She is one of the celebrity ladies that make things happen in the society scene in Lagos and beyond, yet Omolara Adelekan prefers to be on the quiet side of life. Married to an equally highly placed gentleman, Dr Iyiola Adelekan, who is the Managing Director of Macmillan Books Plc, Omolara Adelekan lives a glamour lifestyle, and at the same time clothes those who choose to live the glamour lifestyle. For about two decades now, she has played big in the fashion and textile industry, and for most parts of that period, she operates a top fashion store known as Larry Height at Allen Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos. Recently, she moved into property business in Lagos but also added a sprawling, ultra-modern event centre known as Upper Spring in Osun State to her list of properties. A younger sister to Princess Bunmi Jegede, the Abuja-based top textile business woman, who is also fondly known as Honey Bee, spoke to PAUL UKPABIO in Osun shortly after her niece, Tope Jegede, got married to Mobolaji Jolayemi.
Despite being a society lady, you seem to be somewhat reserved. Is there any special reason why you prefer to be so?
I think it is my nature. I am not an extrovert; I am a little bit reserved. I am an introvert. My philosophy of business is that you do what you can do and let God help you perfect the rest. I don’t over push myself, I do only what I think my ability can withstand. It is just a way of life and I don’t have any regret being like that. I am conservative.
So, how did business start for you?
I started business 19 years ago and since then, I have been working. When you look at our society, you discover that we are a society that respects quality. We consume for a purpose and If you are smart around it, you can give them what they want and that will simply become your business. You check your environment and you know that this is what is lacking in your environment and all you do is to fill the gap. I filled the gap with my business and I have never regretted going into business. It is a decision that came with lots of fulfillment.
So, which business did you start with?
I have always sold shoes and bags; that has always been my business from time immemorial. We have our headquarters in Lagos and right now, we have our annex in Akure, Ondo State. We sell quality and we get referrals based on that.
So, what is the secret of Larry Heights Fashion Ltd? What is your unique selling point?
Quality; I love quality things because no matter how, quality sells. Quality stands the taste of time. Check our brands and check our labels both in Lagos and Akure, you will see that we sell nothing but quality. We have franchise to some of the best fashion brands in the world and because Nigeria appreciates quality, we have a passion here and that passion has created a market for us in the elite cadre.
Two years ago, you went into real estate business with the establishment of Upper Springs Events Center at Osun State. Why did you look beyond Lagos?
It is because I love my father and this is my father’s land. When I discovered that we don’t have more of these event centers, I decided to contribute to the urbanisation of my environment back at home in the country-side. I came up with this brand of event center. It is the first of its kind in this part of town. I return all the glory to God.
This must have cost you lots of fortunes, are you making gains?
When you invest in a place like this and with a structure like this, it is not always about an immediate free fall gain. It is actually a long-term investment plan and because we have a preference for development and we thought it well that we could turn around the fortune of this great town, so we decided to invest; first, to help in the urbanisation process of the government of the day and lastly, to create employment for the teeming young people in town. Once in a while and more often than not, we do have people who come from far distances to do their events at Upper Spring. The business is majorly to honour the good memory of my father because I love him so much.
So, how do women handle success when they get to your level?
Actually, I have not gotten totally up there because I am still climbing. But talking about coping with the realities of business life as a house wife and mother, I will say it is quite easy when you design your programme for the day, for the week, for the month and for the year and you leave the rest to God. Everything depends on how you plan it and how it goes.
Your husband, Dr. Iyiola Adelekan is the MD/CEO of Macmillan Books; as an intellectual, does he support your business adventure?
Of course, he does. He supported me from the onset and I have no problem with that. He is a kind person and if you are kind, you will be tolerant of ideas. My husband tolerates good ideas. I can’t actually call it his weakness but I think he loves ideas, great ideas.
So tell us about your married life…
(Laughs) Just like me, my husband is a conservative man but at the same time he is a man of the people. He has this aura around him that promotes progress and self-development. He loves his people and he is a family man to the core. Yes, he is a genius at literary things, but you will be shocked to see the kind of goodwill he draws from people within his clique and outside. I think he is a complete gentle man.
How old is the marriage?
We have been married for over 23 years and love and compassion have kept the union going smoothly. I am blessed by God. Like I said earlier, wisdom is the soul of a successful marriage.
Can you share with us some of the high moments you will never forget in the marriage?
High moments for me are times when I see things work well in my marriage. I loved my marriage from the onset. Let me tell you this, God is the author of marriage and any marriage that ever worked and stood the test of time, trust me, there is God in that marriage. My high moments are those moments when we plan our things and God blesses them. High moments for me are those times when my husband achieves his heart desires. High moments for me are times when our children score high in their academics and make success of their education. High moments for me are times when I find myself in the presence of God.
What attracted you to your husband?
Humility, my husband is a very humble man, a man of good character and very committed to family. He is a conscientious man, a man of intelligence and I will tell you that my husband is my role model. He is my role model because he is a humble and understanding person; a man of many people, the low class, middle class and even the elite; he blends well in their midst. My husband is very caring, his family comes first before anything and that is what any good woman will seek for in a man. I am happy to call him my husband, my friend, my father, my counsellor and my partner.
As a business woman, you sell fashionable items, what fashion accessories do you like most?
I love shoes; a shoe does it for me. For me, shoe completes my fashion sense. Jokes apart, I have always loved shoes since when I was very young. I do not want to call it an obsession; I will rather call it my own kind of vanity. Everyone has his or her own vanity. We are all here for a vanity fair and for me, shoes is it. For others, it is wrist watch, while others love jewelries and all sorts but for me, it is three things, shoes, shoes and shoes (Laughter).
What is your favorite colour?
I like brown and peach colours; those are my colours.
When do you think a woman is glamorous?
