Social media activist and businessman VeryDarkMan (VDM) has once again got people talking, this time after bringing out a cash counting machine to count money reportedly received from the sale of his RATEL products.

Photos show him and a colleague surrounded by bundles of naira notes, with an open suitcase full of cash, stacks of money on cartons of RATEL power stations and a counting machine beside them.

A record day

According to VDM, the business recorded about ₦90 million in sales in one day, the biggest single-day figure since the products were launched.

Ready to show proof

VDM knows how Nigerians think. Once you mention ₦90 million in one day, some people will immediately start asking questions, while others will simply refuse to believe it.

To clear the doubts, he has promised to go a step further and make his bank account statement public so people can see the transactions for themselves. He appeared confident about the figures and made it clear he was ready to back up his claims with evidence.

A fast-growing brand

What makes this development interesting is how quickly the RATEL business appears to be gaining attention. From importing products from China to demonstrating how they perform in public, VDM has continued to attract customers and supporters.

However, the ₦90 million figure has yet to be independently verified, and sales revenue should not be confused with profit.

Over to you

If VDM can truly generate ₦90 million in sales in a single day, imagine what this business could become in the next few years.

What do you think about the speed at which VeryDarkMan is growing the RATEL brand?

Daniel Regha has weighed in on VeryDarkMan's growing RATEL business, writing on X that VDM had gone "from activist, to NGO business, to CEO" and "from criticizing business owners to joining the same businesses to make profit."

His post drew mixed reactions. One user replied that anyone who has not yet understood VDM is to be pitied, while another asked what VDM is supposed to do with the money he makes from social media: give it all away and own nothing because he is an activist?

Influence without a business

Sometimes one wonders whether Daniel Regha sees the business opportunities sitting right in front of him. For someone who commands so much attention on X, sparks conversations almost daily and has built a considerable following, you would expect him to have turned that influence into something financially rewarding by now.

Perhaps the fear of what people will say is holding him back.

You are only a tenant

Many influencers forget that they do not own these platforms. They are simply tenants. Facebook, X, TikTok and Instagram can suspend an account, restrict its reach or change their policies overnight, and years of gathering followers could suddenly amount to very little.

What VDM seems to understand

VeryDarkMan appears to understand something many influencers have yet to figure out: popularity has an expiry date. The same people cheering you today may move on to another personality tomorrow.

Instead of depending entirely on public attention, he is gradually converting his influence into a business. He is introducing products, building a customer base and creating something that could keep generating income long after the social media excitement fades. That is smart thinking.

People will always talk

Imagine spending years building an audience of hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of people, only to have nothing financially sustainable to show for it.

If you have the audience, build a business. Sell products, offer services, create something valuable and earn legitimate money from the influence you have worked hard to establish. If you sell something, people will criticise you. If you remain broke, those same people will still have something to say. The people whose opinions you fear will not come together to pay your rent, feed your family or settle your bills.

The real question

The advice to Daniel Regha and other social media personalities is simple: stop treating online popularity as a lifetime achievement, and find a way to turn that attention into lasting value. VDM may have his critics, but his decision to venture into business deserves recognition.

Because when the followers stop cheering and the cameras stop rolling, the real question will be: what did you build with all that influence?

What do you think? Should influencers concentrate on entertaining their followers, or should they use their popularity to build businesses?

VeryDarkMan (VDM) and his RATEL brand have reportedly recorded about ₦90 million in sales in just one day, a figure that has set social media talking about how far the activist-turned-businessman could go.

The claim followed a post showing VDM in RATEL Power branded safety gear, holding up his phone, alongside a screenshot of bank alerts. The alerts, all dated 31 October 2026, show several customer payments for RATEL products, including a 600-watt power station, with the account balance climbing above ₦83 million.

From critic to businessman

VDM first became widely known for his social media videos and for publicly challenging powerful figures. Over time he has moved into importing products from China, building his own brand and steadily establishing himself in business. RATEL now sells items ranging from power stations to sensor lights.

A marketing style built on openness

What stands out most is how he markets the brand. Rather than relying on traditional adverts, he brings his audience along with him. He shows them the products, explains how they work and tests them publicly, so followers are watching the business grow in real time.

Whether people like him or not, few can deny the attention he has drawn to RATEL.

Sales are not profit

It is worth remembering that ₦90 million in sales is not ₦90 million in profit. Running a business comes with stock costs, shipping, staff, risk and plenty of other challenges, and the figure itself has not been independently confirmed.

Still, if RATEL keeps up this momentum, many observers believe it could grow into a multibillion-naira business group. Ten years from now, people may look back at these early videos and remember exactly how it all started.

Why it matters

Nigeria needs more young people who can turn online influence into productive businesses that create jobs and last. VDM's journey, with its struggles, criticism, mistakes and determination, is playing out in full public view.

So the question is simple: do you believe RATEL can become one of Nigeria's biggest indigenous brands in the next five years?

The National Industrial Court in Lagos has ordered the arrest and detention of the Lagos State chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Mustapha Adekunle, popularly known as Sego, and the union's secretary, Usman Teslim.

What the court said

Justice Isaac Essien gave the order on Monday, 2 November 2026, after the two officials failed to appear in court to show why they should not be sent to prison for contempt. According to reports, the judge described their conduct as brazen disobedience of court orders and warned that the authority of the courts must not be undermined. He directed the Lagos Commissioner of Police, the state commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and other security agencies to arrest the two men and hand them over to the officer in charge of the Kirikiri Correctional Centre.

Bailiff obstruction

The court also raised concern over an affidavit filed by its bailiff, who said he was prevented from serving court papers on 5 October by a security officer linked to one of the parties in the case. Justice Essien reportedly described the alleged obstruction as a dangerous development.

Background

The case stems from a long-running dispute between commercial tricycle operators and the NURTW in Lagos over control of operations and levies. The union has been at the centre of several leadership and legal battles in the state in recent years. Sego and the union have not publicly responded to the order.

What happens next

The officials can still appear before the court or challenge the order on appeal. It is not yet clear whether security agencies have acted on the directive.