One of the most respected women in the country today, without a doubt, is Mrs. Bolanle Oginni. She has been hailed by many as one of the most enterprising women in the country. Over the years, she has shown vision. She has shown tenacity. She has shown focus. Today, she is a big success story worthy of emulation. But not everybody knows her by her name. A much larger number of people are familiar with the table water called Blessed Water. Dr. (Mrs.) Victoria Omobolanle Oginni is the Managing Director and CEO of Blessed Water Industry Worldwide Ltd. And those who are quite familiar with the trajectory of the table water business in Nigeria will tell you that Blessed Water, founded and produced by the very brilliant Mrs. Oginni, is the foremost table water in the Nigeria. And for several years running, Blessed Water has remained one of Nigeria’s most accepted and patronised table water. And with the ingenuity of Mrs. Oginni, that sector has blossomed into one of the country’s most flourishing industries.
But the big news is not about Mrs. Victoria Omobolanle Oginni’s conquests in the business, the big news is that this very accomplished, beautiful woman of substance has turned 70 and she marked her special day with a modest celebration. The event held on the 9th of October, 2024 at the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Victory Chapel, Province 59, Magodo GRA, Lagos. It was a special service put together to praise and honour God in the life of the amazing woman called Bolanle Oginni whose exploits, not just as a successful business woman but also as a phenomenal philanthropist has earned her tremendous recognition and respect from far and near.
It was a well attended ceremony which had in attendance the entire Oginni family, the celebrant’s close friends and business colleagues in the industry, her friends from the church and a few notable respected society ladies like the Gold Rush exponent herself, Joko Oni, who came looking dazzling in her glittering white outfit adorned in her trademark signature – gold. You can never meet Aunty Joko and not find her adorned in Gold.
The celebrant herself was looking radiant in her glowing white outfit designed with a touch of purple. It was a huge shock to many who didn’t know her closely that this ageless and successful lady is actually 70 years old. Many of her church members who attended the event expressed their surprise at her age. This is because Mrs. Bolanle Oginni is looking much younger than her age. She looks more like a 50 year old than 70. She is still looking very pretty and refreshingly young. And she is still very agile too. Everyone who paid glowing tributes to the birthday girl acknowledged her youthful and adorable look. But more than anything else, everyone acknowledged the philanthropic nature of Mrs. Oginni. Her compassion and generosity towards the needy around her legendary. She gives even at her own detriment a lot of times. She opened up about her humble beginning, her foray into the pure water business and why she gives so passionately.
“I derive a lot of joy from sharing the little that I have with people. What is the essence when you cannot impact on society with what the Lord has blessed me with,” she said at the event.
She was happy and grateful to God that she turned 70, acknowledging that many of her contemporaries have passed on and giving praise to God for keeping her healthy and alive.
“I feel happy, I feel fulfilled,” she said when asked to express how she felt on her birthday. “And I really thank God for everything he has done for me. I didn’t know I would live up to 70 years with all the illnesses and everything but I thank God for being there for me and keeping me alive to see this day,” she added.
And how did she feel hearing so many people paying her glowing tributes and each one of them acknowledging that she is indeed a philanthropist who gives selflessly and without thinking how much her generosity would affect her own finances.
“I don’t believe that when God gives you billions of money you now keep it to yourself and your family alone, you have to impact society with what the Lord has blessed you with and I thank God that in my own little way, I have done the little I can. God has really helped me,” she responded.
This enigmatic woman believes women should be forthright in their business dealings and endeavour to treat their staff fairly in all their dealings. And the manager of her company testified to her kindness towards her staff when he stepped out to give her a birthday tribute. He reeled out many instances that Mrs. Oginni has gone out of her way to be there for her staff in moments of need. He also revealed how she ensures they get some special ‘monies’ that comes in between their salaries. “And she never owes us salaries,. These are some of the reasons why we all call her mummy because she treats everyone like her own children,” he concluded.
The highly enterprising woman took us through her journey into the pure water business and how she introduced the satchet water into the Nigerian market.
“It all started by chance. I believe it was divine. My mother always hammered it inside my head all the time, saying, you must work hard. If you want to dress well, you have to work hard. So, I put that at the back of my mind; that anything I put my hands to do, I will prosper. I have done many businesses. I have a big poultry, I have a big boutique and my husband used to be a General Manager in WAPCO before he retired. The whole thing started like a joke. It happened one day while I was teaching, this was in 1975. It was raining that day and one taxi splashed water on one woman. I bought a bottle of water. That was when they used to put water in bottles and sell. It was a kobo per bottle then. So, I bought one and I cleaned the woman up. The woman was holding a Bible. She said, ‘ah, my daughter! This water that you used to help me, your mother did not tell you to go into water business? Ah, that’s the only thing you can do in this world and you will make it’.
And immediately, I said God, why did I help this woman? How could she pray for me that I will be selling water? It’s ‘bottled water’ O! The water that you pour into a bottle! That’s what they were selling then. I said God, why did I help this woman? But later on, I started doing lolly pop, doing so many things. One day, my son did not go to school, so he took the nylon of lolly pop and just sealed it. When I came back, I wanted to beat him because he had wasted all the nylons. But from no where, I heard, don’t forget what that woman said. Interestingly, after that encounter with the woman, she just disappeared. It was as if she’s an angel. That was how I got the idea. So, the printer that was printing the lolly pop nylon, I went to him, I said can you change this thing into a bigger one for me so that I can start something else.”
-Wale Lawal
