By Tunde Tee Olatunji
The Beginning: Survival Mode
It started in 2007. Following the tragic death of my father, I left Nigeria to study in South Korea. I was 18 years old, alone, and terrified. I landed in Seoul with exactly $1,000 USD to my name.
My very first purchase wasn’t luxury clothing or food; it was a connection to home. I bought a Samsung Flip phone. That little device was my lifeline.
By 2010, the “Blackberry Craze” hit. Everyone said the Blackberry Bold was the only way to communicate with family back in Nigeria, so I caved. I ditched my Samsung flip phone and bought a Bold. It was a mistake. A terrible one. My thumbs were too big for the tiny keyboard; I hated every text message I tried to type. I complained non-stop to my Korean friend until he finally said, “Just try a Galaxy.”
He introduced me to the Samsung Galaxy S1. It was love at first sight. The screen, the touch interface, the freedom, it was miles ahead of anything else. Since that day, I have never looked back.
The Health Battle: Art as Therapy
Living with Sickle Cell Anemia is a battle of endurance. In Korea, far from family, the pain crises were often isolating and dilapidating. This is where Samsung became more than just a phone manufacturer to me; they became a caregiver. When I upgraded to the Galaxy Note 4, I discovered the Samsung PenUp app. During severe crises, when I couldn’t move, I would pull out the S-Pen. I immersed myself in the community of art lovers.
By the time I got the Note 5, I was creating my own art using the Galaxy Sketchbook. (See my first-ever drawing attached below). That stylus didn’t just draw lines; it drew my mind away from the pain. It gave me a world I could control when my body felt out of control.
The Professional Rise: The Governor’s Office
When I returned to Nigeria, my understanding of technology set me apart. I didn’t just “apply” for a job; I was headhunted. I was virtually begged to join the Media Office of the Governor, in a job I never applied for, because they needed someone who understood the digital future and they saw that in me.
In 2020, I served on the PDP Digital Media Sub-Committee for H.E. Godwin Obaseki’s governorship re-election. By 2022, I was promoted to Head of Digital Media in the Governor’s Office, with 35 staff members reporting directly to me.
In that high-pressure environment, managing the image of a Governor on the move; bulky cameras were too slow and wasn’t cutting it. My “tools” of choice were my Samsung devices. After my Samsung Galaxy Note 5, I switched to Galaxy Note 8. Then S10+, Note 10+, Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra and my current one, Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. My Samsung devices allowed me to capture professional-grade content of the Governor instantly. My Samsung phones were literally my office.
The Legacy
Today, as the Publisher of Edo Updates, with a monthly reach of 3 – 7million people, and the former Head of Publicity for the PDP 2024 Governorship campaign, I run my entire company almost exclusively on my Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.
I have owned 11 or 12 Samsung devices in my life. I have converted my wife (whom I met in 2018), my mother, my sister, and countless friends to the brand. Even my 3-year-old son learns on a Samsung Tab.
I tell this story not because I am paid to, but because this brand has been with me through my lowest pain and my highest professional achievements. Samsung never left me, and I will never leave Samsung.
