Group Managing Director of Obat Group, Prince Akinfemiwa Akinruntan, tells MOBOLA SADIQ how he assumed his current position when his prominent father, Oba Fredrick Obateru Akinruntan, was crowned the Olugbo of Ugbo Kingdom, quitting law for family business among other issuesI was born to a father who always wanted his children around him, so we attended the same primary and secondary schools.
I was actually treated like the other fuel attendants. Like I said, my father is a disciplinarian. He told me that I must learn the nitty-gritty of the business. Initially, the idea did not go down well, I imagined why my father would put me through the stress of selling fuel. I asked myself why he was trying to ridicule me. I mean some of my friends were travelling in and out of the country and I was compelled to be selling fuel. I was not happy at the time.
To be honest, I would say yes and no to this question. If one is from a good family that also has a good pedigree. People would want to associate with one. People will readily want to do business with one if one’s family has a record of good success. This has also worked for me too. Sometimes when I reach out to some people for a favour, my name makes it work. However, sometimes it doesn’t work for me either. As a matter of fact, sometimes my name lands me in a lot of expenses.
The oil and gas sector is moving towards clean energy Gas is now being used for cars, trains, locomotives and some other things. With this pace, one cannot be stagnant. We have to move with the trend.