She threw her hat in the entrepreneurial ring while still an undergraduate at the University of Lagos (UNILAG). Since then, seasoned entrepreneur, politician and business executive, Dr. Bunmi Obakoya, has never looked back. She has continued to pull her weight in the highly competitive entrepreneurial space, while empowering the needy and the vulnerable, through her Non-Governmental Organisation, Bunmi Obakoya Foundation (BOF), which, at the moment, she single-handedly funds from profit generated from her numerous thriving businesses. She shares her inspiring story with DAMOLA KOLA-DARE
She started out in business early in life, when she was in Primary Six, and has, by dint of hard work, tenacity and focus, gradually built a hugely successful business empire that spans lucrative sectors such as travel and tours, fashion, interior decoration and logistics.
Diffuser Nigeria (often referred to as Diffuser Lut Nigeria), which specialises in high-quality home fragrances, is one of the products of the resourceful and innovative brain of seasoned entrepreneur, politician, philanthropist and business executive, Dr. Bunmi Obakoya.
The popular Diffuser brand, which operates online and through physical stores, with locations in Lagos (Ikeja, Yaba) and Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, earned Bunmi her highly coveted spot in the entrepreneurial space, where she supplies luxury brands such as Dr. Vranjes and Max Benjamin.
Under her charge as founder and CEO, Diffuser Lut Nigeria has stamped its feet as a top-tier fragrance provider in Nigeria. The company has also grown astronomically, becoming a household name in the country and beyond.
With options ranging from budget-friendly to luxury brands, the company supplies home fragrances, including Italian original Millefiori Milano room sprays, scented candles, and diffusers to enhance mood, ambience, and well-being of its growing clientele.
A multifaceted businesswoman, Bunmi is also EO of multiple companies, including Bukay Travel Agency, a professional travel and logistics services; Bukay Lounge, a popular entertainment venue located in Yaba, Lagos.
That’s not all. she also runs Bukay Media, a media and communications firm; Bukay Logistics Limited, a logistics and supply chain company; Shirt Plus, Hair Planet, Club Tipsy, among others, demonstrating beyond doubt her capacity to transform these businesses into a flourishing empire.
“I have about 10 companies,” the entrepreneur confirmed to The Nation, noting that with Bukay Travel Agency and Bukay Logistics Limited, she has been making lives and movement easier for her clients. Both firms take the burden of booking tickets and hotel rooms off her customers’ shoulders while making life easier for travellers.
Expectedly, Bunmi, who earned a doctorate in humanitarian services, has been able to bring her exceptional organisational and leadership skills to bear in running her businesses and turning them into a hub for job creation. Thousands of Nigerians, both women and youth, directly and indirectly earn their livelihoods by working in her companies.
However, her successes, like any other entrepreneurs, are not without surmountable challenges. “We have been through a lot of challenges,” she told The Nation, pointing out, for instance, the prevailing dollar rate affected her businesses, including those trying to sell fake products. “They mess up our business,” she complained.
But Bunmi refused to be slowed down by challenges. She continues to charge on, spurred by her desire to add value to the society and people luck to come her way. “As long as I have the capacity, I will continue to transform lives because the government alone cannot do everything.
“I just believe that I am supporting the government because the government cannot do everything. I tell people don’t deceive yourself, except you don’t love your country. I love my country. I love Nigeria. Nothing can make me stay abroad. If you love your country, impact. You don’t need to be a politician. You don’t need to be under the government,” she declared.
Beyond the fields of travel and tours, fashion, interior decoration and logistics, where Bunmi latched on to impact the society and also meet the government half way in transforming lives, her remarkable exploits in the field of philanthropy, using her humanitarian foundation, The Bunmi Obakoya Foundation (BOF) as vehicle, have also been quite telling.
The BOF, which she administers with the profit from her companies, has proved to be a source of joy to everyone she has come across. From students to young girls to the aged, the Foundation has given people reasons to smile again after despair.
“I’ve been in my foundation since 2012. I’ve supported people. I’ve supported students abroad. I’ve supported payments of school fees in Nigeria. I’ve done a lot of palliatives. I’ve done medical outreach. I’ve impacted. Because I keep telling people, you can’t wait for the government to do everything for us. I love my people. I’m human,” she stated.
A humanitarian to the core, Bunmi shared a particular experience she had while growing up that inspired her for a deeply rewarding service to humanity through her Foundation. Her story: “When we were growing up, my dad said to our chef, Kojo, a Ghanaian: “Kojo, you have to go and get plantain.
“What’s on the timetable today is plantain and beans.” And I told Kojo: “Bring the money. Let me go and buy it. I will go and buy it.” Kojo said: “Your daddy will be angry.” “Let him be angry. Let me be useful. Let me go and get the plantain,” I replied.
“So, I collected the money from Kojo. And I saw this lady selling plantain. And she wasn’t looking happy. And I bought the plantains from her. The plantains were not good. But because I wanted the lady to be happy, I just bought all the plantain, both the one that was good and the one that was bad. So, I just brought the plantain home.
