…As real aim of his visit remains shrouded
After endless wait by Lagos Information Technology (IT) journalists who were selectively invited by the President of the Co-Creation Hub (CCHub), Yaba in Lagos State on Friday, Mr Bosun Tijani, the CEO of Twitter and Square, Inc, Mr Jack Dorsey sneaked into the complex.
Media executives had been waiting from 7.00am until he arrived around 9.30am only to decline any form of comments either on his mission to the hub or the country.
Business Hilights recalls that Co-Creation Hub, commonly referred to as Cc-HUB or the HUB, is a technology-oriented centre located in Yaba, a district of Lagos. Founded in 2010 by Bosun Tijani and Femi Longe, it provides a platform where technology-oriented people share ideas to solving social problems in Nigeria. Curious journalists were only able to observe that he only took pictures with tech innovators at the meeting before he left for another venue, thus raising apprehension on the reasons for his visit.
Besides, it was not yet clear if either the Minister of Communications and Digitial Economy, Dr Isah Pantami or any of the relevant IT agencies or departments is aware of his coming to Nigeria from his base in the United State.
Even though the Head, Logistics Twitter, Siera, described the visit as low key event, stating that Dorsey won’t make any official statement, observers say the explanations made by his Head of Logistics that “He only came to learn a few things and leave for his base,” is not convincing after all.
However, the aide added that “he will be back next year.”
Media experts saw the entire arrangements as a big slap to the prestigious and hard working Nigerian IT journalists who had dumped all other engagements of the day to welcome and have media chat with him on either his visit or activities in his company.
Another angle that further enraged journalists was how the organizers only took him up for breakfast while they were still waiting without any provision for media breakfast.
One of the aggrieved journalist confided in our correspondent that “After breakfast, journalists were told he would be addressing the media but he declined. After many persuasions, he decided to pose for photo without uttering a word.”
“It was later that the Co-founder of CCHub, Mr Tijani sent the press a letter of apology via an email,” the reporter added.
Recall that the tattooed entrepreneur, Jack Dorsey has been CEO of both social media firm Twitter and small business payments company Square since 2015.
Dorsey cofounded Twitter in 2006 with Ev Williams, Biz Stone and Noah Glass, and was CEO until 2008. He returned in 2015.
Dorsey cofounded Square with Jim McKelvey in 2009, then took it public in 2015.
Before gravitating to tech, Dorsey was a certified masseur and dabbled in fashion design.
In 2016, Dorsey gave one third of his Twitter shares to employees.
Dorsey (born November 19, 1976) is an American computer programmer and Internet entrepreneur who is the co-founder and CEO of Twitter, and the founder and CEO of Square, a mobile payments company.
Board member of: : Twitter; Square, Inc. Net worth: US$4.1 billion (October 2019).
On Dorsey’s latest known news before entering Nigeria on Friday, November 08, 2019, back in August, Twitter and Square CEO hoisted his slick L.A. home onto the market, generating heaps of publicity and sending flocks of qualified buyers to the premises. Within two weeks, the property was in escrow and quickly sold for $4.625 million, $130,000 more than the asking price and also $400,000 more than what the San Francisco-based multibillionaire tech titan originally paid for the house, just over a year ago.
Analysts say it remains uncertain if Dorsey ever actually spent a night here — the property was purchased for his then-girlfriend, L.A.-based Sports Illustrated model Raven Lyn Corneil, who temporarily occupied the property along with a familial relative but moved out after less than a year.
However, according to records, the $4.6 million buyer is former UCLA football player Amir “Nick” Ekbatani, a half-Iranian amputee who lost part of his left leg following a 2012 motorcycle accident in Redondo Beach, Calif. Ekbatani sued Caltrans — and the taxi driver that hit his motorbike — over the incident, and in 2017 was awarded an almost unbelievable $35 million settlement.
Unlike the visit of Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder last year, his visit was well publicized and he had several official engagements including visiting Tech Hubs, presidential Villa and other some states chief executives.
