One man that has traversed the Nigerian enterprise panorama is Chief (Dr.) Rasaki Akanni Okoya. The founding father of Eleganza conglomerate is a type of few males that may be actually stated to be bigger than life figures. Whether or not the main focus is on the sector of enterprise, faith, training or philanthropy, Okoya, who will probably be 85 on Sunday, January 12, has come full circle. JOSEPHINE AMAOLE captures the lifetime of this quintessential Nigerian.
If the title sounds unusual to you, it means you aren’t acquainted with the financial panorama of Nigeria, the place he has been a serious participant for over six many years. Alhaji Rasaki Akanni Okoya, the face behind the Eleganza conglomerate looms bigger than life within the subject of enterprise. Although age has slowed him down, the Oluwaninsola landlord’s enterprise acumen has continued to dominate among the many enterprise titan in Nigeria and past.
“Honesty, focus, dedication, self-belief, and fervour for what you do are key substances to being profitable and rich,” he says, brimming with type.A person with a Midas contact whose breakthrough in enterprise got here on the age of 19, he constructed a home in Surulere and by the age of 21, he might boast of 4 homes in Surulere. And at 34, he had acquired a property on Ikoyi Crescent; 4 hectares of land within the coronary heart of Ikoyi. By the point he clocked 40, two high-rise buildings had been added to his title.
“Once I began out, I guarded my sources jealously as a result of I believed as an industrialist, the cash may are available in quantity and as soon as you’re decided to place the cash again into that enterprise and also you don’t waste it, you will note the consequence,” Okoya confesses. “I’ve been busy all my life with enterprise, building, buying and selling to the extent that I didn’t have time for social life on the preliminary stage. And to have sustained all this during the last six many years is by dedication, onerous work and the grace of God. I imagine success isn’t elusive to those that dare.”
Identical to an outdated wine, which tastes higher with age, Eleganza, as an organization, retains evolving, shifting with the imaginative and prescient of its founder. His Eleganza Group is likely one of the greatest homegrown conglomerates in Nigeria, immediately, with over six factories. He began manufacturing coolers in 1978 at a manufacturing facility in Oregun, Ikeja, Lagos State. From then he has moved on to constructing different factories in Lagos; his newest being the icing on the cake is the sprawling manufacturing plant, Eleganza Industrial Metropolis Restricted, which is located on a 30-hectare land at Ibeju-Lekki.
This industrial advanced is a fulfilment to the imaginative and prescient of a person whose ardour for enterprise has continued to develop. Within the newly-built plant, all home items are produced beneath the identical roof. A few of these merchandise equivalent to coolers, chairs and tables, hair threads, diapers, girl sanitary, pet preform and cap, re-useable cups and plastic sneakers, baggage bins and so forth, have develop into family names in Nigeria and neighboring African markets. The usual and high quality of those merchandise should not compromised.
The poster boy of entrepreneurship in Nigeria, Okoya’s enterprising spirit might effectively crown him the king of entrepreneurs and industrialists in Nigeria. He has patiently adopted a overwhelmed path. For many who know, the Eleganza Empire is sort of a utopia many Nigerians who need to dwell within the second. Okoya has lived in that real-world he created many years again.
Past being an industrialist, the enterprise mogul can also be into property improvement. His legacy on the true property sector is conspicuous, as lots of the landmark buildings on either side of the 80-kilometre Lekki-Epe Expressway are adorned with Eleganza Properties, offering selection property and lodging for the center and better courses of the Nigerian society whereas additionally offering employment alternatives for artisans, engineers, architects and others expert and unskilled staff throughout the estates: No doubts, the crowning efforts in his foray into property improvement is the jaw dropping Oluwanisola Property.
Born on January 12, 1940 to Tiamiyu Ayinde and Alhaja Idiatu Okoya, in Lagos, the billionaire industrialist, who based the Eleganza Group of Firms, which has a market share that extends throughout the West African sub-region, attended Ansar-Ud-Deen Major Faculty, Oke Popo, Lagos.
From such humble starting within the coronary heart of Lagos Island (Epetedo space), he quickly made it clear that his coronary heart was set on changing into a businessman. His story, immediately, is one that may by no means be forgotten in a rush on this a part of the world. Having displayed sharp enterprise acumen and drive to realize nice success, the younger Okoya had began his personal enterprise at age 14.
