management. Although, I later married a Chartered Accountant but I used my discretion then to stay prudent and plough back every kobo l made as profit into the business. I missed being a “baby boy”. I do not have time to play around as fellow young guys in their early twenties did. When you work hard and God crowns your effort, I do not think you will have anything to worry about but sincerely, I have paid my dues. I remember back then when some of my friends were mocking me that I trek too much. They have forgotten they ever said that now. I thank God I did not get discouraged by their brickbats but rather l used it as a springboard to inspire myself to remain focused. So, I have learnt to appreciate my little beginning and I am never ashamed of it. We still have a long way to go, we know it. We have our eyes on the ball.
THE IMPACT: What is the future of Waves Media?
Lamina: That is in the hands of God. When I was going to start Waves, I am certain I did not see a day when we would have a program on TV. So, I would rather focus all my energy thinking about the today of the brands than worrying about tomorrow. Worrying about today means I would rather make sure the brands can sustain themselves and are stable and then leave tomorrow for God to take care of. Although, in planning, it is said that you have to see the end from the beginning but I think that is playing god. I can only say God is taking us somewhere. The journey has been interesting and so with God on our side and if we remain focused and consistent, the future you are asking me about is certainly very colourful.
THE IMPACT: On a lighter note, how do you unwind?
Lamina: I would answer that by saying work is what I do for fun. I hate being idle. I am not the kind of person that enjoys going to bars to have fun or going around the town seeking fun. All my fun is in my house. I did not get here having fun and so fun would not sustain me at this level. However, I try to sleep a lot to maintain my sanity but what gives me the greatest joy is when I complete a major task. I feel very fulfilled and refreshed. For instance, Waves recently published a Special edition for an International security organization in which we had to interview 15 CEOs of corporate security companies in Nigeria. The Chairman, Engr. Mustapha K. Lusty met with me, asked if we can handle the project and I assured him of our competence. That was a huge challenge. After he gave us a brief of what he wanted us to do, he did not call me for once to ask me how we were fairing until a day to the event when his Personal Assistant called to ask when we would deliver the magazines. The AGM was held in one of the big hotels on the lsland and when we got to the venue and we presented a copy of the magazine to him, he flipped through and hugged me. What more fun do I want to seek than that feeling of being trusted? Getting things done is what I do for fun.
THE IMPACT: How did you manage to get the top dignitaries you often interview in your magazine?
Lamina: It is part of the plan. We know our target audience, so, we go after them. When we were going to start Waves as an Ikorodu publication, we decided to pay more attention to the quality of the magazine because out there, the competition is real. We reviewed our contents, changed our graphics designer and we printed on the second best print quality, paying attention to every detail and quality of every picture we would use because that’s where production starts from. When we did all of these, it became easy for us to be accepted and identified for what we do. Waves has been through several phases. There was a time we rebranded Waves magazine to Wavesplus magazine. We made it bigger in size and we reduced the number of pages. We did that to adjust to our situation then for sustainability and when the coast was clear again, we returned to our A4 size all glossy pages, especially at the point when we started getting corporate adverts. It took us about five years to get our first corporate advert. It was five years of hard work. A lot of sleepless nights and continuous knocking on the doors of corporate organizations. We stood at their doors until they opened the doors for us. I remember how I would stopped at CMS to ensure my sweat dries off before taking the next bus to the lsland so I that would not look so rough by the time I would get to my destination. Generally, we did what we had to do to get to the next level.
THE IMPACT: What efforts has Waves as a been youthful brand been making to impact the lives of your target audience?
Lamina: Thank you very much for that question. Firstly, as a brand we have our own ideals. We have always ensured we report and celebrate Youthful and useful individuals who are doing very well in their various chosen field of endeavours in a bid to motivate fellow youths to take on productive engagements instead of thuggery and cultism. This claim is made more evident up till this year when we were going to draw up content for Wavesplus. Wavesplus is a 30minutes program and we devoted a whopping 14 minutes to our Wavespreneur segment which celebrates young Nigerian entrepreneurs and it’s the first segment of the show. Secondly, in the last three years, we have been engaging in our CSR project strictly in the educational sector. We started with Waves Magazine Inter school debate Competition three years ago after which we had Waves Magazine Inter School Quiz Competition the following year. Then we donated general knowledge books to the library of my alma mata, Oriwu Model College last year and this year we already secured approval from the Lagos State Government to have a state wide project for technical colleges in Lagos State before COVID-19 struck. If normalcy returns to the state early enough this year, we could still have this project. We could have been throwing parties for them but No, we care about the mental well-being of our audience because we know they are the future of tomorrow.
THE IMPACT: How would you describe your personality?
Lamina: I am a very gentle and harmless person. I believe I am getting ahead in life because I don’t wish bad for others. I am a goal-getter. I go for whatever I believe in with an unwavering intent that only the positive would happen. I have equally been disappointed severally but I am never discouraged. I don’t drink, I don’t smoke and I don’t mess around. I do not base my relationship with people on monetary terms and I would never pick up a fight with anyone because of money. I equally do not engage in gossiping because l don’t have the time. In most cases, l usually conclude most of my tasks very late in the night, so, where do l get the time to gossip? That’s one of the reasons I don’t do well on whatsapp gists.
THE IMPACT: What is your best food?
Lamina: That would be beans and plaintain. But the time and place might determine what I would call my best food. The other day I visited Epe with one of my bosses, we stopped at an Amala joint and I bought N100 Amala and two big fresh fishes. That would be my best food at that moment.
THE IMPACT: Can you tell us some of the people that have assisted you on your way up?
Lamina: There is no gainsaying in the fact that we are all dependent on one another because will not come down to help you. I have enjoyed the support of various kind hearted individuals at different times. I cannot forget the support of Alhaji Tairu Hamzat {Homat} from the very beginning. He was the first person that gave us our first advert of twenty thousand naira and he kept patronizing us every edition until we stopped going to him for adverts. Alhaji Tairu Ogunleye is another man I cannot forget. While he was a Director at Alausa, whenever I visit him, he would take me to his anteroom, give me a drink and tell his secretary that she should tell anybody that come to look for him that he is busy. He treated me as if I was more than a poor young publisher. Several other individuals have been kind to me and they are too numerous to mention I must say. I must not forget to mention my good brother, Mr Funso Aina. He took me to the next level. I never forget his every act of kindness towards me. I have only mentioned these people because of their unique dispositions at various times. There are so many other people I hold very dear.
THE IMPACT: What advice do you have for up and coming entrepreneurs?
Lamina: I would say to them that as an entrepreneur, you would have 70percent of what would discourage you and 30percent of what would encourage you. Even God want to be sure you can manage, sustain and survive the next level he is taking you. You would not get to that next level lazing around. All eyes must be on the ball. If you do not have someone who has done the work for you, you should be ready to do the hard work for the ones coming behind you. It’s a sacrifice but I bet you, it is worth taking.
THE impact: Lastly, do you have a new resolution at this stage of your life?
Lamina: Yes, absolutely. I told you earlier that I read a lot of books during this lockdown. One of the books I read was ‘The subtle art of not giving a F*ck’ by Mark Manson. After reading the book, I decided to choose the f*cks I want to give. I no longer want to listen to all voices but my inner voice. I have resolved to approach every life situation with only positivity. No negative vibe would get at me any longer. Once I notice I am not connecting with you, I would let you go and above all, I have chosen to be happy no matter what life throws at me.
