For Sonnia Agu, being labelled “razz” while growing up was not necessarily a verdict on her future. Instead, it became part of a journey that would take her from Lagos and Oyo State to Cyprus, and eventually into social entrepreneurship, manufacturing and technology.

Agu, an author and entrepreneur with more than a decade of experience in the social entrepreneurship space, has now documented that journey in her autobiography, Razz — a Nigerian slang commonly used to describe someone considered uncouth, unsophisticated or unrefined.

The book reflects on her upbringing, education, career and eventual transition into entrepreneurship, while making a broader argument about resilience, opportunity and the possibilities that exist even in difficult environments.

Founded in 2013, her NGO, Sapio Group, marked the beginning of her work in social entrepreneurship. Her career has since taken several turns, including working as a personal assistant to Seyi Tinubu, son of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, before she ventured into business.

Her entrepreneurial interests have ranged from the production of uncooked food and drinking water to her latest venture, Sapio Works, a technology-driven platform designed to connect Nigerians with vetted artisans and service providers.

For Agu, the idea behind Sapio Works emerged from an everyday problem: Nigerians routinely invite strangers into their homes to carry out repairs, domestic work and other services, often without knowing their backgrounds or having a reliable mechanism for resolving disputes.

She believes technology can bring greater accountability to the informal services market by introducing a system similar to what exists in ride-hailing and food-delivery platforms, where service providers can be identified, reviewed and held accountable.

“Every day Nigerians invite strangers into their homes to work without knowing who these people are just because they are desperate to get a job done,” she said.

According to her, artisans and freelance workers should be properly screened before being engaged, while customers should have a platform through which complaints can be addressed when problems arise.

The venture reflects what has become a recurring theme in Agu’s career — identifying gaps in everyday life and attempting to turn them into opportunities.

That philosophy also runs through Razz.

Rather than presenting her journey simply as a personal success story, Agu said she wants the book to encourage young Nigerians to look beyond the country’s challenges and recognise the needs that remain to be addressed.

“I want to make the point that there is opportunity in chaos and unfairness,” she said.

For her, travelling abroad for education or remaining overseas after graduation should not necessarily be viewed as abandoning Nigeria. More importantly, she believes Nigerians can use their experiences, wherever they are, to identify problems and create solutions that generate economic value.

“I’m just trying to let Nigerians, particularly younger Nigerians, know that even with all that isn’t right with our country, there are needs to be fulfilled for financial reward,” she said.

Her own journey has included an international education in Cyprus, employment after graduation and eventual return to entrepreneurship. It has also exposed her to different facets of work, from social impact initiatives to conventional business and, increasingly, technology.

That transition mirrors the changing nature of Nigeria’s economy, where entrepreneurs are increasingly looking towards technology to solve problems traditionally handled through informal networks.

Sapio Works is positioned within that space, seeking to bring some structure and trust to the fragmented market for domestic and technical services.

Beyond business, Agu’s work in activism and humanitarian initiatives has also earned recognition. She was recently named among the 2025 Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD) honourees for activism and humanitarian work and was listed by Crest Africa among its 2025 African Leading Women.

For Agu, however, the significance of her journey appears to lie less in the accolades than in the transformation of a label once used to define her into a story she now controls herself.

Through Razz, she is reframing the narrative — from how others perceived her growing up to what she has built since then.

And in Sapio Works, she is taking that philosophy beyond autobiography, betting that some of Nigeria’s most persistent everyday frustrations can become opportunities for innovation, employment and enterprise.