Personality in Focus
Seyi Tinubu: Successful Entrepreneur, Quiet Humanitarian, Sports Enthusiast
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By Peter Ikechukwu
The culture of birthday celebration has evolved over the centuries, from the Egyptians, to the Greeks, Romans, and the modern times. Birthday ceremonies have endured dramatic changes. But the purpose has remained the same: celebration of the most memorable day in the life of an individual, the born day.
For Seyi Tinubu, the son of President Bola Tinubu, who turned 38 today, it is a day to reminisce the philanthropic focus of an entrepreneur who has in the last few years busied himself with the issues that bother the masses most.
The Seyi I know is a textbook example of how a man can successfully pursue an onerous career and yet manage to serve society in ways that bring relief to those that need it most.
The CEO of Loatsad Promomedia, a digital outdoor advertising company in Lagos, is a leader in innovative marketing strategies. His works have had a tremendous impact on the concept of goods and services promotion.
Seyi also founded Noella Foundation, a non-profit organisation, named after his daughter, dedicated to supporting girl-child education, healthcare, youth empowerment, and poverty alleviation initiatives throughout Nigeria.
Noella Foundation is the umbrella body of the Seyi Tinubu Empowerment Project (STEP) aimed at employment creation and technological skill acquisition for Nigerians through the support of tech start-ups with skills development and seed funding.
STEP also provides business mentorship and networking opportunities for tech start-ups and gives them access to a community of pioneers in the tech space. The foundation aims to contribute to nation-building through human capital development.
With a combination of his business and philanthropic initiatives, Seyi has touched many lives far and near.
He says touching lives brings him a tremendous sense of fulfilment.
“I believe every human being is created for others, that is for God to use in fulfilling His purpose on earth,” he says. “Thus, for me, the most fulfilling activity is helping people to find their feet, contributing to the happiness of others, and contributing to the good of society, generally.”
Seyi is an executive member and co-founder of TELD NGO, launched in 2005 with the aim of improving the standard of living for underprivileged youths in Nigeria through sponsorship and mentoring programmes.
He has been committed to fostering a culture of excellence in his organisations through investment in talent development, extensive training programmes, and mentorship opportunities to employees.
Through the various ventures, he has demonstrated versatility and rare ability to thrive in a range of industries.
A trained lawyer with a Bachelor’s degree in law and a Master’s degree in corporate and commercial law from the University of Buckingham. He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2013.
A lover of sports, Seyi is married to Layal Jade, a Nigerian-Lebanese entrepreneur and Political Scientist, who is the founder of Tot Toys. Tot Toys is a children’s educational toyshop and learning space providing an array of education-based items, such as toys, books, and activities to help children unlock their potential.
We don’t choose what family we are born into but we get to choose what to do with what we have. In my experience of Seyi, despite being from an influential background with a powerful surname, his rise to prominence has been largely merit-based.
Seyi enjoys polo and is, reportedly, building a horse stable outside Falomo. He is also Patron of the STL Polo Team in Lagos. He believes in the power of sports as a uniting factor.
His work has also been widely recognised in Nigeria and beyond, with awards, such as The Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the Leadership Excellence Awards in 2017; Business Person of The Year at the Entrepreneur Africa Award (2019); Special Recognition Award by JustU Magazine at the Justival Award night (2019); Patron of Man O’ War Lagos (2019); Europe Business Assembly (EBA) Award for Best Enterprise and Manager of the Year (2019); Honouree of the Most Influential People of African Descent under 40 (2019); and the Excellence Award in Media Enterprise by the Sapio Club (2019).
In 2020, he was inducted into the Institute of Public Resources Management and Politics, Ghana. In 2019, he was crowned the ECOWAS Youth Ambassador for Entrepreneurship and Youth Development.
However, in the midst of his noble pursuits, Seyi has sometimes faced controversies that tend to thrust him into opposition with sections of society. There were occasions his actions were misunderstood or his intentions misinterpreted. One of such was the recent controversy over his trip to Kano on invitation to attend the Kano polo tourney, being a polo player and patron of a polo club.
The photo of Seyi arriving the Northwest state of Kano in a presidential jet had given the opposition the needed missile to launch ferocious attacks on the Presidency, by whipping up sentiments on social media. Sadly, many innocently fell for the orchestrated narratives of the opposition.
