SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE OUTSTANDING AGRIBUSINESS LEADER: MR RASAKI OLUSESAN OGUNNAIKE 

By Charles Segun ADEGBITE

Mr Rasaki Olasesan Ogunaike, the Chairman/CEO of RSK Farms International (a Division of Olaayo Ventures),Sagamu, Ogun State, is an agricultural scientist, a poultry farm administrator and an international agribusiness entrepreneur, whose success story is good enough to learn from.

RSK, as he is fondly called, is a graduate of the Obafemi Awolowo University(OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, where he studied Agricultural Science. 

A man of raw courage whose success story in poultry business began when he took a great risk towards stopping the food insecurity in Nigeria during the outbreak of H5N1 Avian Influenza (bird flu), which was rampaging the poultry sector in 2006.

RSK has weathered a lot of storms in the poultry business and came out stronger. He is among the African farmers who have been working relentlessly towards ensuring food security in the continent.

With just 200 birds he started with in 2004, this man, out of strong determination, diligence and God's grace, has built his poultry business to the levels which enables him travels to some African and European countries regularly now . 

HIS BIRTH & EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

Born on June 6, 1973, in Sagamu, to the Ogunnaike family of Sagamu, RSK attended St Paul School, Makun (2) and Sagamu High School, Makun, both in Sagamu, for his basic and secondary education.

He later studied Agricultural Science at the OAU, Ile-Ife, where he bagged B.Sc.in Agric in 2003.

WORK EXPERIENCE

 He was posted to Benue State, the Food Basket of the Nation, for his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme in that 2003. He served in the Secretariat of the Vandeikya Local Government of the state. As a hardworking person, he also engaged in part time teaching job daily, after closing from his place of primary assignment.  

At the completion of his NYSC program in Benue State in 2004, he decided to go into full time poultry farming. 

ADVENTURE INTO POULTRY BUSINESS 

Dr Mike Murdock said, "Decision makes men". While he was in final year at the OAU, he had developed interest in poultry, out of various other areas of specialization available in agriculture. As a proactive man and visionary person, while serving the nation in Benue State , he saw beyond his service year and embarked on regular saving of his NYSC monthly allowance. He was then living on the wages being earned from his part time teaching job.

With the saved money, he started the poultry business by rearing 200birds in a backyard of the house he was living in at Ewu Oliwo, Sagamu.

BUSINESS EXPANSION 

Through unwavering determination, dedication to duty and prudent management, he soon developed the business and increased the birds to 500.

RISKS TAKING IN POULTRY BUSINESS 

Like an eagle who uses storms to soar higher, when there was Bird Flu outbreak, causing death of hundreds of thousands of poultry birds in Nigeria and forcing many poultry farmers to quit the business, he looked for opportunities in the crisis.

As many poultry farmers were hurriedly selling their birds and cages at cheaper prices to avoid total loss, he began to buy the poultry birds and cages from them. 

Consequently, this led to the expansion of his poultry business and a great turnaround for him. 

A day-old-chick that was sold between N90 and N120 before the pandemic, was sold N40 during the bird flu crisis . He quickly increased his poultry business capacity from 500 to 1000 birds.

Although he didn't have the facilities and capacity to accommodate 1000 birds then, he nevertheless summoned enough courage to take them. 

PASSION FOR POULTRY FARMING

He demonstrated his passion for poultry farming when he was offered job opportunity at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture in 2005. He rejected the offer to enable him concentrate on his poultry farming business, so that he can keep contributing to food security in Nigeria.

A courageous man who stood firm when others were falling. A committed poultry farmer and administrator who refused to allow bird flu crisis to keep creating food insecurity. 

TRAINING & RETRAINING 

While his agricultural education at the university helped him to start well, RSK constantly engaged in training and retraining, This has helped him to keep improving and succeeding.

He had attended a lot of seminars and workshops in Nigeria and overseas. 

He has spent some millions of Naira on those trips for his career development, by attending annual conferences, seminars and workshops; just to get trained. This enabled him to know the latest trend in the agribusiness and update his knowledge of the industry. 

More importantly, he had also attended the training of the Institute of Agribusiness Management, Nigeria(IAMN), and got inducted as a member. He believes that "You must learn more, if you want to earn more".

Each time he returned from such self sponsored training program, he quickly applied all he had learned.

These self sponsored training and retraining here and there , helped him to get sound knowledge of Biosecurity, Feed Management and Fund Raising, which enabled his poultry business to be more profitable and increased his success stories.

INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCES 

He has been to Uganda, Rwanda, Ghana, Ethiopia and even travelled to Turkey in Europe to attend various training programs which have helped him a lot. 

He travels yearly to Ghana for an annual conference to acquire more knowledge of poultry business. And since 2018 he has been traveling to Europe thrice every year. 

Last year while on a business trip to Europe, he was trapped in the locked down as a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic. This made it difficult for him to return to Nigeria for many months. 

CONSULTANCY SERVICES

The vast knowledge he has acquired through these constant training and the experiences garnered over the years have enabled him to setup consultancy services and offer great  professional advice on poultry business; thereby helping poultry farming to keep growing in Africa.

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION

Mr Ogunnaike is a member of the Poultry Association of Nigeria, Ogun State(PANOG) chapter. He is also an inducted member of the Institute of Agribusiness Management, Nigeria(IAMN).

RELIGION 

RSK is a devoted Christian and member of the Redeemed Christian Church of God(RCCG), although he was born by Moslem parents. 

SOCIAL LIFE

His social life involved having good relationship with people, and keeping association with professional colleagues, which led to his joining Farmers Business World engaging in such acts like drinking alcohol and womanizing; because he is not cut out for that way of life. He is not used to partying or carousing in clubs. 

MARITAL & FAMILY LIFE

Ogunnaike got married to Mrs Oladele Ogunnaike in 2009 and they are blessed with children. He is from a royal family of the Torungbuwa Ruling House of the Akarigbo of Remoland in Ogun State.

AWARD & RECOGNITION 

In view of how he made success of his poultry business, starting from backyard to the level of traveling to African and European countries, Mr. Ogunnaike was honoured with Successful Poultry Farmer-of-the-Month for December 2019/January, 2020, by Successful People Magazine. 

In March 2021, for his consistent and several contributions to food security in Nigeria for over 15years he was also given Agribusiness Excellence Recognition Award and investiture as Africa Food Survival Ambassador(AFSA) by an African Agricultural NGO at the University of Ibadan.

Here is a goal getter who doubled his food production to the nation during the Avian Influenza pandemic. A problem solver who found solution when others were lamenting over the problem. The man who took high risk when others were afraid to face the battle. 

To spur him to keep achieving the goals of contributing to food security in Nigeria, he is hereby honoured as: SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE OUTSTANDING AGRIBUSINESS LEADER

 By Successful People Media, publishers of Successful People Magazine, Successful People Biography and Who's Who In Nigeria.