₦airaland Forum

FKO81:
Ignoramus Egina fabrication yard is a joint venture be SHI and Ladol as local content partner.

Samsung and Ladol to establish N51bn vessel fabrication facility


The Lagos Deep Offshore Logistics, LADOL and Samsung Heavy Industries SHI, have formed a partnership to establish a N51 billion vessel fabricating facility.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/10/ladol-samsung-establish-n51bn-vessel-fabrication-facility/

https://shipsandports.com.ng/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/2nd-fp1-1024x683.jpg


British trade envoy says LADOL facility among world best

L-R: British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Paul Arkwright; Managing Director, Lagos Deep Offshore Logistics Base (LADOL) Dr. Amy Jadesimi; and British Trade Envoy to Nigeria, John Howell, when the top British diplomats visited the expansive LADOL Industrial Zone in Apapa, Lagos, Thursday.




The envoy who lauded the initiative in undertaking the project otherwise known as Egina Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) to LADOL base, described the facility as meeting world class in modern oil and gas undertakings.

“From what I’ve seen here, I’m very impressed with the facilities here, the state of the art equipment, some of the very best you can find anywhere, and we are told its first of its kind in the whole of Africa. That speaks volumes of Amy’s visionary approach towards the whole idea of investments and developments here, which I’m sure, is going to take the centre stage in the future


Earlier while taking the team round the base, the LADOL boss informed the special envoys that the company, which is the only 100% indigenous in Nigeria particularly in the oil and gas industry, was developed from the swamp about a decade ago


http://shipsandports.com.ng/british-trade-envoy-says-ladol-facility-among-world-best/

FKO81:
That's different between Yorubas and Igbos, Igbos control indigenous firms, while you are counting another man's property as theirs

LADOL is the only 100% indigenous-integrated logistics base in Nigeria. LADOL is a haven filled with international and local industrial companies, executing high-risk projects safely and successfully in Nigeria for the first time, thereby servicing the Nigerian and West Africa markets.

LADOL is the biggest vessel fabrication and integration yard in the region, with capacity for FPSO integration and conversion, top-side FPSO module fabrication, large offshore fabrication, and range of general steel construction at a rate of 10MT per year.

The Mission of LADOL is to reduce the costs of operating in Nigeria by 50%.

http://www.chevening.org/award/ladol

FKO81:
The major fabrication yards in Nigeria, Igbos run PAI, KAZTEC, EWT and Dorman long. Egina ship fabrication yard is owned by SHI with Ladol as local content partner.

LADOL (“The Base,”) is a new, state-of-the-art logistics facility, strategically located on an island at the point of entry into Lagos harbour, directly opposite Apapa Port in the LADOL Free Zone. As the first and only facility of its kind in Lagos, LADOL was created to ensure that Nigeria benefits directly from its deep offshore oil and gas reserves. By providing world-class facilities and services, LADOL will encourage the multinational firms exploiting the deep water oil reserves to utilize Nigerian companies to service their operations, creating jobs for Nigerians as well as ensuring training, knowledge and technology transfer into the country.

LADOL and Samsung Heavy Industries in October 2014 broke ground on a $300m state-of-the-art facility, Africa’s first and largest vessel fabrication and integration facility.


https://nairametrics.com/samsung-heavy-industries-and-ladol-in-600-million-investment/

It was the will power of the administration that has made Cross River a reference point in tourism development in Nigeria and a preferred destination. Same will power is playing out in Ekiti state where Kayode Fayemi is turning things around in another tourist attraction in Ikogosi

Today, as part of Governor Kayode Fayemi’s transformation package accessibility is now a thing of the past as the roads leading to the resort have been fixed. The road re-rehabilitation formed part of the larger plan to transform the resort to a destination that can attract tourists. A drive into the resort for the zonal meeting of the Nigeria Union of Journalists during the week was an eye opener to the transformation that has taken place in the resort.



http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/07/ikogosi-warm-spring-natures-gift-to-mankind/

FKO81:
Nextee Oil and Gas owed by Uju Ifejrika
Nexttee Oil and Gas Trading Company is an indigenous integrated company and a key player in our downstream operations, Nexttee Oil & Gas Trading Company Nigeria Limited’s main business is Oil trading marketing which includes the sale of crude, refined products, and condensates.
[/b]

