The Queens of Africa - Coming to a Household Near You

The Queens of Africa



Turn up all the lights in here…

The lights on?

Extra bright, I want the world to see the face of Nigeria as told by the “Queens of Africa” and the man behind this out of the world creation. Meet its architect and mastermind Taofick Okoya, born into Nigerian royalty and son of one of the richest men in Nigeria; multi-billionaire businessman, industrialist and real estate mogul and chairman of the Eleganza Group Razak Akanni Okoya. Okoya’s vision led him to branch out into a very novel but gutsy idea and the launch of his Fico Solutions LTD with an eye for international conquest. His compilations of dolls, comics, music and animation have fruitfully penetrated the ever so hard Nigeria commercial industry. Only difference now is Mr. Okoya and his “Queens of Africa” collection line are going global in hopes of telling their heart felt compelling stories to a bigger and broader audience.

Ten minutes in the company of this brilliant industrialist; one quickly realizes that there is no concoction of Red Bull or 5 Hour energy drink that can compete and stay as lively and spirited as this flamboyant “My Omo Naija” from Lagos state.  Having always had a keen eye for the arts and fashion, his climb and ultimate triumph as the leading manufacture in the market of creative arts for children of color is only a matter of time.  

“My Omo Naija” blogspot recently caught up with the C.E.O. and President of the “Queens of Africa” franchise to reflect, celebrate and discuss exciting plans in the works for this very busy, humbled family man and entrepreneur.  

PANKO:        What are your goals both individually and as a company in the next five years after the launch of the Queens of Africa?

TAOFICK:      Fico Solutions Ltd major goal has always been to make a positive impact first in its immediate environment and beyond. Within the next 5 years, we plan to have reached at least 10% of Nigerian/African children between the ages of 4-12 through our 4 main medium (Dolls, Comics, Music and Animation) around the World, especially in the UK and US.

My personal goal is to be successful! Success to me is how many lives I am able to touch and impact positively in all that I do. Within the next 5 years I want to have moved the Queens of Africa project visibly onto the international stage, with great influence and power in the development of the Nigerian/African girl child.  

PANKO:          Where/what do you draw

                        your creativity from?

TAOFICK:       God! As in it’s in built. I have always had the ability to see things from multiple perspectives, and in the process see things from a new perspective. This by others can be termed creative, and could rightly be justified as such. I am usually not satisfied with the “norm” or “status quo” This drives me to new, challenging and interesting frontiers.

PANKO:        What are your outside interests besides growing your Fico toys brand?

TAOFICK:       I find that I had always enjoyed and found fascinating everything that involves creating; these range from concepts, design, events, interior decor etc. I am positioning myself in the area of fashion at the moment, I realize that Nigeria has a lot of creative talented people in this field, but due to lack of structure in the industry, they are unable to tap into the international market which in turn creates an avenue for increased income and investment. I am working with a partner who is a designer (Ituen Bassi) to organize workshops/seminar with international practitioners in the international scene to educate and shed light on what the industry requires to be able to penetrate the system. So yes, I’m into the fashion industry.

PANKO:        Who has inspired you in

                        your life and why?

TAOFICK:       My immediate family, simply because I love them! My father. He built a business empire with his basic educational background and lack of finance from anybody, considering he came from a very humble background. I learnt a lot from him, business wise. International- Barack Obama. Far from the fact that he is the first African/American president of the United States, but for his bravery and determination. He is focused, savvy and a performer.

PANKO:        How many hours a week

                        do you work normally?

TAOFICK:       Hmmm…that’s a tricky one. I work at various times, as in work does not end till my eyes are shut (and even in my dream... Lol!) I get an idea and I am in front of my system ready to go…and sometimes, it could be a Monday morning and my system is shut down. I am not a workaholic, and I don’t slave over my job. It’s got to be fun and enjoyable.

PANKO:        What was the toughest

                        challenge you ever faced?

TAOFICK:     On the Queens of Africa

                        project, two major

                        issues

1) Distribution- We have had to rely on one on one marketing due to lack of proper distribution channels, we don’t have the chain stores with many branches around Nigeria, so we literally have to do direct marketing to individual privately own stores from state to state (considering we have 36 states)

2) We have about 25 books ready for publishing, but we don’t have proper publishing houses, with necessary support so we are considering publishing from UK or US. The first comic was self published and trust me it was difficult. 

PANKO:          How do you define

                        success?

TAOFICK:       Success to me is how many lives I am able to touch and impact positively in all that I do. Not by how much money you make or have in your bank. In the process of acquiring the wealth and lives are destroyed...that is definitely not success.

If your business touch and impact lives positively in the process on making money...It’s a win, win situation. That to me is success!

PANKO:        What’s most difficult part of running a business or company in Nigeria?

TAOFICK:       That will be industry infrastructure and standards. More often than not you have to deal with unethical/unprofessional people. There are a great amount of intelligent people but not appreciated or recognized so they end up taking advantage of lack of proper system for personal gain or profit to the detriment of the country. Logistics for effective distribution of products not readily available, so getting products to circulate is a major problem, which affects turnovers and eventually the business as a whole.

PANKO:        How do you see the emerging market place with Africa compare to other parts of the world?

TAOFICK:       It’s a lot better compared to 5 years ago, especially in Nigeria but the rate of growth is rather low. This could be due to the fact that Nigeria is expensive to live in and to operate from. This could be as a result of lack of lack of technological solutions, which in turn make basic infrastructures a luxury i.e. power supply. Industries are struggling to stay alive cause they can’t meet up with demand and even when they do, they are not competitive. If the growth rate improves this will surely enhance trade local and international thereby improve the African/Nigerian market.  

PANKO:        What do you want people

                        to know about your

                        company?

TAOFICK:     Fico Solution is a company whose vision stemmed from my personal core values. At fico solutions I encouraged my staff about the need for the kind of work we do and why. Our goals and value include the list below but not limited to them.

1) What can we produce and sell that will meet and support our clients effectively

2) Great customer service and care…make clients feel happy about their patronage

3) Make a positive impact always as an example to those who might be watching

4) Each customer is

unique treat them

as such

5) Impact your immediate and wider community in the course of our business

PANKO:        What core values and advice do you have for future start-up companies in Nigeria?

TAOFICK:       1) Research

2) Don’t compromise

3) Stay true to your vision

4) Consistency and

     quality

PANKO:        How can one purchase the “Queens of Africa” dolls for those who live and are outside of Nigeria?

TAOFICK:       The Queens of Africa dolls will be available for the website (www.queensofafrica.com) within the next one month. Pending that time orders can be placed from our facebook group page. We have a special arrangement with DHL (at a discounted tariff), so dolls can get to buyers within 3days -a week depending on location. We are also looking into possibility of having agents in the UK and US for effective distribution to stores in these areas. Enquiries can be sent to taofick@queensofafrica.com

Reach One; Teach One...