“I Don’t Want My Children With Shade To Fail Like Their Senior Ones”
OpenLife reports that Razaq Okoya, the 79-year-old chairman of Eleganza Group, stated in an interview, widely reported around February 23–24, 2026, that he is mentoring his younger children (with his wife Shade Okoya) for successorship to ensure they do not fail like their older siblings.
The remarks were widely shared on platforms like Instagram and Facebook.
The Nigerian billionaire, in sharing his vision for his younger children with Shade, emphasized that he wants them to succeed where some older siblings did not.
He explained how he is preparing them to take over his business empire.
“They hold the future. 79 years old, I have to pass it on to them. I don’t want them to fail like their senior ones. Number one is the experience. Number two, they have to learn how to be focused, honest, determined and punctual,” Okoya said.
He revealed that even though one of his daughters is studying in Europe, she is regularly brought home to see the family business firsthand.
“One of my daughters has been training in Europe, but it has to be local ideas.
We take her to the factory to see what we are doing. But that’s a different level playing ground. We already have everything for them here.
“We’re going to build everything for ourselves. I have to know your people, so we bring her home regularly to see what we’re doing and how to be done,” he explained.
Okoya credited Shade for being the driving force behind the empire. “Shade was the one who consolidated my empire.
She walked in and solidified everything you see today… Shade goes to the factory by 7am and comes back by 7pm.
She is in charge of everything you see in Eleganza… Shade decorates my home and maintains it. I don’t know how she does it. I just walk in and see my home like this,” he said.
On keeping the company in the family, he added: “I will never take my company public.
I will keep it in the family. My eldest daughter (by Shade) is schooling in Europe, but Shade and I bring her to Nigeria to see how the business works so she can take over…I hope she will not make a mistake like other children.”
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