FKO81:
Clown can you update us on current production output

It is ranked Nigeria’s largest indigenous oil firm with market estimated to be in the region of $1 billion.



http://venturesafrica.com/oando-sells-gas-business-to-seven-energy-for-250m/

FKO81:
Brittania-U owned by Uju Ifejirika, named among six most powerful female in oil and gas in the world by NASDAQ and Oil price

FKO81:
LADOL on the other hand also is the largest oil servicing company in West Africa according to afonja news media


Oando recently disclosed that it is currently producing 55000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil
http://energynews-ng.com/oando-now-produces-55000-barrels-per-day-tinubu/

FKO81:
Oboy what is current production output pd from those companies you listed not estimated output, your people are noise makers
On Ladol I once worked with NAPIMS Bayokoko Ikoyi office, I have visited LADOL several times and I know the slim lady in charge, one thing with your people you make loudest noise when you achieve little, you can't compare Ladol to oilserv, Nesthak chrome group in oil servicing, stop deceiving yourselves from what Lagos medias are feeding you

The FPSO vessel fabrication and integration facility- currently being operated by SHI-MCI FZE, it's a joint venture between Samsung Heavy Industries and LADOL's shipyard operator, Mega-Construction and Integration FZE.

Nigeria’s indigenous oil operators plan to increase production by 60 percent in 2018

Current output breakdown showed that Aiteo, Eroton, NPDC, Oriental, Seplat produce 77,000 barrels per day, bpd 54,000 bpd, 42,654 bpd, 24, 000bpd, and 21,881bpd respectively. Newcross, Midwestern, Belemaoil, Amni, Conoil, Niger Delta, Walter Smith and Erin Energy produce 20,000 bpd, 13,000 bpd, 12,000 bpd, 11, 000 bpd, 9, 130 bpd, 7,000 bpd, 5, 837 bpd and 5,000 bpd. Others – Energia, Moni Pulo, Prime Energy, Platform and Pillar Oil – also produce 4,500 bpd, 3, 200 bpd, I, 200 bpd, 1, 100 bpd and 1, 100 bpd respectively.


Aiteo emerges Nigeria’s leading oil & gas company with record 90kpod output in 1 year
https://www.orientenergyreview.com/aiteo-emerges-nigerias-leading-oil-gas-company
Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/04/nigerias-indigenous-oil-operators-plan-increase-production-60-percent-2018/

For the uninitiated, Leadspace is a sister company of Passion Incubator and doubles as a co-working space. The goal for Leadspace is to create the future of work by creating the best environment to work, collaborate, stay productive, network and have fun.

Ojodu Berger has evolved into a vibrant business environment due to the recent upgrade in infrastructure in the area by the government, with proximity to Ikeja airport and the Marina financial district via the direct link to the 3rd mainland bridge. Having a co-working space in Ojodu might just be a great call.

Car parks are a major problem for most co-working spaces in Lagos but Leadspace in Ojodu covered that end with an enormous space for your cars.

Join me as we tour Leadspace to see what await potential occupants.
Productivity, collaboration, community are three core values of Leadspace and it’s well spelt on the wall in the reception area. You can’t but notice it. For a strong community, you need connectivity and I could not but notice that they are fully supported by ipNX. So no worries, they have you covered on fast internet.

Doublecheck:
The way you swine in foolery is amazing and too think other dumb Afonjas are cheering you on is even more astonishing one begins to wonder where the intelligent Afonjas are, laudate the dumbest Afonja ever liveth is ever ready to give you a like for another stupid post you make.

If your brain had by any chance exceed 2 weeks when it stopped developing on conception you would have know that Jacob cross has franchise in several European and African countries like U.K., South Africa, Nigeria etc, that why it was even written country of origin which implies it is manufactured in other countries too under franchise arrangements. Olodo Muslim afonja, no brain, just phone and 10MB

Doublecheck:
Brandy, dry gin, spirit, wine all made by Igbo's not packaged or marketed by Igbo's but made and packaged by Igbo's


www.nairaland.com/attachments/5787674_8f19c03b96a24cff88e9a428bd2123a922400000033ab83d207_jpeg1cfd3621412afeb8f84303d17707fcd1

Michael is a qualified Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. He spent the first 10 years of his career in Investment Banking, Treasury and Strategy before pursuing a career in Interior Design in 2004.

