Chief (Mrs) Rose Osipitan, the founder and Chief Executive Officer of First Royal Oil, was one of the ladies who stood out when APC woman leaders, led by Chief Mrs. Kemi Nelson, gathered at the court of a high rise luxury apartment in Lekki, Lagos a few days ago. It was an exclusive party meant to celebrate the birthday of one of their own, Chief Mrs. Basirat Ojugbele. It was a gathering of who is who in the women society circle in Lagos and beyond. The women at the gathering, who danced freely as they celebrated, included Chief (Mrs.) Bola Britto (APC Woman Leader in Agege & Conference 57 President in Lagos State); Chief (Mrs.) Amori Odumosu, the Iyaloja General of Lagos textile market; Alhaja Kudirat Oderinde; Alhaja Mopelola Odetola and a host of others. Osipitan spoke with PAUL UKPABIO on her relationship with the host and why she is a success story, among other issues.
Your friend Chief Mrs. Basirat Ojugbele is celebrating her birthday today. What can you say about her?
She is a nice person. She is lovely. She is kind and I wish her happy many happy returns, long life and prosperity.
What is the secret of your friendship?
If we quarrel, we don’t need anybody to settle it for us. We make peace earnestly. If anybody one of us is annoyed with the other, we just leave the place. Later on, we will call each other and say, ‘What is wrong with you or why did you behave that way?’ And that will be the end of it. We are more like sisters, and that has really helped us to forge ahead. The antidote to malice is being able to summon courage to relate with each other even in most difficult times.
You have been out of society circles for a while. Any special reason for that?
No special reason except that I haven’t been around. I just came back from London. I actually returned last week.
How would you describe the nation’s economy today?
Well, what can we do? There is nothing we can do than pray to God and forge ahead. It is affecting everybody, but with God’s help and with prayer, there should be an improvement. We are praying. We hope the economy will improve.
If you have a chance to meet the President, what would be your advice to him?
Well, I think the President is trying. He is really fighting corruption. Wherever there is corruption, everybody is bound to be corrupt. There is nothing you can do. But we all have to change. The change is for everybody. He as a person has tried. God will give him more strength to lead Nigeria. If I see him, I will tell him that he is trying.
So you believe the economy is going to improve?
Yes, by God’s grace. You can see that it is getting better. The dollar was more than this before and the naira was in a very ridiculous situation. But things are getting better these days, and we pray God should give him the grace to take us to higher height.
As a stakeholder in the oil sector, what would you say about the sector at a time like this?
When an economy goes bad, it affects all sectors. But I have the belief that as time goes on, things will improve.
How easy was it for you to build a successful business as a woman?
I would say it was strictly by God’s grace. God built First Royal. I am just the pilot. I would liken the story to that of an aeroplane built by Boeing or any of the great plane makers in the world, and a pilot is called to fly the plane. I pilot First Royal, but God built it. It is not my doing at all; it is God’s doing.
Talking about being a woman in that field, there are lots of women in petroleum business, and I think we are doing well. You know whatever a woman is doing, she does it very well. She does it conscientiously. And that has always been the trademark of our success at First Royal. I am the chairperson of the female league of the Independent Petroleum Marketer Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), and our body is a very patriotic organisation with the love of country coming before anything else. I also belong to a few social organizations whose philosophies are tailored around human development. I will do anything that will edify human development.
Don’t you think that some works like engineering and oil and gas should be left for men?
I don’t see those businesses as men’s fields; I see them as endeavours that anyone can venture into, and that is my winning formula. I go into it, I win and I make my mark. I have done business successfully in the last 40 years.
What would you say is the secret of your success?
Hard work, honesty and God’s grace. The secret is also our loyalty to customers, which comes first. But I think it is still the grace of God like I said earlier, because there have been a lot of ups and downs in building the company to where it is now. We are almost two decades old and we are still waxing strong. Like in every other business, we have also faced our own trying moments. But we were able to triumph because first of all, we put our trust in God. Secondly, we follow credible business principles that never wane. We are in business for real. Our team is trained to respect customers and take customer opinion as superior to any other opinion. Lastly, we sell quality and we don’t bend quality control.”
Do you hope to become a politician someday?
I was already established in business before the Fourth Republic, and if I could touch lives through my businesses, what am I looking for in politics? However, you never say never, because politics is something one should never totally abstain from. It is all about us. I remember when we were young, during the Second Republic, a lot of terrible things happened in our state, Ondo. People played politics with venom and bitterness. Then, it was politics of bitterness, and that mentality stayed with me. People were killed mercilessly and properties were destroyed during the Omoboriowo/Ajasin saga in Ondo state. It happened in our presence and that sad memory sticks to one’s consciousness and really traumatizes us till date.