His story has been informed a number of occasions of how he began his conglomerate with 70 kilos, which his mom granted him and his resolution to put money into importation of tailoring supplies equivalent to ribbons, zip fasteners and buttons beneath the commerce title, Okoya Buttons Shops, paid off. By the point, he was 17 years outdated; he had develop into a supply of inspiration even to those that have been older than him and has not regarded again since.
Talking on what it means to be 85, Okoya says, “all my life, at 85 years, has been spent within the industries I constructed. I derive my happiness on manufacturing strains, which I’ve discovered to be very fascinating, it retains me busy and fulfilled on a regular basis, and I repeatedly pray for Nigeria each minute to be an industrialised nation.”
He continues, “my prayer is to take pleasure in good well being, lengthy life and go away the legacy of my trade behind as I need Eleganza to survive me and proceed with my philosophy of philanthropy.”
At 85, he might have slowed down, he’s nonetheless on high of his sport in enterprise as Eleganza merchandise have continued to dominate and resonate among the many previous, current and the longer term generations. Because of the imaginative and prescient of a person who stays dedicated to his calling.
He’s additional strengthened by his youngest spouse, Shade. “In just a few years time, I could stop or decelerate. Fortunately, I’ve a youthful spouse, Shade, who’s and dedicated to this dream as effectively. She is all the time within the manufacturing facility from 7:00am to 7:00pm. I’ve labored all through my life. It’s time to loosen up,” he confesses.
An enigma, the Aare of Lagos inhabits a world that shimmers in type as an industrialist and a philanthropist. With him, the world of enterprise is the last word. Politics is no-no to him. He has saved it at bay following what has develop into divine for him.
“As I all the time say, a superb carpenter can not sew garments. I’m a superb industrialist. God has helped me to this point. Though some politicians are my good buddies, I don’t know a lot about politics,” he admits, including: “I’m doing God’s will the place he has positioned me. I’m too busy with my manufacturing facility to consider dabbling into politics. It has by no means crossed my thoughts.”
For the industrialist, who seems to be at points from entrepreneurial and industrial perspective, he canvasses holistic insurance policies that may empower the younger ones.Dwelling on his private view throughout visits to different climes, the 85-year-old magnate said that authorities ought to present small scale tools and equipment for small scale manufacturing strains and promote it to the youths who’ve acquired the abilities and graduated from the coaching faculty of their specialised space on the premise of loans with low-interest charges.
“I’ve all the time preached and prayed that each state of all 36 states together with FCT in Nigeria would have an industrial zone within the outskirt of the cities with residential lodging to ameliorate the lifetime of residents. This may cease the actions of our youths migrating from rural areas to city cities,” he says.
On the earth of philanthropy, Alhaji Razak Okoya is an unusual philanthropist. Amongst strikes that exemplify this greater than something is his transfer to single–handedly endow the Ekiti State College (previously College of Ado–Ekiti, UNAD) with the constructing that accommodates your complete School of Enterprise Administration on the campus. In recognition of his enterprise acumen and his large-heartedness, he was conferred with the Honorary Doctorate diploma of the establishment.
He additionally sponsored the constructing of the Library contained in the Island Membership premises together with scholarship schemes for indigent college students in numerous establishments of upper studying throughout Nigeria.
Okoya is equally a non secular man per excellence. His devotion to his faith is additional gingered by making certain that no fewer than 12 Islamic devotees (workers, relations), are despatched to Makkah on the yearly pilgrimage.
The dedicated spiritual man was honoured with the title of Otun-Aare Adinni by the Lagos Central Mosque. He has additionally constructed a big mosque in his non-public residential compound on the Oluwanisola Property the place tons of of the Muslim devoted from throughout Lagos come collectively to worship Allah each Friday and he shares meals and presents after the service every week.
Okoya, a person who has adopted excellence as his hallmark all through his life, was conferred with the Nigeria Nationwide Award of Commander of the Order of Niger, CON. He was bestowed with the Life Time Achievement Awards by Solar Newspaper in 2016 and Each day Unbiased Newspapers in 2017 respectively.
As an astute enterprise man, he’s additionally a dedicated household man. You’ll be able to say he’s a homely man. Regardless of his wealth, you’ll discover him attending to his wives, youngsters and grand-children discussing very important points pertaining to the great and improvement of Eleganza Group of Firms in addition to household issues. The foremost industrialist is Aare of Lagos, Bobajiro of Oke–Ona Egbaland and Aare Babalaje of Ajiran land.
