Olajumoke is a lifetime project -Sujimoto

Olajumoke is a lifetime project - Sujimoto
After initially refusing to comment, CEO of Luxury Real Estate
Company, Sujimoto Construction Company, Sijibomi Ogundele,
has finally decided to clear the air on his magnanimity to
Olajumoke.
What stirred your interest in Olajumoke the Bread Seller?
The Olajumoke story could be any Lagosian’s story.
Lagos has a population of about 21 million people. Only
15-20% of these people are the actual indigenes of Lagos.
The remaining majority left their comfort zones to come
look for opportunities in Lagos. My mother came to Lagos
when she was just like Olajumoke, selling Bread and
Bournvita.
She realised that there was more profit in Bournvita than in
Bread. So, she quickly focused on Bournvita and that little
business expanded, transforming her into a Distributor for
Cadbury and one of the top five Distributors for Nestle. About 16
million people living in Lagos today can relate to Olajumoke’s
story, because they are people who left their cities to look for
that great opportunity Lagos has for us.
Can you tell us about the luxury accommodation you gave her?
It is very important for people not to misinterpret our true
intentions. We did not buy Olajumoke an apartment. We have paid
for rent for a few years. We are in the process of furnishing it
tastefully. Someone might say after furnishing it, what next?
What if she cannot renew her rent? Should in three or four
years the rent expire and God forbid she has no capacity to
renew her rent, are we going to leave her? Of course not, we
have an obligation to extend it until she finds her feet. The
Olajumoke story is a lifetime project for us at Sujimoto. It is our
intention to help her discover her true potential and translate
them into success. It is our intention to give educational
scholarships to her children. We will also help empower her
husband to find employment. But first, we will send him for
proper training to enhance his existing skills, because an
aluminum fabricator in Osun state may not have the same level
of expertise as the one in Lagos. We are not going to let
Olajumoke be a celebrity just in the news. She will be an
empowered Celebrity. All this promises we shall achieve before
the end of 2016.
What can Nigerians do for Olajumoke?
As a nation, it is our dreams that unite us and it is its
opportunities that empower us. The patriotic spirit telling us we
are our brothers’ keepers, is what makes this nation the
greatest in Africa. If a man is in Borno state cannot afford food,
that matters to me, even if he is not my biological brother. If a
lady in Enugu finds it difficult to pay for her daughter’s school
fees. It pains me because her daughter might as well be my
sister. If there is a bread hawker from Osun who has no
education or accommodation but has hope that the great city of
Lagos can give her the opportunity to achieve her dreams, why
should I not want to be the first to provide these basic needs for
her? I can’t solve all of her problems, but I will do my bit and hope
society takes it up from there.
The Thomases and the Pessimists: What’s your opinion?
We need to get rid of the Thomases among us who only see the
bad in every situation. In today’s world with all the need for
prayer in this nation, there is no room for pessimism. The only
way this nation can move forward is to start being optimistic and
have faith in the unknown; to have courage in the existing and
show appreciation to the few, instead of condemnation. People
are more attracted to unrewarding conversations. What did you
give her? What did you do for her? Where did you send her? It is
important for us as a nation to start appreciating the good done
by a few people who care enough to do them.
An average Nigerian is a giver, that is why people give so much
to churches and other religious organisations. I want to believe
that the greatness of this nation derives from its peoples’ ability
to be appreciative of the very little things or the kind gestures of
the good Samaritans.