Between 2000-2003, Michael gained substantial and valuable experience working in an advisory role at both Federal and State Governments levels in the areas of budgeting and strategy.

Since 2004, he has grown the Black Pelican Group (with 2 subsidiaries) into a reference name in interior design. IL Bagno, specializing in the sales and distribution of high end interior finishes exclusively represents the leading manufacturing companies in Europe for the Nigerian market whilst Bagno Technik, with its multinational team of trained engineers and installers specializes in installation solutions.

Michael is married to Adetola Oloruntoyin Okeyemi and they have 3 children.

hilroy:
Don't use childish tomfoolery fill up the thread. All we ask of you and your kindred is to show your self acclaimed 90% industry in Lagos, 80% in Abuja and 75% in Kano. The whole world is waiting, please do the needful.

Weinberg:
Igbos are really doing wonderful things despite being kept from power..
Igbo is the greatest African race...

Keep it coming, Great people!

laudate:
Deebee Limited started as a wine manufacturer, but it’s product range now includes non-alcoholic fruit juices, bottled water, and will soon include a line of functional/energy drinks. Dr. D.B.A. Ogutuga, Ph.D (CANTAB), the Founder and Executive Chairman of Deebee Company Limited, established the firm in June 1977, with the purpose of commercially implementing his research results, on the process of manufacturing wine from kola nuts.

https://www.africa.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/deebee-screen.png

Today, from the complex factory machinery used for purification, PET blowing, filling, labeling, capping and shrink wrapping (and that’s their bottled water product alone), to the logistics software used to communicate raw material and finished goods orders between offices, Deebee Company Limited utilises high end technology to enhance its' operations, and add significant value along its entire value chain.

[img]https://www.africa.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/deebeefactory2.jpg[/img]

Dr. Olatunde Aiyedun Agbato, a Knight of John Wesley of Methodist Church Nigeria, was born at Ogere Remo on 4th August. He attended Wesley School, Ogere Remo, Ijebu Ode Grammar School and the university of Ibadan. where he studied Veterinary Medicine and Obtained the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 1975 with distinctions in pathology and parasitology.
He served for about 16 months as a lecturer in the Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ibadan before enrolling for a Master of Business Administration program at the University of Lagos; thus graduating 15 months later with an MBA degree; becoming the first veterinarian in the country to do so.

Sixth Sense Limited is an Interior decor/furniture company specializing in the decoration and enhancement of living areas to reflect personality and provide a relaxing atmosphere for homes, living quarters, hotels, guest houses and offices et al.


Sixth Sense is a professionally orientated company, backed by a qualified design team, supplemented by our manufacture, installation and retail departments.

The services we offer range from consulting services to turnkey interior decor solutions. We ensure we understand the needs of our clients and translate these needs into a tailored proposal. We take this proposal from concept through installation to final conclusion.

From a bean cake vendor to a multi-million naira business owner: the story of Ayodeji Megbope.

The food and catering business in Nigeria is not an easy one as a lot of time and energy is invested into the business. It is no secret that most caterers and food vendors spend sleeplessness night after sleepless night so as to meet their target and satisfy their customers.

So the story of the owner of No Left Over Nigeria plc should ordinarily not be astonishing or surprising. However, the fact that she was able to turn a ₦1000 business into a ₦50 million company, selling what most people would term ordinary is the focus today.

No Left Over plc is a Nigerian catering outfit run by the CEO, Ayodeji Megbope. Ayodeji Megbope who received training in secretarial studies worked for a primary school as a confidential secretary for a period of nine years.

All through the period Megbope worked for the school, she always nursed am ambition of owning her own crèche and playgroup school. Megbope’s aim was to create a safe and secure environment where working parents can keep their children while at work.

After nine years of service to the administration of the school where she worked, Megbope left the school in pursue of her ambition. In a bid to actualize her ambition, she enrolled into a Montessori teaching programme. The programme was meant to last for about six months.

Towards the end of the programme, after religiously attending it, Megbope lost interest. Despite all the money she has spent, Megbope didn’t want to engage in something that we wouldn’t give her all. So with no job and no prospects of starting up the daycare center she had intended, Megbope was thinking about the next step to take in her life.


