We need to start telling better stories but the stories should not evolve from artificially branding a community…it starts from the entrepreneurs in the community thinking the right way and building better companies…
I’m personally betting against Yaba becoming the tech hub of Nigeria. It’s way to crowded and doesn’t offer any significant advantages. Any serious business owner ( tech or non-tech) with big expansion plans will not limit themselves to Yaba but will be looking at the Lekki/Ajah axis.
Silicon Valley makes sense because universities in that specific are a major source of tech innovation in the U.S. People are working on cutting edge technologies that scale to become companies and so the talent pool is significant. People move to Silicon Valley because you can’t take a bus from there to Texas everyday for work.
Because that comment belies a terrible understanding of the benefits of yaba (linkages to market on the island without the high cost of living, a vibrant university and education ecosystem, significant concentration of developers Ati be be lo)
I think the fact that so many in our tech ecosystem are betting against the only viable tech cluster we have is funny. Perhaps you imagine that if Yaba is pulled down other (potential) hub will be lifted up but this is no zero sum game. If Yaba dies, it will be hard to justify Nigeria as a viable tech centre because there is no familiar narrative backing it…
Anyway I digress…
I’ve heard no’s before (Andela anybody??) and Yaba Right (and Yaba) could very well be a waste of time but determined to try…
That can’t be right. Yaba becoming the thriving tech hub that its well on its way to becoming will not prevent other deserving locales from becoming so as well. It’s not a zero sum game. We can all win.
The name was actually a progression of events and attempts. It didn’t spring out if no where, its natural progression was very… human.
Not every valley-ed geography is appellated with ‘valley’. But this particular one was, Before the silicon makers came it was known as the “Valley of Hearts Delight” by locals.
It was obvious by the 70s that the silicon companies were taking over the valley, but It was first mentioned in an article series
Report for Silicon Valley is attributed to Ralph Vaerst, a local entrepreneur. Its first published use is credited to Don Hoefler, a friend of Vaerst’s, who used the phrase as the title of a series of articles in the weekly trade newspaper Electronic News. The series, entitled “Silicon Valley in the USA”,
The name didn’t take root till the early 80s.
Honestly you don’t fight such christening of names and what not, we are bound to come up with a few more before we settle. Once a known founder finds it appealing, or even amusing and makes one public reference its turns pop.
You sell and if they buy, that’s the name it gets; I for one prefered; The Yabacon Strip!
Yabacon sounds bionic, the ‘geography’ is just a strip. So we don’t disappoint Foreigners who come to Yaba looking for a valley.
Like I said, and re-echoed by @gbengasesan, Yaba may not end up as the eventual cluster in Nigeria. Several clusters are springing up in some other places. Is it too early for any naming? I think so.
Are the suggested names comical? Yabacon, Yabacon Valley, YabaRight, Yabacon Strip. Well, read those out, and be the judge. Leave it as Yaba, and let things truly mature. You don’t just force these things. They happen naturally!
Oh and, since we are in the naming season, I nominate Yaba District.
Lagos will be the location. I hear gbenga mention places 100s of kilometer away from Lagos. I don’t buy it.
And Yaba is unique for a number of reasons, not as high priced as the island and well centered for Island - Mainland commute.
It already started there, and strongly I might add, others are taking cue.
And I wager our tech cluster will never be anything like the silicon. It will be characterized by the number not the value. Yaba will be known for a prolific cluster not combined value.
Successful startups will be spread all across Lagos. Again Lagos will be the location. Not buying any other location.
Random Guy: “So you are the founder of a fledgling startup in Nigeria. Tell me more about your company.” Startup Founder: “We are disrupting the insurance industry by making information on policies across companies available at the click of a button. Users can then make informed decisions based on this, and pick a company they will be happy with.” Random Guy: “Mildly interesting but go on.” Startup Founder: “We just got an office space in Yaba Right to be closer to other technology companies in the area.” Random Guy: “I’m sorry?” Startup Founder: “We believe the proximity to the hub and Unilag will make us more accessible to devel…” Random Guy: “No, Yaba Right?” Startup Founder: “Oh that! It’s a term we fondly use to refer to the location, as a number of technology companies have sprung up at Yaba” Random Guy: “So, ‘right’ because?” Startup Founder: “There is an insane asylum in the area commonly referred to as Yaba Left and we thought it was funny.” Random Guy: “A mad house? I’ll take it that it wasn’t given much thought and every one just ran along with this.” Startup Founder: “Actually, we gave it some thought. We argued over a couple of variations of the name on social media for some time before we settled on this. It used to be referred to as Yabacon Valley at first.” Random Guy: “Yabacon? After Silicon?” Startup Founder: “Yes” Random Guy: “Almost as unimaginative as your product” Startup Founder: “Well, like I said it was the firs…wait, what?” Random Guy: “Almost as unimaginative as your product”
@akindolu You forgot to add “Yaba Left” to the suggested names. Credit goes to @Tola for that name. He mentioned it in response in a much earlier thread. When I read Yaba Right, my mind when straight to that mention he did. It was not until I went back to the thread that I was it was Yaba Left rather than “Right”.
It’s usually a futile exercise to try to predict the future. You just do your own part. Whatever becomes “the hub” and whatever name it is given, its all for our good. My thoughts.
UPDATE: Just learned that Yaba Left refers to an asylum in Yaba
Narratives matter…Simple narratives matter even more. IF I were to tell my 7 year old son that there is a place in Nigeria named Yabacon Valley, he would immediately know what it was about…YabaRight? not so much. How about Silicon Yaba? Anyway,a s Gebngasesan pointed out, its a bit of a pointless argument. When the time is right, the name will come. In the meantime, let’s focus on building stuff.
There was Yaba left, now it’s Yaba Right, somebody would soon come again with Yaba Center or Yaba middle, ( I don’t mean to be sacarstic). It Won’t be so easy to ditch Yabacon valley for Yaba right.
Yaba Right doesn’t even sound like a place.
Well Done for picking that up. Unfortunately within my own personal clique we have always referred it to Yaba Left. Its evident from the comments that I made on this post way back in 2014!!! I have attached a screenshot that I will be taking to court when I am ready to start claiming royalties on the name - All startups beware!!! Now that you have made this public, you have just doubled the work for my lawyers!!! Damn!!! I guess I just still have to stick to my day job as an Agbero
Yaba Right == Yaba Left, Similarities anyone??? Ali: Hi Simbi i am going to yabaright to start my company. Simbi: wow do you mean yaba left where “cool” pple stays? Ali: No Simbi, yaba right is where MAD(Making a difference) pple stays, pple who want to change the world with technology.
YABARIGHT is cool though it tell who we are. Another part of me is saying it tells a story of some kind of civil right community or organization. LOL or what do you think???
- All startups beware!!! 
