Welcome to another episode of Inside Engineering, in this series, we delve into the lives of Flutterwave Engineers and discover fascinating aspects of their personalities beyond their work and laptop screens. For this episode, we have the pleasure of featuring Anjola, one of our Front-End Engineers. Anjola has an intense passion for art and she’s also a chef in the making. Find out about her numerous interests asides from writing code. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy Anjola’s story! 😊

Hi, Anjola. Welcome to your episode of Inside Engineering. 

What was your worst bug story? 

There are a few but let me just mention the first one I encountered that was really annoying. Let me tell you about one particularly annoying issue we faced while using the v2 dashboard. You see, there’s this handy transaction insights feature on the transaction details page, but for some reason, certain merchants couldn’t access it at all. It turned out to be a tiny bug, nothing major. The API’s response format had changed, and it took us a while to figure that out. I had to go through every piece of the response from a transaction that was displaying correctly to spot the difference. It was frustrating because it wasn’t even a technical problem, just a slight structural difference. However, it taught me to pay closer attention to the little details. Bugs can come from unexpected places, you know? Ultimately, it took about a day to sort out, and the backend team had to make some changes too. You never know where a bug might be coming from. 

Right. I’m really glad you solved that. What’s your favourite hobby and how did you get into it? 

Right now, when it comes to hobbies, drawing is my all-time favourite. It’s something I enjoyed doing a lot when I was younger. Funny enough, I recently decided to pick it up again this year. I bought new pencils, markers, and all sorts of art materials, and I just dived right in. It’s such a relaxing and enjoyable activity for me. 

So, Anjola Picasso? 

Who knows! Haha, maybe one day! Besides traditional drawing, I’m also exploring the world of digital art. It’s a whole new adventure, and I’m curious to see where it takes me. Don’t worry, you’ll hear from me when I blow 😊

I’m absolutely here for it. Tabs or spaces? 

Tabs. 

If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why? 

If I were to choose a superpower, I’d go for teleportation. Just imagine being able to go anywhere instantly, avoiding Lagos traffic, and skipping those dreaded flights – that would be a dream come true! 

I get it. What was the, wow, I love my job so much moment for you? 

There was a particular task a while ago, and it was to make the dashboard mobile responsive. Seeing the positive impact of my work on people around the world was truly heartwarming. The positive reviews and feedback made me realize that what I do matters and can genuinely help others. It was a significant moment of fulfilment, and it made me appreciate the meaningful impact of my work. Sometimes, we forget that our work goes beyond a computer screen; it touches lives, and that realization was genuinely awe-inspiring.

Do you have any interesting or unusual talent that most people don’t know about? 

I would have loved to say singing, but I have allergies constantly. You can hear my voice is not the best right now.

Yeah. Sorry about that. If not engineering, what? 

I would have pursued my dream of becoming a chef. Cooking has always fascinated me, and I even considered going to Red Dish for proper training. Perhaps in the future, when I retire, I might explore that passion and create delicious dishes to share with others.

That’s interesting. If you could go back in time to any period. Which era would that be? 

I really don’t want to go too far back. Maybe the mid-1900s, before the world became so interconnected and fast-paced. I enjoy watching historical movies sometimes and just experience the way they dress, the simple life and the food. But not too far, please. Today, everything feels like it’s happening at lightning speed, so a little trip back to a simpler time sounds quite appealing. 

If you had to eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be? 

That would be plantain and sauce. There’s something about the combination that I find incredibly satisfying and comforting.

What’s your favourite thing to do on the weekends and why? 

If I’m not cooking or trying a new recipe, then I’m definitely playing games. I can get lost doing that and it just helps relieve the stress. So mostly food and games. Whether I’m playing indoors or exploring new restaurants, weekends are all about food and fun for me.

Lastly, do you have any household pets? Tell us about them. 

No, I don’t have to myself, but we have a family dog. However, the dog can be so naughty so I don’t claim him as mine. I’m contemplating getting my own puppy, after seeing my neighbour’s cute puppy but the decision hasn’t been made yet. Who knows, maybe a furry friend will join my household soon! 

I understand people that enjoy coding as a hobby but remember to embrace life beyond the screen. Live and let live! 😜

The Flutterwave Engineering Team comprises different units responsible for the development and maintenance of our technology products in collaboration with other teams like Product, Marketing, and Design among others. 

You can learn more about our developer products on our Documentation Page. If you have feedback about our products, you can reach out to us on X (formerly Twitter) and by Email.  You can also join our Developer Community on Slack to get regular updates from us.