But his critics missed the fact that all over the world, children of heads of state and government are high value targets of enemies of state, and are given special protection, which covers their movements both within and outside the boundaries of their respective nations. The protection could extend to the type of means of transportation, locations they could visit, secrecy around their movements and even where they could dine. Such are determined by the security and intelligence agencies.
Also missed by the opposition, was the fact that Seyi’s invitation and presence at the tournament actually brought this beautiful game of polo to the front burner of national discourse. The spotlight his presence and those of other dignitaries beamed on the sport he loved so much was enough consolation for the barrage of attacks he received.
As a polo player and patron on STL Polo Club of Lagos, he knows that the spotlight on the Kano Polo Tournament, in the coming weeks and months, would increase interest in the sport and attract investors.
Seyi believes in service – service to the people, service to the nation and service to God. He also believes it’s human to err and that constructive criticisms could make a man better.
“I’m human and imperfection is all part of being human,” he says. “Only God is perfect. I humbly accept my occasional imperfections. But mistakes don’t define who we are.”
As humans, there’s a Seyi in each of us, which is why we always wish to be judged for what we mean to do – our original intentions – for who we really are, and nothing more.
Happy birthday!!
Gunmen who kidnapped the chairman of Jezco Group, Chief Joseph Ezeokafor, have reportedly increased their ransom demand from N700 million to N1.5 billion for his release.
Ezeokafor, a septuagenarian businessman, was reportedly abducted in Anambra State about a week ago.
The kidnappers initially demanded N700 million from the businessman’s family.
Unofficial reports quoting an anonymous source said the kidnappers had established contact with the family after the abduction.
The source said the family accepted the initial N700 million demand as part of efforts to secure Ezeokafor’s release.
However, the kidnappers later increased the ransom to N1.5 billion.
The source said the family remains willing to negotiate with the abductors, but the kidnappers have allegedly stopped further communication.
The development has reportedly left the family in a difficult situation, as attempts to restore contact with the abductors have not yielded results.
Ezeokafor was kidnapped on Tuesday at about 2am after he reportedly left his home for a prayer ground as part of his annual spiritual rejuvenation.
He was said to have left his security details behind when he stepped out of his residence, which the kidnappers capitalized on, to abduct him.
One week after the incident, the police and the State government authorities have yet to make any official statement on the businessman’s abduction.
The Anambra State Police Command has also not publicly commented on the incident.
Personality in Focus
Lessons from Dickem Farms: Two Decades of Pioneering Innovation in Nigeria’s Aquaculture Industry
By Ayo Oyoze Baje
“Our philosophy has always been simple: innovation should solve real problems, create opportunities and improve livelihoods.”
Introduction
For over two decades, Dickem Farms has remained committed to transforming Nigeria’s aquaculture industry through innovation, technology, enterprise development and human capacity building. What began in 1999 as a vision to improve fish production has evolved into one of the country’s respected aquaculture enterprises, recognized for pioneering practical solutions that have strengthened fish farming and empowered the next generation of agripreneurs.
Dickem Farms was the first to introduce mobile fish ponds into the Nigerian market, making fish farming more flexible, affordable and accessible to investors and smallholder farmers. The company also pioneered the local production of a floating fish feed extruder that uses locally available materials, reducing dependence on imported technology while lowering production costs for fish farmers. In addition, Dickem Farms has invested in modern hatchery systems that produce healthy, high-quality fingerlings to support commercial fish production.
Our philosophy has always been simple: innovation should solve real problems, create opportunities and improve livelihoods.
Recent experiences and initiatives
To get more important information about the farm there were questions on the different aspects, starting with the experiences in the past five years. Let us glean from the horse’s mouth. According to the Managing Director, Godwin Emaketenemi, “Over the last five years, we have continued to strengthen our production systems for both catfish and tilapia. Our focus has been on improving fingerling quality, enhancing pond management practices and maintaining strict water-quality monitoring to maximise fish survival and productivity.
“We also introduced better feeding programmes and comprehensive record-keeping systems that enable us to monitor growth performance, feed conversion efficiency and mortality rates.
Rather than pursuing rapid expansion, we have adopted a disciplined strategy of scaling only after achieving consistent operational results.
“This measured approach has enabled Dickem Farms to build a resilient business capable of supplying quality fish and aquaculture services to customers in Lagos and across Nigeria.”
Overcoming challenges:
On the challenges faced and how they were overcome, he stated that: “Like every agricultural enterprise, we have encountered significant challenges. Rising feed costs, unreliable electricity supply and disease management remain major concerns within the aquaculture industry. Instead of allowing these obstacles to limit our growth, we viewed them as opportunities for innovation.
