Okoya reflects on father’s influence, children’s different choices
Billionaire businessman and Aare of Lagos, Razaq Okoya, has attributed his remarkable business success to the early lessons he learned from his late father. In a trending interview, the founder
Billionaire businessman and Aare of Lagos, Razaq Okoya, has attributed his remarkable business success to the early lessons he learned from his late father.
In a trending interview, the founder of Eleganza Industrial City Limited revealed that his father, a tailor who also sold tailoring materials, introduced him to commerce from a very young age.
Okoya disclosed that although he attended school, his father limited his formal education so he could spend more time in the family shop learning tailoring and trading.
He said selling buttons and other tailoring accessories sparked his passion for business and fashion.
He said, “Right from my youth, I determined what I want to be. My father is a tailor, and he sells tailoring materials. I went to school, but my father didn’t allow me much, because I had to be in his shop, keep on doing tailoring, selling buttons and everything. “
The industrialist stated that he discovered his path early in life and pursued it with determination, adding that he has no regrets about the route he took.
He expressed deep gratitude to his father for the foundation laid and to his mother for her support.
He said, “From there I get my fashion. From there, I specialise in what I want to do in life, and I’ve done it very successfully. I have no regret at all. I thank him so much, and with my mother’s support. So these have been helping me quite a lot.”
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Okoya, however, noted that many young people today prefer to follow their own ideas rather than heed their parents' advice.
While acknowledging that some succeed independently, he stressed that building a business from scratch in the current economy is extremely difficult.
“But children nowadays have their own ideas. They hardly listen to you. They want to do it their own way, which is not really working. Some are working, but not all, unless most of them who have a very good children background, an industrial background, they have to follow their parents to grow, But to be on your own now and start growing into the economy is not easy, ” he said.
He admitted facing a similar challenge within his own family, revealing that many of his older children have chosen not to continue in the family business, preferring to carve their own paths.
“I have a big problem too. So a lot of my senior boys and senior girls don’t want to follow me. They want to be on their own. They want to do things on their own. Good luck to them,” he said.
Despite this, Okoya reaffirmed his passion for industry and manufacturing, emphasising that he wants his legacy to be defined by industrial development and is committed to sustaining it.
“I have a passion for the industry. I want to be known for industrialists. I want to be known tomorrow, my legacy is industry, so I have to keep it going,” he added.