One other thing Megbope had going for her was her culinary skills. Megbope’s food has always received commendation from her family and other relatives. So she decided to take up cooking so as to keep herself busy.

Megbope had a sister-in-law who was a career woman and was always extremely busy. So Megbope took up the job of cooking for this sister-in-law of hers.

One of megbope’s special delicacies was her bean cake popularly called moi moi in Nigeria. So tasty was her bean cake that her sister-in-law requested that Megbope include it in the food menu she prepares for her.

She charged her sister-in-law the sum of ₦1000 for that.

From there, Megbopes bean cake grew famous that other relatives and friends began placing orders. Using the 1000 she charged her sister inlaw as capital, megbope began producing bean cakes and selling to those who requested them.

At the end of three months, Megbopes capital grew from ₦1000 to about ₦40000. It was at that point that the realization dawned on her that this could be a very fruitful venture.

Megbope decided to take the business farther than just her immediate environment. She started producing bean cakes and going to sell them at the school where she worked previously.

When parents came to drop their children at school, she would beckon on them to purchase the bean cake. From there, her fame spread even further, bring more customers who placed demands on her bean cake.

The big break came for Megbope when she applied for a training organized by an organization known as Goldman sachs in conjuction with the Pan-African university. The training exposed megbope to various entrepreneurship tools such as record keeping, duty delegation as well as customer relations.

After the training, Megbope was ready to take charge of her business. It was at this point that No Left Over plc was born.

Megbope make some changes to her business. She opened a record keeping book, a bank account, trained and employed more hands, and moved her business from her house to an office. All this changes helped Megbope place her business in a proper prospective

She was able to take on more jobs and even expanded her business from one item –bean cake- to a fully catering outfit.

Megbope has received recommendations from within and outside her country. She has been invited on international platforms to give motivational talks and addresses on business and career.


One of those was the annual general meeting of Goldman Sachs in New York, where she gave an address. She has also been invited by former American President, Bill Clinton to his annual Clinton Global Initiative.

Her advice at these lectures for young entrepreneurs was for them to never be afraid to start small. She admits that although the journey might not be smooth, but with a proper business plan, record keeping and perseverance, they would succeed.

Ikeolu Biobaku

CEO Mix N Bake Confectionaries

Mrs. Ikeolu Biobaku is the CRO (Chief Responsibility Officer) who ably leads the Mix and Bake team. An Economics graduate of the University of Ibadan; a Graduate of Daystar leadership Academy, a Graduate of Lagos Business school, now Pan-Atlantic University. She was formally a banker, who resigned from her banking career, to develop and pursue her passion in confectionery and sugar-craft and in recent times ORGANISING CSR PROGRAMS TO EMPOWER WOMEN AND YOUTHS.

She runs programs where men, women & youths are taught the confectionery art absolutely free to participants with record number of transformed lives: Spiritually, physically, emotionally &financially. She is highly committed to making the best use of her talent and what GOD has entrusted unto her, thus over the years, She has honed her skills & knowledge of the confectionery craft with constant training/personal development. As part of her commitment to “know her craft” She regularly attends Sugarcraft and Cake Trainings and workshops all over the world.

Solid Foundation Estates Limited (SFEL) is a unique and dynamic firm of multi-disciplinary Real Estate Consultants, comprising young and talented Professionals. in Solid Foundation Estates Ltd, Lagos.We commenced full practice on the 1st of September 1997.
OUR VISION
The Quest to create wealth for our clients through Real Estate Investment.

OUR MISSION
Our Mission is to be committed to providing qualitative, timely and high yielding investment opportunities for our clients and constantly grow profit for all stakeholders. We are equally committed to a conducive working environment and employees welfare.

EXCELLENCE being our watch word, we shall uphold the ethics of Estate Management profession by practicing with HONESTY and DEVOTION.

Mr. Femi Adeyemo and Mr. Kunle Odebunni are the CEO and Co-Founder respectively of Arnergy, a non-profit, mini utility social enterprise that leverages on credit analytics and prepaid metering technology to deploy solar energy solution to homes and businesses in Nigeria. They hope to power 1million homes in 2-years!

