Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has celebrated Nigeria’s foremost indigenous producer of wines and spirits, Nigeria Distilleries Limited (NDL) for building a resilient business brand.
Obasanjo who made the remarks at the weekend during an event organised in commemoration of NDL’s 60th anniversary stressed that not many family businesses succeed.
The former president reminisced on the ethos of Chief Ayo Rosiji, and expressed his joy at the continuity of his legacy, saying “Chief Rosiji was a colossus. I would go to his house in those days for advice and it was always very useful. A true Nigerian, patriotic and entrepreneurial, he exuded a love for the country that was almost unmatched. A love that led him to create opportunities for many, the youths especially through his ideas, something we particularly crave today”.
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Speaking on the resilience of the company and its leadership, Obasanjo said: “Not many family businesses succeed. We have seen many fail and we can attribute their failure to a number of factors. So I want to take this opportunity to congratulate this organization for succeeding. I want to commend everyone who has worked for this organization in the past and all who work with the company now. This is a business that is in the fourth generation and I pray that it will continue forever.”
Opening the event with his welcome remarks, Group Chairman, and son of the founder, Olajide Rosiji, expressed gratitude to the leadership of the company, present and past, employees and external stakeholders who had contributed significantly to the growth of the organization, and reiterated the organization’s commitment to its host community, host state and the country at large.