L-R: Otunba Odeyeyiwa Kazeem Olayemi, GMD/CEO Repton Group, Keynote Speaker; Chief Adebayo Salami (aka Oga Bello) and a Female Guest at the Emiralty Connect 1.0 Conference 2026 held in Lagos recently.
By Goke Ilesanmi
Otunba Odeyeyiwa Kazeem Olayemi, GMD/CEO of Repton Group has said achievement of life goals requires diligence, strong determination, clarity of vision, positive mental attitude, constant self-development, embrace of excellence and effective networking.
The CEO of Repton Group, a conglomerate with subsidiaries such as Kazab Heritage Limited (for distribution); Defrost Ventures Limited (for haulage and logistics); Kazab Oil and Gas; Heritage Engineering Services Limited, and Kazab Homes and Properties, gave the tips as the Keynote Speaker at the Emiralty Connect 1.0 Conference 2026 held in Lagos recently.
Odeyeyiwa who spoke on the theme, “From Scar to Shine: Reflections on Struggles, Breakthrough and Impacts”, said ability to actualise your life goals naturally begins with setting those goals in the areas of passion and natural capacity.
In his words: “You also need clarity of vision, strong determination, positive mental attitude, tenacity, steady embrace of diligence and excellence, continuous self-development, effective networking, adaptability and massive investment of efforts until success is attained.”
Using his life experience for illustration of the thematic focus, Odeyeyiwa said: “All these requirements are obligatory because the road to success is naturally long, narrow, bumpy, dangerously-curved, terrifying and demanding. Successful passage along this turbulent road requires a large dose of the mixture of these prescribed attitudinal tonics” noted the Repton CEO.
While emphasising the importance of self-development to achievement of life goals, particularly career advancement, Odeyeyiwa said: “At Lafarge, I developed strong interest in self-development. In fact, I had a strategic plan that within ten years, I would ensure that every year, I would sit for professional examinations to enhance my knowledge and enrich my CV. At Lafarge, I worked at the very senior level in different capacities. For instance, I worked as the Audit and Internal Control Manager, Plant Controller/Head of Finance and Control, Expansion Senior Finance Manager, Sales and Administrative Manager, etc.
“Eventually, I decided to resign so that I could start my own business. To underline my strong determination to quit paid employment, I did not tell my wife about the resignation until after two months because she might not approve of my weird decision of leaving the comfort of a well-remunerated job in a multinational to embark on the voyage of uncertainty of managing my own business, especially without sufficient working capital. I have every reason to thank God Almighty for my career success there.”
Odeyeyiwa said there is similarity between the human life journey and running a business or managing an economy.
According to him, “the human life journey can be likened to running a business and managing an economy because all of them involve a gradual yet demanding process that must be followed before success can be achieved. It is noteworthy that almost all successful individuals have unpleasant but inspiring stories of a very tough beginning and bumpy path to eventual success to tell.”
The Repton CEO added that just as the physical human growth or development involves a definite sequence, beginning with prenatal development and continuing through infancy, childhood, adolescence and finally to adulthood, and characterised by
different challenges, so also does running a business or managing an economy involve a sequential process. According to him, “It is rare for a legitimate and standard business to just start operations and immediately begin to record impressive profit from the first day just as it is difficult for an economy to just make a sudden development leap from the developing stage to the fully-developed stage almost instantly.”
Odeyeyiwa said managing a business is full of ups and downs even at the best of times. He added that there is for preparedness for business eventualities while also hoping for the best. According to the Repton CEO, “To be successful in your business, you must have entrepreneurial mentality which involves resilience, patience and the discipline of sacrificing current comfort for future success. You must equally be adaptable and innovative.
“In the same vein, managing a national economy too is not a bed of roses. It often requires visionary and resolute leadership that can take radical, unpopular but necessary decisions and actions in some difficult situations for economic survival and/or long-term benefits of the citizenry. Managing a national economy equally involves having patriotic, well-enlightened, patient and reasonable followership that places national interest above personal or partisan interest.”
Odeyeyiwa said based on his personal experience, he would like to conclude that making successful transition from the scar of uncertainty and challenges to the shine of success destination and even becoming a shining example, is extremely exhausting.
“As I have said earlier, it requires strong determination, self-discipline, clarity of vision, total focus, positive mental attitude and resilience because winners never quit and quitters never win,” the Repton CEO concluded.
