Tunde Onakoya sits down with Joey Akan for a conversation about pain, purpose, conviction and the unlikely path that led him to build Chess in Slums Africa.

From growing up in a Lagos slum and discovering chess, to choosing to stay in Nigeria when he had the opportunity to leave, Tunde reflects on the experiences that shaped his understanding of purpose and his decision to turn personal pain into something meaningful.

He talks about the first seven years of building with almost no resources, the “delusion” required to keep pursuing an idea nobody else could see, and what it means to create a new path when there is no blueprint to follow.

The conversation also explores poverty, education, sacrifice, influence, sustainability, storytelling and the responsibility that comes with building something that affects other people’s lives.

Watch the full conversation with Tunde Onakoya and Joey Akan on The Joey Akan Experience.

This season is brought to you by Andray Finance. For finance solutions, visit andrayfinance.com and tell them Joey sent you!

Follow The Joey Akan Experience

Instagram: @thejoeyakanexperience

TikTok: @thejoeyakanexperience

X: @joeyakanxp

Follow Joey Akan

Instagram: @joeyakan

X: @joeyakan

Follow Tunde Onakoya

Instagram: @tunde_onakoya

The Joey Akan Experience is an Úrú Collective production.

In this deep-dive episode of The Joey Akan Experience, Nollywood actress, producer, and entrepreneur Tope Olowoniyan sits down for a raw, unfiltered conversation about what it really takes to build a sustainable career in Nigerian film.She breaks down the fundamental difference between music and movies — why one person can control a song while filmmaking remains a community project at the mercy of countless moving parts. Tope shares how she now chooses projects with extreme intentionality (who’s directing, producing, and acting alongside her), the constant dance between commercial viability and pure artistry, and why so many promising films never see the light of day.

The conversation goes even deeper into the craft itself: the radical self-abandonment required for powerful performances, how real-life experiences fuel emotional authenticity, the physical and mental toll of living inside characters (and the rituals she uses to “detox” afterward), and the challenges of marketability in an industry that often prioritizes social media numbers over talent.

From her transformative role in King of Boys to the emotional intensity of projects like Between Silence and Truth, Tope reflects on growth, purpose, the lack of long-term systems in Nollywood, and why creatives must dream beyond the next Netflix deal or quick YouTube cash-out.

This is one of those rare industry conversations that feels both practical and philosophical — equal parts career advice, creative manifesto, and honest industry diagnosis.

This season is brought to you by Andray Finance. For finance solutions, visit https://andrayfinance.com and tell them Joey sent you!

Subscribe for more conversations with the people shaping creativity, business, and society.

Follow The Joey Akan Experience
Instagram: instagram.com/thejoeyakanexperience
TikTok: tiktok.com/@thejoeyakanexperience
X: x.com/@thejoeyakanxp

Follow Joey Akan
Instagram: instagram.com/joeyakan
X: x.com/@joeyakan

Follow Tope Olowoniyan
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/topeolowoniyan

The Joey Akan Experience is an Úrú Collective production.

Cynthia Ogunsemilore takes us beyond the boxing ring to reveal what it truly takes to build a career, fight for an Olympic dream, and navigate the broken systems within Nigerian boxing. Semilore walks us through her journey to discovering boxing, the fights that shaped her career, competing at the highest level, and the realities of surviving as a female boxer in Nigeria.

From qualifying for the Olympics, to a management contract she later realized trapped her, and grueling fight to free herself. Despite the pressure of competition, politics and limitations surrounding the sport -- Cynthia remains steadfast in fighting for her career and the Olympic dream she refuses to give up on.

This season is brought to you by Andray Finance. For finance solutions, visit https://andrayfinance.com and tell them Joey sent you!

Subscribe for more conversations with the people shaping creativity, business, and society.

Follow The Joey Akan Experience
Instagram: instagram.com/thejoeyakanexperience
TikTok: tiktok.com/@thejoeyakanexperience
X: x.com/@joeyakanxp

Follow Joey Akan
Instagram: instagram.com/joeyakan
X: x.com/@joeyakan

Follow Cynthia Semilore
Instagram: instagram.com/cynthia.semilore

The Joey Akan Experience is an Úrú Collective production