The Thrills and Frills of Commissioning of ANLCA’s Ayokunle Sulaiman’s Sula Royal Complex
R-L; ANLCA National President, Emenike Nwokeoji, Chairman BOT, Alhaji Taiwo Mustapha and the National Vice President, Prince Segun Oduntan at the grand opening of the Sula Royal Premium Complex in Ikorodu on Sunday
By DAPO OLAWUNI
Igbogbo community in Ikorodu, Lagos, stood still on Sunday, 1 November, as Alhaji Ayokunle Sulaiman, Chief Executive Officer of Sula Marine Services Limited, commissioned his Sula Royal Premium Complex before a large gathering of industry leaders, lawmakers and traditional rulers.
Sulaiman is Senior Special Assistant on Media to the National President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA).
The event drew a large turnout of ANLCA members, including National President Emenike Nwokeoji, Vice President Prince Segun Oduntan, Board of Trustees Chairman Alhaji Taiwo Mustapha, board members; Funded Awonuga, Sunday Momoh, Dayo Azeez.
Also present were chapter chairmen of ANLCA, an Assistant Comptroller-General of Customs, Kunle Oloyede (rtd), Senators, members of the House of Representatives and royal fathers, including the Adeboruwa of Igbogbo Kingdom, Oba Semiudeen Orimadegun Kasali.
The occasion was chaired by Odofin Adewunmi Adedeji Ogunsanya, SAN, Chairman of MultiChoice and the Odofin of Remoland.
It was a twin celebration for Sulaiman, who was also installed as the Alakoso-Adeen of Igbogbo Central Mosque.
The day’s event began at the mosque, where friends, well-wishers and family witnessed the turbaning of Ayokunle Sulaiman as the Alakoso-Adeen.
A reception followed at the Sula Royal Premium complex, where guests were treated to African and intercontinental dishes, while Fuji star Wasiu Alabi Pasuma provided entertainment.
In his goodwill message, the ANLCA President, Emenike Nwokeoji said, “We are here today to show solidarity with Ayo Sulaiman, and secondly, to expose this facility to our members so that, as they leave here, if they submit their wishes and aspirations to God, one day, they will commission even bigger projects.”
He congratulated Sulaiman, noting that he is not only his media aide but also his in-law, as Sulaiman’s wife is his sister, and said the project showed what a supportive wife can help a hard-working husband achieve.
He urged residents of Ikorodu to patronise the facility, saying Sulaiman could have built it anywhere but chose the community because he believes it made him who he is. He added that ANLCA members could also use it to hold their retreats.
The association’s National Vice President, Prince Segun Oduntan in his goodwill remark, thanked the Igbogbo monarch for his support towards the project.
“We cannot thank the Kabiyesi enough, he has been an inspiration, he encourages people. We are coming to do more in Igbogbo, I have already told my people,” he said.
Continuing, Oduntan said “Ayokunle has been a good brother to me and a worthy example to others, many of them that are following my path, God is blessing them because I always encourage people to grow.”
Chairman of the ocassion, Odofin Ogunsanya urged the youths of the kingdom to take a cue from Sulaiman, work hard and not engage in land grabbing.
He said that Ayokunle Sulaiman’s project was not built with land-grabbing money, even as he expressed confidence that even the Lagos State Government would copy the idea of the edifice.
Speaking to journalists on the sidelines, Ayokunle Sulaiman explained why he diversified into hospitality, away from the usual clearing of cargo at the ports.
He said diversification is something no businessman can run away from, because survival for anyone in a seasonal business lies in counter-seasonal products.
He said fitness and wellness are part of that survival, since the job of a customs agent is largely on the feet, which is why the complex includes a massage centre and a modern fitness facility.
ANLCA card-carrying members, he disclosed, will enjoy discounted rates, as the aim is to encourage members and others in the industry to diversify.
When he was asked who are the figures he looked up to in business, he named Prince Segun Oduntan as his topmost inspiration, saying he visited the project site more than 20 times to give encouragement, even when the cost of materials soared.
He said the project, which has almost seven buildings serving different purposes, would have been difficult to complete without that support.
He also credited Nwokeoji, a golfer by talent, for repeatedly visiting the site and encouraging him and other upcoming members.
He hinted of an expansion plan, saying that the company plans to replicate the project at Apapa Lagos, around the Airport area in Lagos, and in Port Harcourt, because the Sula Marine name is already established in the system.
