INTERVIEW: Making a million at 19, and a fortune by 27 – Nigeria’s social media influencer, Pamilerin Adegoke tells us about his journey

Pamilerin Adegoke – Fame, money, influence and cult-following. These are the dreams of an average millennial, and 27-year-old Pamilerin Adegoke has it all. 

Thanks to the adoption of social media and digital technology by young Nigerians, Pamilerin has made a fortune by daringly stripping himself of privacy and sharing his life with millions of faceless internet users. 

He is today, one of Nigeria’s leading social media influencers with close to a million followers across social media platforms – But to only describe PamPam (as his fans fondly called him) as a social media influencer is to deny him his evolution credit.

He has grown into a digital communication strategist that now owns a digital marketing agency – Kamili Capital. His company currently has about 15 brands under its clientele. 

Pamilerin has always been an open book when it comes to his life. But he still managed to share some new tidbits on his fascinating journey during this interview with NewsWireNGR’s Oladele Owodina.

This is an audio interview that has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

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• What was growing up like for you?

It was normal, basic. I was just a normal kid. Go to school, come back home, go to my parent’s office. I barely had friends growing up, except for a few close ones, about 3.

So after secondary school, we went to the university. But unlike everyone that wanted to be doctors, lawyers, engineers, left me I just wanted to get a degree. I knew I had the power to function anywhere, so my parents chose my career for me, so yeah I graduated with a degree (in Maritime).

After the whole school thing, I discovered that wasn’t actually what I wanted; I wanted something else because I’ve grown and knew more about life.

So I worked with a media agency for 3 years. I started as an intern that was where I learnt everything Digital Marketing, PR, and everything I do. So yeah, I learnt it from where I worked.

So after 3 years, my boss saw the bigger picture and asked me to go try something else. And here we are.

• What was your biggest moment when you were in Kid?

While I was a kid? Every moment I shared with my parents or my family. I can’t point to one particular thing. I was a boring kid growing up, to be honest.

• I think that might have affected why you are willing to have fun as an adult?

I don’t think so. I feel I’m just living life, just living life the way it comes. Enjoy life while you have the capacity to do it. And don’t procrastinate, if you want to do something right now and you have the capacity to do it, so I learnt that from my parents and that is what I’m just doing.

• So how did you get into this influencing space?

My boss actually pushed me to do this. He said to me you have the audience now, why not try it? That was it and it worked out.

• How did you build that audience that your boss said you had?

So my work with a media agency taught me how to manage clients’ accounts. I basically managed clients’ accounts throughout the day. So it was just normal, the content even before I became an influencer. So it was easy, I knew how much we paid Influencers and the rest of it. So it was actually very easy diving into it at that point. I think I even have more followers than some influencers that we paid money. So it was just a normal thing.

The only difference was that I took it more seriously when I left and I started. 

• I’m glad you had the agency experience, so what is the influencing space in Nigeria compared to other developed countries?

It’s a new space that has a lot of potential. I tell people that we’ve not even started working yet because it’s a growing stage and there are still lots and lots of influencing.

• The average influencer makes like how much monthly? 

It depends on how big you are and how, the kind of audience you have, the kind of price you work with. But let’s say half a million

• There are a lot of Influencers out there today but somehow you’ve managed to make the cut through and make a real name for yourself. What sets you apart?

So for me I would say I have a one-on-one relationship with my audience. Another thing is, the kind of content I push out there is all “personalized content”.

So if I’m working on any brand, I shape whatever content I’m pushing out and personalise it. So that’s another thing that makes me different. 

•  You have had a couple of setbacks and you turn these situations to your gain… Jack suspensions, Ologi, Peruzzi slap incident  

I don’t know about the Jack suspension; I think it’s because I have them ready and people trust my brand. 

So it’s way more than the followers, it’s about the person. So yes, that’s it for the Jack one.

For the ologi moment, I remember someone trying. So I remember a time when I was given apart to girls in Abuja. So someone wanted to throw a shade at me and said your favourite influencer had it so bad whereby his mum sells ogi.

A normal person would have responded shabbily and people would have attacked the person. But I said this person isn’t lying, come to think of it, 75% of Nigerians drank ogi growing up. So while it happened, I owned up to it and that was it. 

Perruzzi period, everyone knows the story already so we just let that slide

• You made your first million at 19 years old. What was the project and how did you get that deal?

It was a company that makes gadgets. I got the deal from a colleague’s husband. They worked with me and I did it so well they gave me another one, I did so well, another one and that was how.

•  It was not like you guys started with a million direct?

No, at all

• Here’s an interesting one. Some people say you influencers that you guys are not influencers, you’re mere amplifiers of messages. So do you guys really influence people’s decisions?

See I don’t even bother with these questions. Let everyone call it the way they want it. You want to call them amplifiers? Fine. You want to call them influencers? Perfect. As long as they are making their money and they are passing their message. It is now left to you to say they are just amplifiers or they are just influencers. I don’t argue. If you like, call us amplifiers or influencers. As long as we are working and we are making money, perfect. 

• How do you measure results for your clients?