“And Kojo said: “See, you have put me into trouble. Your daddy will fight me because your daddy did not send you to go and buy plantain.” As Kojo was coming out, talking, my dad was coming out from his room. My father just said: “Kojo, don’t worry. Manage the plantain like that.”
“And that’s it. I love to give. Giving has been my forte. From when I was small, if you come to me to solve your problem, if you cry to me, I know you will not cry back. That has been me for ages and that’s okay.”
Bunmi said her foundation remained committed to assisting the needy, empowering people and businesses, pointing out, interestingly, that she funds the foundation from profit generated from her businesses.
“I have about 10 companies. So, all the companies, we must bring 30 per cent of the profits and use it to fund our Foundation,” she divulged, expressing hope that “one day someone will support us. But right now, no one is supporting me. I’m supporting myself.”
She emphasized, “I’ve spent a lot. I don’t want to think about what I’ve spent. Let me just keep doing it. I don’t have anyone that supports my Foundation. Thirty per cent of my profits in all my companies, I use for my Foundation.
Explaining the BOF’s modus operandi, the accomplished entrepreneur cum philanthropist said: “If you come with your problems, if my foundation does diligent findings, we will support you.”
She cited a particular encounter with a girl she met at the University of Lagos (UNILAG). Her words: “I was driving to school and I saw this pretty lady. I asked her why she was selling puff puff. She said she got admission to study at the University of Ilorin, but her family doesn’t have the capacity to fund her education.
“I gave her my number and told her to send her admission letter to me and tell me the cost of her school fees. The Bunmi Obakoya Foundation will support you till you graduate. And to God be the glory, we have started. We have paid the first school fees. We have sent her feeding money.”
Bunmi explained that her Foundation decided to offer the girl a helping hand “because we don’t want her to go and mess up her body. Because I always tell people, I never messed up my body. I didn’t mess up myself. So, I didn’t want that to happen to the lady. So, we support her with feeding every month.”
Interestingly, the girl is not the only one benefiting from the foundation’s kind gesture. “I’m paying school fees for students across tertiary institutions, 18 in Nigeria, two abroad, making 20,” Bunmi informed The Nation.
A woman of many parts, Bunmi is also a grassroots politician. “I wear so many caps. I am an entrepreneur and a politician. I’ve been in politics. My mother is a politician,” she said. According to her, her foray into politics started while she and her siblings were growing up.
Her words: “We’re four girls and two boys. And my mom kept saying, please, I want one of you to join me in politics. I wanted my mom to be happy, so I joined her. That led to my being a politician today. I have got a passion for politics. My own brand of politics is to support people.”
She said she realised that some politicians are not doing the right thing hence, she needed to teach and to rewrite the narrative of the type of politics people engage in Nigeria. She observed, for instance, that when many get to power, it intoxicates them.
Bunmi, however, said “When I get to power, they will know that this lady is ready for business and is ready to serve. I don’t look down on people. When you are there to serve, if you can’t show them 100 per cent love, show them at least 70 per cent love, then they know this is a leader.”
She emphasised the imperative of youth empowerment for nation-building, especially with youth forming the core of the nation’s population. Justifying her prioritization of youth empowerment, Bunmi said: “Youth are very important in anything we do. They are part of my foundation. There’s nothing I do that I don’t involve youth. I have a passion for youths.
“So, it’s very, very important for us to empower youth. They must be there. So, you have to involve them and I have so much belief in supporting youths. It’s good for us to empower youths. Some are depressed; some of their parents don’t have time for them. I don’t joke with youths well-being.”
A staunch advocate of women rights and emancipation, Bunmi has never stopped seeking equal representation for women in leadership positions. “I love women. I fight for women a lot. And we thank our First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu. She’s really fighting for women,” she said.
Continuing, she said: “We are soliciting, we are advocating that women and men must be equal in leadership positions 50-50, instead of being 80-20. So, at least things will be better for people around you. We cannot wait for Asiwaju to come and do it. He cannot do everything. That’s why he’s putting people in position.”
On BOF projects for the year, Bunmi said: “I have a good number of projects for this year. I’m planning a medical outreach. You see, we talk about death. There are preventable deaths. I just lost someone very close to me, because there was no money, she died.
“So after the medical outreach, I want to carry out an educational outreach. After that, I want to do a food bank and empower small business owners. I have empowered small business owners before. The people should expect more. As long as I have the capacity, I will continue to transform lives because the government alone cannot do everything.”
Unsurprisingly, Bunmi’s exploits in business and philanthropy have not gone unrewarded. For instance, she was recently awarded the Woman of The Year from an international organisation, African International Women Pacesetters (AFRIWP).
The organiser of the award, Champion Family International, recognized Bunmi for her outstanding contribution in the field of entrepreneurship, politics and philanthropy courtesy of her NGO, Bunmi Obakoya Foundation. She was consequently named as the Champion Family International Brand Ambassador for 2021.
At the last count, Dr. Bunmi has 62 awards under her belt. And guess what! She has never paid a dime for any of the awards. Her numerous awards and recognition from Nigeria and around Africa are in recognition of her efforts to serve and impact humanity.
