My vision for Maya Awards —Ademola Ajibola

Ademola MoreKlue Ajibola is a young man who believes he has a lot to offer the society. He is the Founder/Project CEO for MoreKlue All Youth Awards Africa, MAYA AWARDS. In this interview with SEGUN ADEBAYO, he speaks about the forthcoming edition of the award and plans for the future.

How is the 7th edition of your awards coming? What are you doing differently this time?

Well, thank you. This edition of MoreKlue All Youths African Awards is quite special to me. We all know what seven connotes in the physical and even spiritual realms and I feel it’s time for us as a brand to perfect what our brand stands for. This year from the nominations process to the event calendar to even the event day there are twists. We are having the MAYA AWARDS MASTERCLASS and we would be having a leading brand and advertising guru, Mr. Abisoye Fagade as the lead speaker. We are having a CSR day. We are also having a conference too. So it’s not just about presenting awards to people, it’s about educating our audience, impacting the society and ultimately celebrating the deserving.

How much of an assignment has it been putting this together?

On a lighter note, I always tell my friends that whenever they see me they should just hug me and pamper me because really this line of business is tasking. Apart from the fact that people many times will offer you whatever you can think off to buy you to their side and eventually blackmail you, there are some doubting thomases who naturally believe because some people are your friends, they automatically own the awards you might have nominated them for. There is also the issue of continually explaining, defending and convincing people that your awards brand is credible and what you are out for is even beyond what money gains can buy. Then you have the people who you even celebrate on your platform and don’t deem it fit to text or just message day after to say thank you. It’s not easy doing this. Organising awards in Nigeria is in no way different from being in politics or public service.

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So how do you raise funds to do your projects?

Thankfully we have some supporters who always come through for us. Some morally, some financially. Some brands also support us with products and sometimes cash. We are building on in faith that one day a brand will see the need to associate with us and take it from where we are to the next level.

Who can win a MAYA AWARD?

We focus mainly on the millennials. These are the ambitious, up and rising, trends oriented, fashion conscious and entertainment personified class. We believe in the “catch them young” phenomenal and we try to also attract a portion of the older ones by giving them honorary awards alongside. So we capture the young and also sell ourself to the old too.

How lucrative is award business in Nigeria?

I don’t know because I’ve not tasted the big money yet but I know it is worth doing like any other businesses anyone might be doing. My conviction is that everyone will need awards at some point in their career, so awards will forever be needed. What will make the difference however is the positioning and work one puts into his or her brand. I didn’t start awards because I just wanted to, I did because I want it to even be there when I’m no longer here and that’s why I always put in the most extra work each year to make sure I speak differently every time. I am a fan of THE HEADIES, THE FUTURE AWARDS and also AMAA. All these awards are over 10 years, I’m less than six years. So it’s about the future for me. The dream is to have every youth say MAYA was part of the reasons to hustle double too.