Journey So Far: We started in 2014. Before now, what we had was people needing to buy solar solutions outright and there were a lot of complains about the cost being too high, and people not being able to maintain them. What we have been able to do is to innovate and come up with a solution that you just have to rent and pay daily or monthly.
We started with rural areas where we now have what we call Arnergy 60. This is a new system that people can rent and pay as little as N50 per day and have uninterrupted power. With this, they are able to power three LED bulbs, DC fan, DC television, charge their phones and even it comes with radio and Mp3.

For the city, we are back because we have had requests from Nigerians here. That is why we came up with Arnergy 500, which has higher capacity and is designed to suit life in the city. When you look at the average home in Lagos for instance, it is 2-bedroom or 3-bedroom flat, or an office with printers, fans and other little equipment, we came up with the Arnergy 500 solution that has five lighting bulbs and can power printers, blenders, fans, televisions small refrigerators and other equipment. Most of the Small and Medium Scale Businesses in Nigeria can actually run their business with the solution. For instance, a barber, hairdresser, law firm, accounting firm and so on, and when you consider what they would have to pay per day, which is N200, it is little compared to what they normally spend on fuel or electricity bill. Again, with this, you are guaranteed 24-hours power supply.

How you can power high capacity equipment: For those who want to power air conditioners or electric irons, it means that they have enough money to buy outright and do not need to rent. For those people, we have a solution that they can buy outright at N1.2million. We have had hotels, hospital, homes with five or more air conditioners that we have powered with this system. However, why we resorted to the solution that we rent out is that we learnt from feedback that 90 percent of Nigerians do not have the capital to buy outright.

How estates can tap into the solution: For Estates, we have a system where facility managers can discuss with us and with their banks such that we can come to the estate and install a sustainable solution. This way, they would have no need for fuelling generators. We can install solar panels on the roof of every apartment and run a centralized grid. When this is done, people in the estate can have uninterrupted power for 24-hours and the cost the facility manager would have incurred in providing power and managing power facilities would be taken care of as we would be the ones to manage the facility.

Cost of providing the service: Per home, you should be talking about N1million or N2million, which in the long run, is going to be cheaper because solar panels has more than 50 years lifetime. They are very efficient and adaptable to varying weather conditions.

How communities can benefit: Individual homes can have this solution (Anergy 500) and we can run a kind of centralized system for them, which would ensure that they would never be out of power even when there is a problem with the centralized system. Of course, most estates in Lagos and Abuja do not have 24-hour power supply, but with this solution, it is guaranteed and they would have to pay as little as N200 per day, that is for those paying for a whole month, which is N600, but for those who wish to pay daily, it is N300 per day.

Why it is affordable: We are a social enterprise; we are passionate Nigerians who are angry that as a country, Nigeria is still struggling to provide power to its people. That is why we have come up with this, and made it affordable for people. We have a target to cover 1million housing units in the next 24 months.

How to assess the solution: We have a registration process; you simply log on to our website and answer the basic questions because we just wish to know who you are, your phone number, email and residential addresses and so on. After that, you will be expected to pay a sign on fee of N25, 000 which is actually a promo for the first 1,000 people, after that it would be N30, 000.

Getting access to a fast and affordable internet connection in Nigeria is still problematic. To solve this, internet provider Oxygen Broadband is pioneering with affordable and reliable broadband to Nigerians through the deployment of Wi-Fi hotspots. Four months ago, it launched the first metro Wi-Fi hotspot at the Ikeja Computer Village; a popular district for IT-related trade and services in Lagos. How is this initiative helping Nigerian tech-entrepreneurs?

Focusing on densely populated areas, Oxygen Broadband is deploying several Wi-Fi hotspots spread across the Nigerian commercial capital. The company is targeting a country wide expansion by 2014. “Until we have a hotspot 10 to 20 meters from you, that’s the Oxygen dream,” the CEO and co-founder Wale Adalemo (photo above) says.

“Oxygen is Nigeria’s first metro Wi-Fi provider. We have our first hotspot at the Computer Village with 35,000 devices connected. By December we want to be in 20 locations. By June next year we want to be in 200 locations in Lagos. At the end of 2014, we want to have 1000 hotspots across Nigeria. And that’s our dream and passion, getting millions of Nigerians on true broadband using the Wi-Fi technology.”

