Meeting the President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC)- President Ersin Tatar
Friday, 16 December 2022, is another day I will not forget in a hurry. Why? This boy from Ayobo in Lagos, Nigeria, met the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) President- H.E Ersin Tatar.
Special shoutout to my friend Temel Ungor who sent me a special invite to the Kuzey Kibris’in Dijital Donusumu Fintek Zirvesi OR TRNC Digital Fintech Summit, which had many startups, business owners, stakeholders, and investors from the TRNC, Turkiye and the United Kingdom, government officials, ministers and yes, the President in attendance.
In many days leading up to the event, I considered not attending because the entire event would be in Turkish — a language I don't fully understand yet. I worried I would be the only black person at the event. I had never been in that situation before, so I didn't know what to expect or how to handle it.
After a conversation with my friend Emi Kayserilioglu, she advised and encouraged me to attend, I had to think about how to make the best of the event. I am sharing this in case you find yourself at an event in a language you don't understand- The conversation feature on Google Translate or having a Google Pixel phone is an excellent tool for this situation.
As expected, my wife and I were the only black people at that event, but none of my worries materialized. My host- Temel Ungor was gracious and kept introducing me and my work at Olmak- building tech awareness and talents to everyone- which helped, and I was so grateful for it. People like Ersel and Mustafa Abitoglu also helped me relax and feel at ease.
I do not think I am the first Nigerian in the TRNC to meet the president personally, but I would say that alongside other notable Nigerians like Ese Brume, the Nigerian community in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus has one more thing and person to be proud of. 😎
