In a contemporary Nigeria setting, young people would perhaps be more predisposed to venturing into either music or performing arts, given that Nigeria is Africa’s top entertainment destination.

Many would perhaps also be honing their skills in soccer, bearing in mind the tempting prospects of playing for the country’s national team or in the numerous major leagues in Europe.

But for one 20-year-old man, that hasn’t been the case. He saw a niche in Web3 technology and decided to take the chance.

NFT illustrator Oghosa Ebengho, based in Ibadan, Nigeria’s third largest city, tells NODO News he got introduced to the world of NFTs through word of mouth in late 2020, and at first, he wasn’t all that curious about the technology. He was aged 18 then.

From Cartoons in Childhood to Digital Arts in College

In 2022, he took a different course towards NFT, seeing it as a way to get funding for his projects. Through NFTs, he figured that he could work on a number of developments to create new experiences for art enthusiasts and lovers of his creative collectibles.

“I have been an artist for as long as I remember. The earliest demonstration of my interest in art dates back to my kindergarten days. I have been drawing since my childhood days,” says Ebengho. “But the evolution of my art developed further when I learned about creating the artworks that I admire. I grew up on animations and cartoons but how they were made was beyond my understanding then.”

The NFT artist, who is currently in his final year of studies in electrical engineering at the University of Ibadan, says he chanced upon a video demonstrating how the artworks were made and that became a light-bulb moment for him. It reoriented his course towards digital art.

“All that I know about art is not self-directed. I have had diverse people teaching me to the point that I am now. I can’t say it is self-taught,” says Ebengho. “My main focus in art is beauty. I see beauty all over Africa; in the black skin of Africans, and in nature. You just have to look for it and you will see it.”

Joining Afropolitan, Meeting NFT

*(Digital art created by Oghosa Ebengho/ Photo provided by Ebengho)*

Ebengho who joined Afropolitan in May 2022 says he has a ‘citizenship’ in the platform as part of some 500 ‘founding digital citizens.’ “The proof of citizenship in Afropolitan is an NFT token. It’s a digital passport.”

Founded by Nigerian Americans Eche Emole and Chika Uwazie in 2016, Afropolitan uses NFT as a means of identification of its citizens allowing the holder of the NFT token to access several activities that enable them to better themselves within the platform.

The platform brings together these citizens from all over the world; from different African countries including Ghana, South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria to the diaspora, all with a common objective of bettering themselves in a decentralized ecosystem that doesn’t focus so much on geographical perimeters.

It has networks of entrepreneurs and like-minded people who offer different forms of advice, support, referrals, knowledge, and experience to others on the platform.

Starting Career Path in Transition Time From Web2 to Web3

Ebengho who says that through Afropolitan, he was part of the launch and minting of a collection of NFTs for each of the platform’s founding citizens through the OpenSea marketplace, expresses his optimism about the future of Afropolitan and the NFT space.

These NFTs give the citizens access to a global community of professional builders who understand the members’ needs within the Afropolitan network. It also provides access to the Afropolitan peer support group that accelerates one’s journey as a builder in curated peer working groups where one can learn and lean on each other.

They also give insider knowledge and insights from industry leaders and cultural icons through hosted private seminars and curated meetups, as well as access to a member-only platform that facilitates new connections with like-minded builders to share ideas and network. This, Ebengho believes, will shape his engineering career towards the right direction.

“In the concepts of Afropolitan and NFTs, I see inspiration. I see a group of people who identify the destiny that they want and are bold enough to come together to create and achieve this future,” Ebengho says.

-Edited by Shigeru Sato
-Top Photo: Oghosa Ebengho, 20-year-old university student studying engineering / Photo by Ebengho