Rotimi Ogundele speaks to Denise O’Riordan about his varied business activities in the midlands, from an African restaurant to a car auction
Rotimi Ogundele is one of those people with a flair for business, and has his fingers in many pies. Originally hailing from Nigeria, Ogundele and his wife Shola arrived in Ireland six years ago, and set about taking full advantage of the business climate in the then-thriving Celtic Tiger.
One of their latest enterprises is Safari, a restaurant based in Longford serving Nigerian-style food – its menu brimming with barbecued and roasted meats and fish. Popular with Nigerians and other Africans living in the area, Ogundele is quick to point out that Safari is a place to suit all tastes.
“This restaurant is not restricted to the African community, it is for everyone,” he explains. “For example, on the last Nigerian Independence Day, we had ambassadors here from Canada and India, as well as Irish Government officials. They all had the food and they loved it.” Safari also does event catering all over Ireland, he adds.
Not one to rest on his laurels, Ogundele’s “new baby” is the Safari Sweet Bread bakery, which was born just three months ago. Items from the bakery can be found in Afro-Caribbean shops throughout the country, and the range is soon to be supplied to more mainstream shops and supermarkets. The bakery produces African bread, which Ogundele describes as “delicious”.
The Nigerian’s entrepreneurial skills extend beyond the food industry, and he has been involved in Percy’s Car Auction in Roscommon with business partner Adebango ‘Percy’ Ademokun for almost one year.
The idea for the car auction came about when Ogundele and his business partner looked for a niche in the market. “There was no car auctioneer for people in the west,” he explains. “The closest one was in Mullingar.”
Seemingly an expert multi-tasker, Ogundele is also responsible for The Yoruba Race in Ireland, a cultural movement that promotes Yoruba culture, as well as encouraging Yoruba people around the world to invest in Ireland. He says that the group is receiving much interest in many other countries.
Overall, Ireland has been a positive place for this eager entrepreneur. However, he feels that there are “lots of things that Ireland is lacking that the Irish people desire to have”.
Not even the much-talked-of recession seems to bother Ogundele, who is determined to make the best of a bad situation. “The recession is a good thing if you know how to handle it,” he says. “It is a good time to invest.”
At a time of economic difficulty, Ogundele feels it is his duty to contribute what he can to help the country he now calls home.
“Our task is to give Ireland what it has given to us and more, to bring back the Celtic Tiger,” he says. “It is up to people like you and me to contribute our part and to make Ireland stand out in Europe.”
The ‘us’ that Ogundele refers to includes his wife Shola – “The best and most trusted business partner I’ve ever had,” he says proudly.
While setting up a business as a foreigner in Ireland can present challenges, it seems that persistence has been the key to Ogundele’s success so far. He believes it is people’s ability to work through such challenges that makes a difference. “If you keep pushing, sometimes a door opens,” he says.
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