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!

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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.

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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?

great guy, great site. what more can i say.

nice site

Hehehe, the guy is funny. I like the palm wine part . Well I hope some day Nigerians would start appreciating , voluntary sites. Keep up the good work. This is somebody a lot of Nigerians at home, should look upto as a role model in terms of online prescence.

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

E-kolanuts for the first lady to convince Oleku to post his pics on Nairaland!

@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

All we are saying, give us your picture!

@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

Awww.I now feel bad. I use to dislike the site..but i've come to lovin it. I get all the "nigerian" thingy now. I used to think people there were mean, but i realised it was just a way of catching fun, after the omoiyaoniya explained to me (thank u sir).

Anyways the oleku guy is funny, although he said he ain't nice when i called him nice. But he seems nice.

Seun, i promise i will e-convince him to post his picture. I will e-go to his e-village and i will get a picture of him.

hahaha..he is omo iya oni iya. How funny is that? WHat does it mean. I know it..but i am tryna get it to english. child of mother of one's mother. HAHAHAHA.

@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

@Seun


Where did you get tha flash from ... he he he he he heeeeeeeeee you don go steal our flash, now i have to alert all the OPC and the Vigilante Group . My friend am sorry to say "YOU ARE IN BIG WAHALA"

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!

Oleku nice job, but your site don they become to complex ooo!!!.
By the way i also like the comments you passed on my sites too.
Keep on flexing......

Haha.. Oleku.. I surrender. If all that is wat u r gonna o, i surrender then. I no dey take ur picture again oo.

I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO YOU ALL

@hot-angel

If you like surrender. if you don't like surrender , you are in trouble.

Some body help me.

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

Its a good job my guy. Its been wat i'd always thought of. You need some more stuff to make it complete. You are one of my inspiration. keep it on. I sabi one of your friend wey say na only food him don chop wit u... i dey surprise wai him never comot small from your talent for all wey u get.

Jeun lo men....

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 4get u when those modellin contract$ start rollin. 

haha layi. It was only for two weeks. It will expire tommorrow . And uhm it wasn't oleku that got me there. It was Votes. Gosh so many people voted for me.

@hot-angel babe never knew u were the 1. well u cool , u aint bad at all. as he said, wen the $ start rolling in do not 4get the site author.
lol

Thanks hun.

hot-angel:

....... it wasn't oleku that got me there. It was Votes. Gosh so many people voted for me.

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

hey oleky, do we hav "help" centre on ya website?

@hot-chic

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

Ah Oleku!

oleku:

Me self say make i tell you congrats ........

As if you don't know how her picture got there?

Nigerians! Haba!

No mind me o!..

Oleku, Trust me, I know everything!

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

Oleku, u too much. I am going to leave south south and come and stay in the village with you. I am even tired of the big city sef. .... ah. with all dat palm wine and kpomo, who needs the city... Please tell balle and all the elders that I am on my way. I wil take me two full moons to reach there from here as all d Eshin dem has be slaughtered by the people here for food. Please take care and say me well to the gods.... Asheeee!!!

is oleku from village..seriously?

hehe.. he uses a computer. I doubt it.

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

Latoya did u get on the site? Those people are evil..... but evil is soo much fun when you are doing it with them.