We have KPIs (key performance index) that we set for engagements and all. There are tools you can use in measuring those things. 

• Is there any campaign that you really influenced people to make a decision?

Piggyvest. There was a point in time when I saved ten thousand naira daily and people were forced to download the app because they were in doubt. Piggyvest at that point, I think their app crashed twice during that period. If you search for Pamilerin Piggyvest, you’ll see a lot of messages on that.

My saving challenge made people save more. I’ve heard people say because of my challenge, they took their savings seriously.

I’ve had someone saying because of what I said, how much I saved, the thought was on his mind but when he tried it, it’s actually believable. And how he was able to get a car in less than a month with the money he’s been saving in his piggy vest. Thanks to what I said.

So it’s a lot but yea.

• How many promotional campaigns do you currently have?

A lot. I’ll have to ask my team cos I have a team that manages my campaign. 

• A guess

 Probably over 15 running at the same time

•  As a lifestyle influencer, do you sometimes feel vulnerable that strangers know a lot about you?

I don’t feel anyhow. I just feel like it gives me more connection. Who they see online is the same person they see offline. 

My car is customized. People stop me on the road to greet me. I’m fine with that. Even though my car when they see it, they stop me on the road to greet me

Nothing changed. I don’t feel unsafe. I don’t feel like people know too much, which is why I post content that I want you to know. If I don’t want you to know, you don’t know. I have more cars than I post. There are cars that I have that I’ve never posted before and I can decide to drive them anywhere I want. Nobody will know I’m the one inside. So I barely show people what I don’t want them to see.

• Influencing looks fun and exciting from the outside. But what are the pains you go through to maintain your leading status?

Getting approval from clients, late night meetings are not exciting. Delay in getting approval from clients, going back and forth with clients, nah they are not exciting. 

I’m creating content, getting approvals from brands before I post. I do P.R for brands, Crisis management, job content strategy, so it’s way more than influencing for me here. So…getting content approvals from clients, going for meetings, late night meetings, It’s really crazy

I am also a very shy person, I’m trying to come out of my shell. People still don’t understand that I’m someone that loves my space very much but people still invade and I don’t see it as an offence. 

• People these days chide influencers for promoting politicians in 2015. Will you be accepting promotional contents from politicians as we head into 2023?

Ask them who they voted for? Let’s stop these. Because someone’s voice was louder than yours doesn’t make you righteous. I believe if I feel like, If I like you, my spirit goes with you, everyone is entitled to whoever they want to vote for, I will collect it and I will work on it.

It’s now left to whoever wants to have malaria and headache to have malaria and headache.

• What if the money is right?

I’ve rejected campaigns many times. Even some weeks ago, I still rejected campaigns because I didn’t want to work with this person. So it’s not about the money for me. It’s about whether I like this person. Do I want to do this? If my spirit doesn’t go with you, I wouldn’t do it.

• When you look back over the years, are there things you wish you had done better?

None

• You’ve been perfect, You’ve never made any mistake before?

I love my lifestyle. I live my life the way it comes and I love it. To my best understanding, I don’t think I have. Or I don’t call them mistakes

• You call them lessons?

Maybe that.

• So what lessons have you learnt over the years?

Hmmm. Never rely on people, which I don’t. Life is a circle. This world is small. It’s a small world and that thing about what goes around, comes around, it’s true. And Karma is still a bitch.

• Karma is real …

Yes. It might just take a donkey of years but yeah karma is still real. 

• Digital communication in 2021 is a lot different from 2016, 2017,  so what has changed so far?

And it’ll be different next year and 20 years to come. We learn everyday

New things are changing and never be , don’t be too bigger than the platform, you can’t be bigger than the platform.  The world is revolving. Everything is changing really everyday. You don’t , you maybe the least person expected to teach you tomorrow. So never look down on anybody. 

People are beginning to know that there is more to being a doctor , being a lawyer, being an accountant, being an engineer, there’s money in this space. This is a space where you can flourish, no boss would tell you why you didn’t arrive by 6 o’clock and the rest of it, so people are beginning to embrace whatever we have now. And people are moving the world , the way the world is moving, people are moving with it. 

• We hear you own a business now, we would love to hear that journey

 Basically a friend of mine walked up to me, one of my friends. And said he has an idea, he doesn’t have any other person to work with than me. I said okay. And that was how it started

I love new challenges,  I’m sorry that I’ve never failed and that has kept me going. I love new challenges and when I see them, I embrace them. And that is how it’s been

• How about the brand and digital agency own

I own my company. So I own the digital company – Kamili Capital

• You just woke up one day and you feel, look at these millions in my account, let me go and open a company?

Yes, open company to make more money. I work with companies too so I feel it’s just the right thing for my company to work with them

 For a company to work with them and not a personal person. So that’s the only thing that makes it different.

•  How has the recent suspension of Twitter operations in Nigeria affected the digital communication space in the country?

This is just a phase that will pass, it won’t last. It’s just going to be here for a few days, a few months, and we are over it. People are losing money daily. They will survive as usual. We Nigerians tend to move on fast. Like I said, it won’t last.