Okuneye-Oyeyemi, PTL CEO Inducted into Rotary Club

In a move to grow its membership base, and vigorously pursue Rotary year projects, Rotary Club of Mushin Metro recently inducted new members; one of whom is Aderonke Omolara Okuneye-Oyeyemi, the chief executive officer PTL Courier Limited.

Rotary members unite at home and across the globe to put their experience and knowledge to work tackling most pressing challenges facing humanity.

Rotary focuses its efforts in six areas: promoting peace, preventing diseases, providing access to clean water and sanitation, enhancing maternal and child health, improving basic education and literacy, and helping communities develop.

The induction ceremony was witnessed by Otunba Bola Onabadejo, the district governor 2015-2016.

To Lara Okuneye, as fondly called by associates, the induction is fulfilling, owing to the fact she has been given a global opportunity to serve humanity.

“It is all about Charity. So, I am glad to have the platform and out to supporting and funding projects earmarked by the club at all times. Knowing very well that all Rotary club projects are humanitarian in view,” she told Nigeria CommunicationsWeek immediately after receiving the certificate of membership.

About Aderonke Omolara Okuneye-Oyeyemi,

She is a Princess from Ijebu-Ode and married to Dr. (TM) Tiwatayo Oyeyemi, son of the doyen Chief Y. F Oyeyemi of Kwara State. She is 2nd of 5 surviving children of the parents. She was singlehandedly raised by the mother as the Father died when she was actually a primary 5 pupil.

Early in life, Lara and her siblings were exposed to entrepreneurial activities. That informed her business interests.

Educational Background:

She attended Seventh day Adventist school, Abule-Oja, and later moved to Western College of Commerce, Yaba before going to study Economics/Political Science at Lagos State College of Education.

Due to her quest for knowledge, Lara later proceeded to bag a degree in Political Science (B.Sc.) from University of Jos.

Life Exposures

In between studies she worked in different establishments; was a senior teacher at Little Saints Montessori School, Maryland Comprehensive High school.

She had worked as a Secretary in Engroa Group Nigeria, where she was taught all the business acumen by a seasoned person, who is an Engineer, an Accountant, a Lawyer, etc. Then, as he recalled “I thought he was ‘maltreating’ me. I later discovered I was being prepared for a great future”.

Lara worked with Commerce Bank Ltd for several years before the bank was defunct by the then military junta. After the bank's fall, she started a series of cottage businesses, with the name RolaOak Ventures.

Her industriousness knows no bound. The cottage business went into producing local soap, making nylons; she was cutting carrier bags popularly called “black nylon bag” and the nylon used in packing sugar for retail sales, that the market women now use daily.

Mining/Agricultural Venture

Still in pursuance of ventures to alleviate the plights of people around her, Lara ventured into solid minerals, (kaolin, dolomite etc.), but could do little because of the Cabals, mainly of male folks that dominated the blasting of the sites.

She quickly went into the exporting of cow horn tips, as she could recall “because that required huge amount of money to export by oneself, the persons that were doing "intermediary", ie. Buy from you and export, were cheats. They would collect your stock, export them and come back to tell stories, that the Chinese didn't accept the "quality" of the cow horn tips. That made me to forfeit both the capital and projected profits”.

Lara might have forfeited the business, but she found a new world in agriculture.

She said, “My interest in agriculture is informed by the Bible. That's the only vocation God Himself established. My interest lies majorly in livestock. I have started with snailery and Fishery. I'm going into poultry and graduate into rearing of pigs and cattle (cows).

I have a great vision. God helping me, the venture will employ more youths and women; feed the populace and supply the needed "good proteins" to the community etc”.

Before venturing into agriculture, she Lara was at Tom Associates, having to consult for a courier company, and got exposed to courier services, which gave birth to PTL Courier Limited. Today, PTL Limited is a household name in the Nigeria’s courier sector.

PTL Courier Limited is one of the fasted growing domestic courier/postal companies in Nigeria.

Notably, Lara as a genius in Logistics and courier business and networking, has great team spirit, instructive managerial prowess, and professionally disciplined.

Presently, Lara is the Vice-president of the Association of Nigeria Courier Operators (ANCO).

ANCO is the umbrella body for the indigenous courier companies in Nigeria. Lara is one of the leading voices for the reform of the industry; advocating for a postal commission.