X3M Idea’s Founder Inspires at Nigerian Marketing Award

Raheem Akingbolu

It was palpable silence on Saturday at the Nigerian Marketing Award, when one of the country’s most successful advertising icons, Steve Babaeko, shared a heart‑touching story of his grass to grace journey in the marketing communications industry.  

His agency, X3M Ideas, clinched notable awards in various categories at the event.  

Delivering a keynote address titled Whispers that Moves Mountains, Babaeko held guests spellbound as they listened keenly to a man whose life, style, and business achievements have become morale boosters for young and upcoming entrepreneurs, especially in the marketing communications industry.  

Babaeko spoke with the cadence of a motivational speaker and the artistry of a poet. His words carried rhythm and weight, weaving together history, determination, and faith. He took his listeners on an odyssey that revealed his humble background, his daring spirit, and the guiding hand of God.  

“Sometimes, the most powerful forces in life are not loud. They do not arrive with the sound of drums or the blare of trumpets. They appear softly like a breath, like a thought, like a whisper,” the X3M Ideas Chief Executive began.  

Drawing on his mother as a central figure in his story, Babaeko recalled his early days in Kaduna State, where his mother became the anchor of the family following the death of his father at a tender age.  

“Growing up, I remember quiet mornings in our small home. My mother would wake up way before the sun, moving gently through the room, humming a familiar hymn. There were no grand speeches. No dramatic lessons. Just a soft melody rising into the stillness. Yet it was the cue for us to get up or else…”  

He paused, reflecting on how those moments shaped him. They taught him that life is not defined by noise but by the quiet voice within, the whisper of purpose.  

Speaking on the present, he observed: “Today, we live in a world that rewards noise. The loudest opinion is often mistaken for the truest. The most visible person is assumed to be the most valuable. We are encouraged to announce our every move, to demand attention, to shout in order to be heard.”  

Recently elevated as Vice President and Area Director for Africa on the global board of the International Advertising Association, Babaeko reminded his audience that history shows the greatest transformations begin quietly.  

“The seed that becomes the Iroko tree takes root underground. The first light of dawn does not argue for space, it simply fills it. Faith, when it is real, does not scream. It knows. The whisper is direction. It is conviction. It is the inner assurance that says: This is the way. Keep going.”  

Using his own life as a case study, Babaeko painted a vivid picture of leaving Kaduna for Lagos three decades ago, with no map and no certainty of what lay ahead.  

“I had no guarantees. But I felt a whisper pushing me forward,” he said emphatically.  

He recounted how he founded X3M Ideas 13 years ago with scarce resources and obvious risks. Yet he trusted the whisper.

 “When I founded X3M Ideas, the resources were very scarce and the risks were obvious. Yet the whisper said: Build. Trust. Create. The world will catch up. Today X3M Ideas has footprint in about nine countries and still counting. The whisper does not promise certainty. It promises clarity of purpose. And purpose is what moves mountains.”  

To drive home his point, the award‑winning creative master looked into the eyes of his audience and awakened them. “Mountains, in our lives, take many forms. They may be fear. Doubt. Inequality.  Limited opportunity. The labels placed on us by systems, by history, by perception, by the world’s storytelling, even by ourselves. For Africa and for Nigeria, one of our greatest mountains has been the narrative others created about us.”  

In his usual patriotic tone, Babaeko spoke passionately about Nigeria and the abundance of natural and human talent.  

“Nigeria is not short of talent. Africa is not short of brilliance. What we need is a renewed confidence in our own narrative. The whisper speaking to our generation is clear: we must tell our own stories, build our own institutions, defend our cultural identity, and shape the world on our own terms. We do not need to shout to prove who we are. We need to know who we are,” he said.