By Laja Thomas
Sesan Rufai, the Managing Director of Golgmyne Entertainment Limited, Limelite Hotels limited; and Limelite Entertainment Limited has carved a niche for himself in the hospitality and entertainment industry. He speaks on a wide range of issues bordering on his passion, the hospitality industry and leadership
What led you into the entertainment industry, having qualified as an Accountant?
Mr Sesan Rufai
As a young man, I had this passion for entertainment because I understood early in life that music and entertainment generally is the food of the soul. Life is about doing what you love and the joy of doing what you love is far greater than money. I started my career as an Accounts Officer at Raypower FM in 1995.
From there, I joined AIT and was the Assistant Marketing Manager. With the help and assistance from my colleagues, I was able to find my feet in television marketing. I left AIT in 2000, and joined Superscreen televison as the Marketing Manager. I was in Superscreen for a while before I joined Silverbird Television.
It was in Silverbird, that I got my breakthrough because the Management gave me an open hand to run the marketing department of the organisation.
It was while I was still there, that I registered Goldmyne Entertainment Limited and Limelite Entertainment Limited. Having travelled far and wide, I’ve come to the realization that any society that abhors entertainment loses a lot in terms of youth development and revenue. Limelite Entertainment Limited gave birth to Limelite hotels Ltd, the flagship of hospitality located in Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State.
What were the initial challenges you had and how were you able to surmount them?
The initial challenge was that you cannot operate an entertainment firm if the security situation is not improved. You’ll agree with me that because of the security situation in the country a lot of people are afraid to go out especially in the night.
Part of the challenges we also experienced was in the area of Technical, Materials, and Financial Support.
The kind of work we do is capital intensive, so funding has been a major challenge. The challenges are enormous, but with God, and the passion we have made us overcome; with the belief that we can contribute more to the society through entertainment and hospitality
What is the prospect of entertainment in the country?
The future and prospects of entertainment in the country is very bright. Going by what we see today, the industry generally is getting a boost. I believe that in a few years, Nigerian entertainers will favourably compete with their counterparts anywhere in the world in terms of quality and depth. I think the government at all levels should support entertainers because it is the only way people can be happy especially at the time of economic downturn.
What are you doing to ensure local contents development in your programmes?
The Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation which is the regulatory body is doing quite a lot to ensure that there’s a development of local content in television programmes. We all know in Nigeria that content drives viewer ship; and viewer ship drives patronage that translates into profits.
We’ve made tremendous progress in the last couple of years. First, you have to look at the target audience.
The average Nigeria viewer is very cosmopolitan. We have very high aspirations and we know what is obtainable in other parts of the world; so demand on television programmes have increased. It is up to us to rise up to the challenge and take our rightful place in the industry. What we’ve done is that every programme we produce must meet the viewing needs and aspirations of the target audience.
What are your focus and projections for the organisation?
My focus is to build an enduring and dynamic organisation that stand the test of time. What we are doing is to have presence in major cities of the nation, not just in terms of entertainment, but in the hospitality industry.
This is one part of our focus. The other part is that we are in the process of changing the face of entertainment business in Nigeria. Apart from all this, we are looking up to having a radio and television station in a couple of years.
What can government do differently to help the sector?
What government needs to do now is to create an enabling environment where business owners can do away with generators. The recent World Bank grant announced by the President to the entertainment industry is a right step in a right direction. This will go a long way to position the industry for global challenges.
What drives you?
The driving force is the desire to make a difference in this world. I don’t just want to pass through this world, I want leave my footprints in the sands of time. The drive is the desire to create something that will be of immense good to as many.
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