Razaq Okoya, founder of Eleganza Industrial City Limited and the Aare of Lagos, has said that despite his successful business journey, some of his children have chosen to follow their own paths rather than his vision. In a video seen by TVC on Wednesday, the billionaire, while speaking in an……
Razaq Okoya, founder of Eleganza Industrial City Limited and the Aare of Lagos, has said that despite his successful business journey, some of his children have chosen to follow their own paths rather than his vision.
In a video seen by TVC on Wednesday, the billionaire, while speaking in an interview, said children of the present generation prefer to chart their own course. He also reflected on his relationship with his father, which he said shaped his business mindset.
Okoya said his father, a tailor who also sold tailoring materials, introduced him to commerce at an early age.
According to the billionaire, his father did not allow him to focus heavily on formal education because he was needed in the shop to learn tailoring and trade.
He said selling buttons and other tailoring items helped him discover 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. “
“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.”
The industrialist, while speaking about the career choices of children of the present generation, said that some succeed independently, but building a business from scratch in today’s economy is not easy.
“But children nowadays, they 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.
Okoya disclosed that even within his own family, several of his older children have chosen not to continue in the family business.
Okoya said, “I have a big problem too. So a lot of my senior boys, senior girls, they 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.”
Despite that, he said his passion remains industry and manufacturing, stressing that he wants his legacy tied to industrial development.
“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.