One entrepreneur is building blockchain infrastructure for Nigerian creatives — and doing it largely out of sight.
Lagos rarely rewards patience. In a city propelled by ambition and noise, the loudest voice in the room tends to win. But Ogegbo Ademola Babajide — known widely as “Locomotive” — has built his career on a different principle: let the work speak when it’s ready.
Across Victoria Island, Lekki, Yaba, Surulere, Ikeja, and deep into Alimosho, Locomotive has become a recognisable figure in social and nightlife circles. The perception, however, tells only part of the story. Behind the surface-level visibility is an electrical engineer turned Web3 entrepreneur with an unusually long-term vision — one centred not on personal brand, but on infrastructure.
He is the founder of Stuph Chain LLC and the architect of Dogemeatpay, a forthcoming payment platform designed to enable seamless cross-border transactions for African creatives.
Building the Rails
The problem Locomotive is trying to solve is one familiar to any Nigerian artist, musician, or digital entrepreneur who has attempted to get paid internationally: the friction is enormous. Delayed transfers, high fees, dependence on intermediaries, and inconsistent access to global banking systems routinely stand between talent and income.
Through Stuph Chain, Locomotive is developing a blockchain-based ecosystem that connects music, art, and digital entrepreneurship directly to global markets. Dogemeatpay, once launched, is intended to facilitate near-instant payments across borders — eliminating the delays that currently cost Nigerian creators both time and money.
The broader philosophy centres on ownership. By leveraging blockchain technology, the platform aims to help creators tokenise their work, retain control of their intellectual property, and capture a greater share of the value they generate. Artists including Treepz and Mufusa (R3NE) are among those described by insiders as part of what they call the “Locomotive train” — a growing network of creatives positioned to benefit from the ecosystem he is building.
A Deliberate Restraint
What distinguishes Locomotive from many of his peers in the Web3 space is not innovation alone, but discipline. He maintains a notably low profile around his work at a time when early-stage projects in the blockchain sector are particularly vulnerable to imitation and intellectual property theft — a dynamic he appears acutely aware of.
His analytical depth extends beyond technology. Recognised as a high-level player on platforms such as Stake, he has reportedly turned down multiple partnership offers, citing ethical concerns about promoting systems where participants may not fully understand the risks involved.
Beyond Technology
Locomotive’s interests extend beyond the digital economy. He has also made efforts to support Nigeria’s combat sports ecosystem, drawing inspiration from the country’s boxing heritage — particularly the legacies of Hogan Bassey and Dick Tiger, two of Nigeria’s most celebrated world champions. His network has produced associations with global figures including Afrobeats star Davido and UFC middleweight contender Israel Adesanya, though he has characteristically kept those connections out of the spotlight.
The Strategy of Being Underestimated
There is, by his own account, a deliberate logic to operating below the radar. In a space where ideas are easily appropriated, and attention can be a liability as much as an asset, remaining underestimated creates room to build without interference.
It is a calculated posture — one that may only fully reveal its purpose when Dogemeatpay launches and Stuph Chain’s ecosystem comes into view.
If the vision materialises as intended, it will represent something more than a new payment platform. It would mark a meaningful shift in how Nigerian creativity interfaces with the global economy: not as a cultural export to be monetised by others, but as an asset owned, controlled, and profited from by the creators themselves.
In Lagos, everyone is chasing something. Some are also quietly laying the tracks.
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