Nari Juice


For the convenience of the consumers who are health conscious; Nari Juice is the new natural, innovative juice drink that receives inspiration from the blessed palm trees of West Africa.

At 21 years of age, I decided to visit the West African country Nigeria for the first time to connect with my roots. It was a spectacular experience and I thoroughly enjoyed life in the capital city Lagos; fresh suya (thinly sliced BBQ Beef skewers) and cold palm juice was my daily ritual. The idea to combine palm juice with a variety of fruit juices was something that once I thought about, became second nature to my consumption of palm juice.

Upon my return to the UK, I woke up one morning and was overcome with a strong desire for the drink I had gotten so adapted to during my stay in Nigeria but was not satisfied with the traditional drinks available in the market. I spent days searching for the taste I had been missing and craving so much that I had no choice but to pursue the initiative to create Nari Palm Juice.

Nari Palm JuiceI travelled to Ghana & Nigeria after co-founding Go-Getters Global (go-getters.co.uk) to seek business opportunities. I wanted to find out which country would be best to launch my start-up. When in Ghana, I made a visit to the HealthiLife Beverage Company factory, it was an amazing experience and quickly became one of my aspirations to own one of my own or at the very least build a partnership. Nevertheless I found myself trying to fit a watermelon into a pinhole realising that at the current stage of my business, in order to work with Healthilife I would have had to make some significant changes to facilitate the partnership.

As an entrepreneur it is very easy to convince yourself that anything is possible, however this can prove less fruitful because it can open doors to irrational decision making. I believe the way to success is the way of continuous pursuit of knowledge; knowledge is the core, an essential requirement needed to attain success. If you search the depths of the ocean or any textbooks including religious books, the general consensus regarding knowledge is that it is something to either be prayed for or paid for; the divinity of knowledge is unquestionable along with its partners, wisdom and understanding. One of my favourite books by George S. Clason entitled ‘The Richest Man in Babylon’ tells a story about bad investment due to lack of knowledge.

As an entrepreneur we hear time and time again that Investors invest in people before the product or service. Breaking into the beverage industry is capital intensive and I am proud to say that I have managed to raise just over £40,000 from current investors and a further £9,500 from a Start Up Loans Company. More capital is needed to equip the start of production and we also need a sustainable PR & Marketing budget to help drive sales. The challenge will be to secure enough finance to create a brand to ensure longevity, however I am very confident that this present challenge will soon be a thing of the past.

Our vision is to be the innovator; to offer the world a tasty portfolio of palm nectar based drinks that focus not only on satisfaction but ‘guilt-free’ satisfaction. Promoting a healthy image all round by also being environmentally friendly. Nari will be the difference by building and supporting sustainable agriculture within West Africa. Read on to know more about this young energetic entrepreneur

Tola James is a 24-year-old Nigerian and British entrepreneur who is the owner and founder of Nari Juice, a drink made from coconut palm sap. He is also co-founder of Go Getters Global, a network for entrepreneurs based in the UK with a passion for Africa and managing partner of investment firm Bridgewater Holdings. He’s raised £60,000 from investors and Nari Juice is stocked in some of the best shops in the UK. He talks about his Nigerian grandfather, his belief in God and what’s next for coconut sap.

Tell us about how you started the juice company.

As a child, I always wanted to be my own boss. Working for people was something that I knew could only be a temporary fix. I’ve always had this ‘larger than life’ mentality and the urge to exceed in life. Flying first class, having meetings in private jets and signing multi-million-pound deals has been a vision that has guided me throughout the years.

I’m always thinking outside the box and if a ‘good’ idea comes to mind then I write it somewhere. After not seeing my father for many years, I took it upon myself to travel to Lagos to see him. It was an exciting time for me; I met cousins, aunties and uncles and I had one of the most memorable Christmas celebrations that I can remember. My father is from a place called Ogun State in Nigeria, he took me on a tour across Lagos and through Ogun State to show me the work of my grandfather (God rest his soul).

As a strong believer in God and a firm believer in faith, I understand the importance of developing yourself from within.

I was inspired to see the houses and apartments that were built by my grandad during his time on earth. I left Nigeria feeling energised, inspired, motivated and my burning desire to succeed was as strong as ever. My grandad left a legacy that I took upon myself to continue the entrepreneurial drive and creativity that was passed down.

