Oleku Konko of Face Of Festac (FaceOfFestac.net)

FaceOfFestac.net, developed by Oleku Konko, an independent web developer in Nigeria, is probably the most popular made-in-Nigeria website of all time.  Based on the very simple concept of picture rating, and with very little active promotion and no advertising, the site was able get 87,000 registered users in a year or so.  Talk about viral marketing!

Awards won by his Face Of Festac website include  the 2003 - 2004 Golden Web Awards and Fastest Growing Nigerian Website awards. 

The Nairaland Forum is privileged to present to you this first ever official interview with this man who calls himself "Omo Iyaoniya" (child of unknown mother).  Enjoy!

---

NAIRALAND EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH OLEKU KONKO

Who is Oleku Konko?
Who is Oleku?  That one it's long story o.  Let me be brief: Oleku is a crazy typical Yoruba guy,  a lover of African beauty and culture.

Oleku is the type that prefers drinking palm wine and watch African ladies dancing with their "Ileke Idi" rather than listening to Hip-hop.

Oleku likes foods, even if it's rice it should be assorted e.g. the rice should be saved with vegetable, panla, fresh fish, crab, ogunfe, brokoto, shaki, summo, snail, cray fish, and my palm wine no go miss.

Oleku is an Actor, Comedian, Director, Graphic Artist, Digital Editor, not a good dance but loves dancing, chorographer, Concept Developer, Web Application Developer, Cryptographer, and Biometrics Specialist. I guess the best description about my field of work is that "teach me anything, I'll become better than you".

Oleku is not married - no kids, and not searching.
 
There is a lot to say about Oleku but don't think Oleku is my nick; it's my real name.  The name Oleku was given to me by my grand mum and as a Yoruba guy, I have other names but I prefer Oleku maybe because I love my grandma so much.


Can you tell us about your educational and career background?

I have never had a computer background or attend a Computer Institution. I left University of Ife in my 300L because I was not given the my desired course which is Computer Science.  I decided to be on my own and achieve what some people term to be impossible.  Without B.Sc "nothing, nothing for you oooo", so I am back in school presently running a part time course.


Why did you create the FacesOfFestac.net Website?

Ha, a lot of people do ask me that.  Face Of Festac as you see it was developed due to the strong passion I have for the African beauty & culture.  It was designed to make part of my vision a reality.  My vision was to see every body become like a family, a place nobody is trying to be someone else, feeling inferior or superior.  You know our people now, some go dey do like say them no dey go toilet. It's so.

Face Of Festac, it's like a medium to reach to every one on how wonderful we can be. It's only a friend that can cay you are crazy and you will laugh about it.


What are the Site's Vital Stats (daily unique & page views, total registered users)?

The present Face OF Festac is the forth version, I have developed it 4 times and never completed one design (Too bad of me).  Let me concentrate on the last and present status.

Total page views since September 9 2004 is 12,282,546.

Due to the last upgrade some users are not as active yet. We have a total of 80,000 users but only 20,000 are active.

Active Users means people that access the site at least once in a month.

Minimum of 1,800 DNS per Day.  This means if there are 20 users in a cafe on the site, Face of Festac counts cafe as one not the number of users.  [unique IP address probably]

Its has Over 1,600 pictures in the gallery, 36,529 comments, 630,038 picture views.


Does it make money, or do you support it with other income?

As you can see, it’s a free site.  I don't make any money for it.  I thank God that its running on one of the best dedicated hosting.


What (unmentioned) major challenges do you face?

Number one it's cash.  Despite the fact I designed the site, there was a time I was paying $450 per month to keep the site going.  There has been nobody, I repeat nobody that has ever assisted the site with ₦1 (one naira).

Secondly, we our self’s (Africans) do not appreciate anything. This is not “Face Of Oleku” or a paid site, this is a site developed to promote ourselves, instead for us to contribute in anyway to help improve the site we rather complain and do shakara

There are lot of challenges but i thank God that despite all, the site is still running at made a lot of achievement. We won 2003 - 2004 Golden Web Award , CNN fastest growing Nigerian Site, 2005 e-Content & Creativity, many more.


Why should Nairaland members join FaceOfFestac.net?

So far you are African or you love Africans and their culture then you are all welcome.

---

Among Nigerian webmasters, Oleku Konko is definitely a web legend, but he's also a shy guy.  So sorry, ladies, there no picture of him to admire yet!  Feel free to send a pm to his Nairaland box, and tell him I sent you to collect his picture!  And of course, don't forget to visit Face Of Festac today.  What do you think?

nice site

He's the best thing that has ever happenned to me..

@Seun 

You don comw with your own oooo , which one be e-Kolanut again

@Omobanky

Thanks .. se as my head dey swell like Ijebu garri


@kazey

Ole .. see your mouth like Plam wine


@Seun

You don vlow grammer too much for there ooo , how yu want village men like us to understand. anyway .. thanks for the privilage. E se gan ni

@seun

Take your time ooooo, me i no dey snap picture o. You know am a village man and and na only dead people or people who are bout to die or wanted peopel we dey snap picture.

That na why .. i no get pic .. bro no vex

@hot-angel

GOD don catch you, since i know you are comming  , i go put firewall for my village , i go tell the Baale to ban camera , i go tell all my wifes that you are about to take them form me, i go tell all the elders that you are trying to remove the Baale, i will tell the children of the village you want to take their mothere away, i will tell all the madians that you have come to laugh at them becasue they are not married, i will tel al the yurn men that you said no one n this village is good for you.

I still have more plans .. with this alone self. THEM NO GO ALLOW YOU ENTER IGBEKOLOJI VILLAGE


i go make sure in the next 10 years i no go reach city so tell me where you won take see me

I'm promoting your site!  When people see the flash, they will click the part that says "enter" and they will end up on your site, which is what we all want!

Haha.. Oleku.. I surrender. If all that is what you're going to o, i surrender then. I no dey take your picture again oo.

  Some body help me. 

You no fit do nada. Me self go come with my troops. 

Kpapapapapa. Our very own Hot-angel is now Face of the week on face of festac. Nice work! Oleku. No worry I trust her, she no go forget u when those modellin contract$ start rollin. 

@hot-angel babe never knew u were the 1. well u cool , u aint bad at all. as he said, when the $ start rolling in do not forget the site author.
lol

Which kain votes? ..secret ballot system? Well its all good. You r worth it anyway.

 

@hot-chic

Me self say make i tell you congrats .. hwo do you knwo the Face Of the week is always there for 2weeks

Oleku, Trust me, I know everything!

I'm actually going on three week now. How sweet of you. 

is oleku from village..seriously?

wow nice site,but mean members,as HA as xplained it i guess is a way of catching fun.
Oleku are u a yoruba actor? your face looks familiar