Although we were not into politics, my parents were in politics and we saw people killing people and destroying properties, and that particular experience really scared me off politics. It is one experience one must not pray to witness again in a lifetime. We were in our developmental years then, and you could imagine what such an experience would do to your psyche as a young person.
Where did you get your business acumen from?
I came from a home where discipline was the hallmark. My parents were modest, but they were equally into business and that was what fired my guts to go into business at a very early age. They did very well in business and were also religious. They were part of the political movement of that era, but I think they did well in business and that fired my zeal to start business early in life. I started business at a very young age of 24.That was when I went into business full hug. That happened to me because my parents were business people and they instilled the courage in us very early in life. To them, anything worth doing at all was worth doing well. My mother was into business. When I was very young, I used to help her. Any time I returned from school, I was the one that ran her trading business for her and also controlled money management. So, the love started from there, and that was what really prompted me into business very early in life.
Who were your parents?
My dad was Chief Taiwo Akinwande, while mum was Mrs. Victoria Akinwande. My dad was a prominent personality in Ondo State at the time I was young.
Are you looking forward to handing over your business knowledge to anyone?
My first daughter is already on board. She is the MD/CEO of First Royal Group, and my first son is the Operations manager. I feel happy seeing them doing the business at this point in time. When they were younger, I did all the running around to ensure that we build a good family business empire. But today, 80 per cent of the work is done by them. I give God the glory because He alone builds families. My family is a testimony of God’s love for me and everything about me.
How about your husband?
My husband is a very great man, a kind and loving husband, a doting father and a wonderful counsellor. It is widely agreed that behind every successful man, there is a woman. But in my case, behind a successful woman, there is a great husband (laughs). He is my father, my husband, my adviser and my counsellor rolled into one. He has stood by me in both good and trying times, and I am very proud of him. He is Prince Bola Osipitan. He is a prince from Ijebu Mushin. My husband is royalty and I am very proud of his heritage. Like I said, he is a very wonderful man that has been a stabilising factor in my life and the life of my children.
How did you meet?
Let me just tell you that providence brought us together many years ago. And since then, the love has continue to wax stronger. He is my soul mate. My husband has his own company. We are both busy, but no matter how busy we are, we still find time to bond together. We go out for picnic when the time calls for it, and we do things that lovers do no matter the level of work and pressure. My husband is a very dotting husband. He is also into my line of business but runs his own company.
Tell us about your beauty secrets.
I don’t think I have any. I will say it is God. Honestly, I don’t know. I don’t use cosmetics. Mine is natural beauty. In fact, I don’t even do manicure or pedicure, I don’t do things like that. The look I have today is my natural beauty given to me by God. I have a scale in my bathroom. At least once in a week, I check my weight. If I am going on excess, I try to trim down. I also try to reduce my consumption of food. But I don’t go to cream my face at salon. I don’t do all those things. It doesn’t add up to one’s beauty. I am a natural person and I believe in natural looks.
How about your fashion sense and your best fashion accessories?
My social outing determines my fashion outlook. But for social parties like Owambes, you are likely to see me in traditional dresses. Besides that, I can wear lady suits. I can do well with gown or any fashionable attire that suits my mood. I like bright colours. When it comes to colours, I like royal blue. That’s my favourite colour. Then my accessories must be moderate. That is my fashion sense.
As a busy and wealthy lady, do you find time to cook?
I love cooking. There are some meals I don’t allow my house help to cook for me. She can only cook stew. But when it comes to efo riro, I am in charge. That is my husband’s favorite soup as well. I like it with rice. He likes it with eba. It is also a lesson for our womenfolk. Whatever is meant for your husband must not be allowed to be handled by anyone else but you. That is one of the cardinal laws of marriage.
Are you aware that some European countries are planning to launch electric cars in few years to come? As an oil marketer, what do you think will happen to your business?
I think it will take a long time before it gets to this country. It is not something of immediate necessity. And that is true even in some of the advanced countries. I just returned from the UK. The number of electric cars are so minute. So, I have no fear about electric vehicles disrupting the oil market.
But you hope to diversify someday?
Exactly! When we get to that point, we will have options.
Are you looking forward to driving an electric car someday?
Unfortunately, I don’t drive again. I always have a driver who takes me around. The electric car I saw abroad was a very small car. I have no fears about things like that. God will take care of things like that. I sincerely believe in change, and every dynamic mind must seek change.
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