Glamour is relative. To me, when a woman puts so many things on her body, bogus dress, wristwatches, jewelries and many things and she is not at rest at any point in time, she is always agitated and wanting to do something, just to say ‘I am there, I want people to know me, come and see me, I am around, notice me’, that is the definition of glamorous by me and I don’t know how other people see it. But if I am to put myself in the gamut of glamour, I will say I like a moderate life, moderation is my hallmark. You can be glamorous yet moderate.
Your father was a prominent clergy man when he was alive, the late Reverend Samuel Ojo Jegede, how would you describe your experience growing under such a man?
Oh Dad! I love my father, my daddy; if there could be reincarnation, if I could come a second time to this world, he will still be my father by the special grace of God. My father was an easy going man, very simple; my father never told lies for any reason. My father loved God and when you say an obedient father, he was. He followed the will of God and that is one thing I learnt from him and I am an obedient daughter to the core. My father gave us the best training that has sustained us this far in all endeavours of our lives. My father is an epitome of great fatherhood because he ensured we all got the best of formal education and gave us much of strict upbringing, which one can never buy with money.
I noticed you built a church in his honour, why did you do that?
Yes, we built a memorial church in his honour, Reverend S.O Jegede Memorial Anglican Church. Before my father passed away, he said he would have loved to have a church to the glory of God. So, after his death, we checked out his Will and discovered that he wrote it down there and within three months, we the children, gathered together to erect that structure in his honour. It was a joint effort from all the children.
How many of you?
We are eight in the family, three men, and five women.
And I guess the women all loved their father?
Every one of us loved him because of his Christian values. He was a great man.
Your mum is alive and kicking, what do you have to say about her?
My mum, she is a ‘Woman in Israel,’ very prayerful, she is an evangelist, a chorister. Her full name is Mrs. Juliana Jegede. Proverbs 31 and the verses there are for my mum; my mum is a virtuous woman. She is a woman of prayer and very hardworking. She is agile, very strong. She sings a lot, prays a lot and praises God. She has always been the pillar of the family, prayer-wise. She protects her children like a mother hen will protect her eggs. She is our prophetess, our prayer warrior and with her, we are in safe hands. I think we are really blessed to have such a mother. My mother complemented my father in his life time and together, they built a great family. Discipline was the hallmark of our home. My mother will never spare you if you misbehaved, she might not be able to cane you but she will be the first to report you to my dad and trust my old man, you will be caned no matter how little your offence is. So, we were brought up with a hand of love in an atmosphere of discipline.
What does success mean to you?
Success to me is satisfaction; when you are contented with what you get, then you can be aptly described as a successful person. Success is not about a fat bank account, fleet of cars and choice properties in major capitals of the world, no. Success in my own definition is when you are happy with what you are doing and when you are contented.
Which book can you say that you read that changed your life?
Yes, I read quite a number of books but Christian literatures are the best for me. A book written by Reverend Mike Bamidele, the founder of Victory Life Ministry on a life changing destiny, is one book that changed my orientation about life and living. He and his wife are my mentors; he taught us how to become a complete leader in the secular world and in the Christendom. He is a very unique man of God and one who has touched many lives and changed them for good. His books tell us to exploit the world but think much about heaven.
Can a woman to be successful and still leave a decent life?
Like I said earlier, when you are contented with what you have, you won’t go wrong. It is when you are looking for more than enough that you run into problems and mysteries of life. The Bible make us know that humble stride with contentment is the hallmark of a great life. You must learn to live a life, don’t live a lie. Live according to the dictate of God. I think the greatest prayer we should all be offering to God when success is knocking is that God should direct the affairs of our lives. If God directs the affairs of your life, you won’t run into ditches. You won’t run out of your lane. God’s lane is slow and steady with assured success, while the devil’s own lane is fast and ruthless with assured destruction. You are free to choose for yourself.
How do you spend your leisure time?
Church is the best place to be, if I have programmes to attend to lift my spiritual life, that could be the best leisure for me because the end is just around the corner and your ability to meet Him is the best gift. If I am able to attend a beautiful church programme and listen to the word of God and be lifted in a way that will pattern my life towards Christ, then, I have caught my fun.
Tell me your favorite verse in the Bible?
It is actually Proverbs 31, which says a virtuous woman is a woman of power, a woman of excellence. A woman who is a pride to her children, her husband and her entire house hold, her children saw her far away and call her blessed: A woman who takes her responsibility to heart as a builder and career moulder; that is the verse that spurs me to be a mother, a wife and a leader in my business.
How does a normal day look like for you?
Well, my day starts between 4am and 5am when I study the word of God and do my quiet time with God. From there, I come down with my husband and we do the general family devotional service. From 6:30 am, we are engaged with early morning chores at home. The next level is to see to the needs of every individual member of the family from my husband to my children. Then what next? The phone calls start coming as I move to the office for the business of the day. Basically, my day starts and ends with God.
You are one of the leading business women in the fashion and accessories business in Lagos, just like your sister, Princess Bunmi Jegede is dominating the scene in Abuja, you have done so well in Lagos. How will you describe the opportunity that comes with the new political change at the federal level of government in Nigeria?
Yes, change at the federal level of government in Nigeria is good. The change is fantastic because life itself is about change. If you don’t change, you will phase out. You must understand change, you must be prepared for change if not, you are not living. Even God in His majestic splendour changed His environment when He said, ‘Let there be light’ and there was light. Without change, there will be no man who was created on the 6th day. Without change, we won’t have the planet earth and all the beautiful things therein. Change is great, change is unique, and change is powerful.
So, how does it affect me as a business woman? The dollar came down, the capital market witnessed a rise with stocks going up and generally, the socio-political atmosphere witnessed a trend that can only be expressed in kind and not in words. We are reacting to change and I am happy for Nigeria.