After arriving in the UK from Lagos, I laid on my bed reflecting on the direction I wanted my life to go, what I wanted to accomplish but most importantly how I would accomplish it… and then wala! My craving and love for palm juice turned into an idea that gave me sleepless nights. 2015 was an amazing year and I give all glory to God in heaven.

As a strong believer in God and a firm believer in faith, I understand the importance of developing yourself from within: spiritually, physically and mentally. One of my favourite books of all time isThink and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. He informs his readers about the power of auto-suggestion which is the medium for influencing the subconscious mind. I quote ‘Be on the alert for these plans, and when they appear, put them into action immediately. When the plans appear, they will probably “flash” into your mind through the sixth sense, in the form of an “inspiration.” This inspiration may be considered a direct “telegram” or message from Infinite Intelligence. Treat it with respect, and act upon it as soon as you receive it. Failure to do this will be fatal to your success…’

I worked on my idea and three years later Nari Palm Juice was born…

Nari is now sold across 21 outlets after one month of trade within the UK including Selfridges, one of the UK’s most prestigious and premium department stores.

What are you going to remember 2015 for?

2015 was an amazing year and I give all glory to God in heaven. I will remember 2015 for a number of things: I became a Churchill Leadership Fellow by being selected as one of 24 fellows taking part in a leadership development programme in the honour of the 50th anniversary of Sir Winston Churchill’s death, taught at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and the Møller Centre at Churchill College, University of Cambridge. The Fellowship is based on the pioneering ethos of ‘Learn to Lead’ and the Moller Centre with the British Council and Churchill 2015. Through being a Churchill Fellow, I was blessed enough to get interviewed by the Financial Times.

However, 2015 will definitely be remembered for finally giving birth to Nari Palm Juice.

What or who do you think is going to blow up in 2016?

I think Nari Palm Juice will blow up and exceed everyone’s expectations in 2016… In fact I don’t think, I know!

What’s keeping you busy in 2016?

2016 will be a very busy year and my sole focus is to continuously build a brand and a team to effectively gain a large market share of the industry. So I will state the obvious: Nari Juice will keep me busy.

prodigy24:
I am sorry for that mixup... I will Edit it now...

My name is Olamide Williams nee Smith. I am the Head Chef of Sweet Indulgence. I also serve as its Chief Executive.

Family background/ marital status

I was born into a family of nine, I am the 8th child, my mum was Miss Animashaun and My Father is from the Smith family. They are both of blessed memory. I recently got married.

Educational and professional background

I attended Ikija Day Nursery & Primary School Lagos. I had my secondary education at Anglican Girls Grammar School also on Lagos. I studied microbiology at Lagos State University and I then got a Masters’ degree in Business Administration with specialization in Marketing at University of Lagos. I am also an Oracle Certified professional (DBA) even though I have not been able to apply that to my line of business. (laughs)

Work experience

My career started briefly in the banking Industry when I worked for about 4 months with a bank. Banking wasn’t really my thing because I wanted more flexibility and time to also hone my baking skills. So I got a job in the telecommunications industry which allowed me work shifts for about 6 years. I worked in the Customer Service departments and back end. While there, I had the flexibility I desired for a long time. But then I was moved to the technical department and didn’t have as much time. I later joined another telecommunications company before I resigned in 2010.

Who taught you how to bake? And how did you discover and develop this passion?

I remember as a kid, we all used to bake in my house. Weekends everyone had a pestle and a bowl to mix the cake batter. And it was a lot of fun checking to see who had the fluffiest mix, etc. It was basically fun with a lot of trial and error, sometimes we got it right some other times we didn’t get it right. But when I graduated from University, I didn’t want to do the trial and error anymore. I wanted to know the fundamentals of baking as well as develop the basic skills and knowledge I had. So I attended a crash programme by Mix and Bake here in Lagos, for a hands on training in baking essentials.

You are one of the lucky ones because you certainly discovered your passion early in life and immediately followed it. How did you develop and invest in your passion and what made you believe so much in it?

Erm…… before baking my passion had always been cooking, trying out new recipes and tweaking existing recipes. I really love to cook. Even during these my catering practical moments in the kitchen people always complimented my cooking. I also used to also write in cursive for free back then for weddings etc. So I thought the best way to combine these two skills which is writing and cooking was to bake. So far I do not have any regrets.