Producing our own quality fish feed has significantly reduced production costs while giving us greater control over feed quality and formulation. We have also improved water-management systems and operational planning to minimize the effects of power instability.
“At the farm level, stronger biosecurity measures, improved hygiene and proactive fish-health monitoring have substantially reduced disease outbreaks and production losses.”
Marketing strategies
With regards to marketing he explained that; “Production alone does not guarantee success; a reliable market is equally important. Dickem Farms has therefore, built long-term relationships with wholesalers, retailers, restaurants and institutional buyers. We grade our fish according to customer specifications and schedule harvesting to coincide with periods of stronger market demand.”
Training programs
Furthermore, with the focus on training he explained that: “Our reputation has been built on dependable supply, consistent quality and customer trust.
One of our proudest achievements is our investment in people. We believe that sustainable agriculture depends not only on technology but also on developing competent professionals and entrepreneurs.
Over the years, Dickem Farms has trained hundreds of staff, industrial attachment (IT) students, graduates and aspiring fish farmers in practical aquaculture.
“Our training covers hatchery management, pond construction and management, fish nutrition, water-quality management, fish-health monitoring, biosecurity and business record-keeping.
More importantly, we do not stop at training. We mentor young graduates and entrepreneurs, providing technical guidance and business support until they are confident enough to establish and successfully manage their own enterprises. Seeing former trainees become successful employers and business owners remains one of our greatest rewards.
“Continuous learning has also shaped our growth. Through partnerships with foreign organisations and technical visits to leading aquaculture companies, we have gained valuable knowledge in modern hatchery technology, fish-health management, production efficiency and operational excellence.”
Government ‘s support
Coming to the need for government’s support he beamed light on it this way:
“These experiences have strengthened our technical capacity and enabled us to transfer global best practices to Nigerian farmers.
Nigeria possesses enormous potential to become a leading aquaculture producer in Africa. However, unlocking that potential requires stronger collaboration between government and the private sector.
We recommend tax exemptions or significant tax incentives for fish farming and aquaculture value-chain businesses to encourage investment.
“Farmers also need affordable financing with realistic repayment terms, reliable access to quality fingerlings, improved energy support and stronger extension services that provide timely technical guidance on fish health and disease prevention. Organized marketing systems that connect producers directly with institutional buyers will further strengthen the industry’s competitiveness.”
Piece of advice to the younger generation:
His piece of advice to young people who might be interested to go into fish farming:
“To young people considering aquaculture as a career or business, my advice is straightforward: seek proper training and find a credible mentor. Fish farming is a science and a business that rewards discipline, knowledge and patience. Begin with manageable investments, keep accurate records, master water-quality management and learn from experienced practitioners before expanding.
“A good mentor can save years of costly mistakes and accelerate the journey to success.”
As the future beckons:
As for plans for the future he highlighted that: “Looking ahead, Dickem Farms will continue to invest in innovation, local technology development, commercial hatchery expansion, fish-feed production, modern aquaculture equipment and practical capacity building. Our ambition is not only to grow our business but also to contribute meaningfully to food security, employment creation and economic development.
Our long-term vision extends beyond Nigeria.
“We believe Africa possesses the resources, talent and entrepreneurial spirit to feed itself and compete globally. Through innovation, strategic partnerships and investment in people, Dickem Farms will continue to play its part in building a modern aquaculture industry that delivers prosperity for farmers, affordable nutrition for families and sustainable growth for the continent.
Our mission remains unwavering: to inspire a future where Africans feed Africa through innovation, enterprise and excellence in agriculture.”
These indeed, are brilliant submissions for us all to learn from now and always.
The Chairman of First HoldCo, Femi Otedola, has strengthened his stake in the financial institution after acquiring an additional 1.77 billion shares valued at N222.20 billion.
Details contained in a disclosure filed with the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) showed that the shares were purchased on Thursday through his investment company, Calvados Global Services Limited.
The latest transaction raised Otedola’s shareholding in First HoldCo from 9.99 billion shares to 11.77 billion shares, with his ownership increasing from 21.96 per cent to 25.88 per cent.
The purchase marks Otedola’s second major investment in the company this July, following his acquisition of 706.13 million shares worth N77.58 billion on July 22.
With the fresh acquisition, Otedola’s total investment in First HoldCo has climbed to N1.47 trillion, making him the institution’s largest shareholder.
