#EndSars: How Hoodlum Dealt Devastating Blow To Okey Adibe’s Clayart’ Place, An Inspiring Success Story Of Over 30yrs Toil & Pain

Eniola Adeniyi

Within an hour, the place was in ruins.

The rampaging hoodlums, looted, pilfered, plundered, and set fire to Clayart’s place on Lekki- Epe Express Road, Lekki Penninsulla 11, Lekki Lagos.

Within an hour, the hoodlums operating under the mask of protesting the shooting of unarmed #EndSars protesters at Lekki Toll- Gate the inspiring success story of Okey Adibe’s over 30years of toil and pain wrecked.

Clayart’s Place owned by very low profile businessman Okey Adibe is the place of premium homewares.- it caters to very exclusive clients.

“But it didn’t start like that, it took over thirty years of painstaking growth to attain that height” societynow.ng gathered.

Insiders disclosed that publicity shy Adibe started like any other young man but hard work, sacrifices, vision, and grace made a huge difference for him.

“I got to know of Clayart in Surulere well over 25years ago before I knew Okey Adibe at Mega Plaza and I can never forget an incident that happened around 2003 or so that shaped my opinion of him. A far younger customer came to buy a Twyford wash hand basin at Clayart’s outlet inside Mega Plaza, I remember the brand name because that incident left a telling impression on me. After paying the customer asked how does he get the product to his car. None of Adibe’s assistants were in the shop at that particular moment and immediately Adibe put the wash hand basin on his hand and carried it after the customer, he refused entreaties from us to help out. When he came back, he explained the reason he did that. He explained all he was after was customer’s satisfaction, he said if he had one million Naira before the customer came and he made a profit of one Naira he is richer by one naira, and satisfying the customer means potential future sales, added profits, and growth of his business. I learned that is the philosophy behind his business practices” a source disclosed.

Insiders disclosed that during this period, Adibe has no social life and refused to court celebratory reports while building his business.

“All the time I knew him at Mega Plaza, he doesn’t go to clubs, he refused to be written about by celebrity magazines and focused on creating an organic growth for his business which he achieved” another source disclosed.

Mega Plaza on Idowu Martins, Victoria Island Lagos was at a point in time the one-stop place to be for premium and exclusive wares and the favored shopping ground of the wealthy and wannabe be rich people.- until it took a major hit with the advent of Shoprite.

Societynow.ng gathered that to achieve the strategic move that yielded bountifully in contacts and image, Adbibe weaned together his resources to pay the “the bewildering price” of owning an outlet in Mega Plaza.

“But the move paid off because he dealt and deals in quality and recognized brands, he got the attention of the right clients which over time resulted in highly rewarding customer base for Clayart” societynow.ng learned.

Insiders disclosed that one of the major gains of moving to Mega Plaza was leaving the place to set up in a whole building on Adetokunbo Ademola after a bountiful stay.

Insiders disclosed weighed the cost of getting a new shop at Shoprite which had become the new fad against his expansion and growth plan opted for the new place on Adekounbo Ademola.

“The place, a storey building that was remolded to allow for proper display of the products Clayart sells. It was from that he moved to the multi-storey building permanent site on Lekki- Epe expressway that those hoodlums wrecked. It really is a sad thing that has happened” a source stated.

Many familiar with Clayart insist that it is a brand that took Okey Adibe years of sacrifices, toil, and pains to build.

Many who have visited the looted and vandalized Clayart’s Place remain baffle over what is branded a “needless and mindless attack.”

“Clayart’s place caters to premium tastes and majorly exclusively clients, it is not somewhere everyday people go to, so looting it, vandalizing it and generally wrecking the place defies logic and in all, it is a very tragic thing that happened to such an inspiring success story” a source disclosed.

Societynow.ng gathered those familiar with Clayart are still finding it hard to place the value of the loss recorded by the destruction.

“Are talking about the loss in terms of the tangible or intangible things…It is hard to quantify as at now, it is just mind-numbing that it happened. Here is some that served as inspiration for others to stay legit (Legal) and all his life work gone just like that, what kind of message does that sends to those who look up to him as a source of inspiration in doing what is right and legit” a source offered.