So, tell us the story of sweet indulgence from conception to today. How did you do it? How much did you start with, etc.

Sweet Indulgence was incorporated in 2010 but we did not start operation immediately. Although prior to 2010, I had started baking alongside my job then. I can’t remember how much money I had with me when I started but I cultivated a saving culture while working in the telecoms company. After my resignation, I proceeded to the UK for a culinary course in French Patisserie to add to my homegrown skills.

For the purpose of this interview, a lot of aspiring bakers would be wondering what they need most when they start: marketing or capital? Considering how you started, what would you tell them?

The two go hand in hand really. Capital to some people is 10m while to others it is 10bn. Some want to start a bakery with a duplex or a room. But for me, I’d say it’s not really about your start off capital at all. I always advise budding bakers to start small and grow into the business.

By starting small, just ensure you have the basic equipment, a small oven, mixer and baking accessories. Not necessarily the high end ones because if your products are good, people will find you and ultimately your business will grow and you will be able to expand and invest in bigger equipment. You can even start from home. Sweet Indulgence started from the house. My customers started patronizing me without even knowing the name of the company then because they loved what they tasted and they came all the way to look for me at home.

After that we moved to a small office on Bode Thomas, now we have a bigger office off bode Thomas, Surulere. You do need marketing but then again a good product is the best marketing you can do; if you make good products, they will sell themselves. It is not by making noise at all. Your customers will even make it a point of duty to tell their whole world about your products, if they are that good. We have not had to do much marketing. Our product is the nest in the market and people are quite to recommend us far and wide.

Knowing that you are very experienced in dessert catering, how are you able to blend both arts (i.e) being a confectioner with everyday orders and having to cater for events, etc?

At the moment we have been able to train a lot of people. Also it is important to have a good knowledge in your line of specialization. I like desserts because they appeal to the taste buds. They taste nicer than the regular cakes while the cakes have the fondant parts which enhances creativity. Combining craft and desserts is not an easy job, but with Christ all things are possible. I learnt and perfected the different fields over a period of time and even now I am still learning. We have also trained different staff in different fields of cake making and decoration to ensure we have masters in different fields instead of everyone being jacks of all trades and fluffing all.



Tell us some of the challenges you have faced since the birth of sweet indulgence

We have tried not to let our challenges pull us back despite the fact that challenges are normal. But staffing is a major challenge. So is unstable power and persistent increase in prices of raw materials; no thanks to forex.

There are many upcoming bakers today, how do you deal with the very stiff competition in your profession?

In marketing, there is what we call competitive advantage. We have been able to leverage on our crafts, taste and the fact that we ensure that the cake truly indulges you. We do nothing short of perfection; the cakes have to be neat, the texture must report and the taste must blow the most discerning connoisseur away. We do not compromise on the quality of our ingredients. Our cakes are baked and finished with love. We place strong emphasis on our craft, taste and the “Indulgence factor.

You recently got married and your wedding cakes were drop dead gorgeous and amazing.What do you require to be able to translate these ideas to reality? Do you need to be an artist?

You do not need to be an artist, i do not sketch well, but i am able to get very creative and think outside the box. But attention to details is very key in pulling off show stopper cakes.

Back to your wedding cakes how were you able to pull those off, how long did it take you to make them and what types of cakes were they?

The cakes started like a joke. My event planner said I had to do something out of the norm. SO jokingly I said I was going to make a horse cake and they all just keyed into it. So I said I was going to give it a shot and have the horse stand on two feet. I tried to sketch and it came out very horrible. The cakes were fruit cakes. Let me surprise you, the first horse fell! I almost gave up but I tried again and we were able to pull it off. The cake is what we call a gravity defying cake. We realised that the support structure for the first one wasn’t good enough that was why it fell yakata. We haven’t explored gravity defying cake options very well in Nigeria. The cakes had bling bling details because of my love for bling. The suitcase signifies the wife moving to her hubby’s house and it was an inter-tribal wedding (Yoruba and Akwa ibom wedding) so we used the talking drum popularly used in Yoruba land and the palm wine gourd for Akwa Ibom.