Mr Ayodeji Fortune Oluleye who likes to call himself “the fumigation expert” is the founder of DFortune Pest Solutions Ltd, Dfortune Environmental Management Services and DFortune Ecosave Nigeria Ltd.
In this interview, Oluleye established the fact that pest management is a trending industry across the globe. All diseases like Ebola, COVID and monkey-pox are a result of a lack of effective management of pests.
Welcome to our bi-weekly series of Executive Hub.
(What is the DFortune Pest Solutions Ltd about?)
DFortune Pest Solutions Ltd is a Nigerian enterprise that deals with pest management. The enterprise is intrigued with bringing unique pest control services to bare in our clime in a professional yet affordable way. Our solutions have been able to put into use high global trending technologies in the world of pest control, one that seemed impossible in this region few years ago.
(Why did you choose this line of business?)
Oluleye who finished his degree in the year 2009, graduated as an industrial chemist. He got his inspiration for the business during his NYSC course in Delta state as he was opportune to be in a house where a local fumigator was called to fumigate the environment against pests.
As an industrial chemist who has vast knowledge about chemicals, he got quite inquisitive and questioned the local fumigator about the general effect of the chemicals used. Few months after the incident, when he finished his NYSC program, he decided to venture into pest control as a business without any afore-thought of seeking white-collar jobs at companies.
Without not so much knowledge about pest control, but full knowledge of chemicals gained from his years of studies, he got into the business, dedicating enough time to studying and training. Fortunately, due to his dedication and hard work, he was able to successfully build the biggest pest control outlet in Nigeria.
(What stands your business out?)
One key factor that stands DFortune Pest Solutions LTD is its innovation. In its 13 years of operation, the business who grew out on a borrowed capital of N10, 000 has turned out to be a multi-million dollar company with partners all over the globe.
Their incentive of solving health-related issues caused by pests has pushed them to be greatly innovative, creating more urge for investing in research and development, thereby creating quite a number of unique trademarked products in a bid to sort it. The enterprise which is moving on a fast track has promised to be more innovative, creating even more affordable unique pest control products and barring the adverse effects of pests and vectors in Nigeria.
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(As a licensed pest control and cleaning service provider in Nigeria, what is your take on the environmental sanitation of Nigeria?)
The founder of DFortune Pests believes that in Nigeria, the citizens are far from reaching the reality of great environmental sanitation with the general culture of lack of consciousness towards keeping our community clean, which has eaten deep into the literate and the illiterate class of people in our country, Nigeria.
He believes greatly, that awareness needs to be made in order to instil the consciousness of keeping the environment clean in the citizens. Then only can the country, in general, be close to achieving the reality of a clean environment.
(How long do you think would take us as a nation to achieve a free-pest environment?)
He also believes that when there is a clean environment then we will live in pest-controlled communities. He was particular about the fact that pests cannot be eliminated, but they can be controlled. As we get cleaner and neater as citizens of the country, and also live in good communities, we can always have control over the insects, pests, vectors, bacteria, fungi, viruses and the like which are the main cause of diseases.
(Is the challenge of pests a global issue? Kindly briefly explain.)
Oluleye established the fact that pest management is a trending industry across the globe. All diseases like Ebola, COVID and monkey-pox are a result of a lack of effective management of pests. Effective pest control will go as far as saving the world; it is a crucial issue to the whole world.
(What are the other major challenges faced in this business?)
One major challenge that is being faced by the business is quackery. He stated that we as citizens trying to control the pests around us, in our homes or places of work, just go on to get random products without knowing their origin, their effectiveness and their effects. Meanwhile, many of the creators of such products are quacks who ventured into the business for survival only.
(How can pests be controlled in homes and other residential places?)
Oluleye made clear statements about how pests can be controlled in the home and other residential places. He stated that, firstly, houses should be proven. This means that there shouldn’t be spaces for pests to get into the home or other residential places. He went on to cite that good sanitation must be put in place, one of which is keeping waste bins and drums at distances from the house to avoid inviting pests into the house.
(How often should this be done?)
Oluleye, according to the recommendation of the World Health Organisation, indicated that there should be regular pest control activity that is, spraying of the home or other residential places quarterly. He also made mentioned the fact that good sanitation could amount to spraying the home and other residential places once a year.
(What health hazards are associated with pests?)
He further stressed the point that pests are unwanted organisms. They are pathogens carriers. Carriers like mosquitoes, cockroaches, and, rats cause deadly diseases to the human body through various ways such as biting, crawling on food and many more. They pose threats to human survival.
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(Are there homemade products you can use to control pests in the home?)
There are several home products that work in controlling pests to a great extent. Products like salt which helps to control worms as worms don’t survive in salty areas, lime, lemon, and, garlic, go a long way to controlling the pests and vectors. The use of home-used pesticides like vinegar and boric acid would be of great help. Should you find it difficult to create home-used products, there are affordable do-it-yourself products that DFortune Pest Solutions Ltd have created. It only requires a simple process of getting it ready for use; after which you spray the house with it and leave the house for an hour.
(Which SDGs are you working on achieving now and in the near future?)
DFortune Pest Solutions Ltd work towards achieving the world’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They have worked so far to achieve diversification (goal 23). This involves the use of local products instead of importing foreign materials for production.
(How do you unwind?)
Oluleye, the fumigator expert as he likes to call himself, likes to play table tennis in a bid to unwind. He also likes to be alone with his mind as he appreciates his mind as his greatest asset.
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(Three things people don’t know about you.)
He stated three things people thought otherwise of him; but that he is actually the opposite of them; and that constitutes the three things people don’t know about him but he has brought into the limelight.
One is that people think of him as a calm and gentle person, but he is actually the opposite. This part is best known to his close pals. Secondly, he is seen as a weak man and he has been able to prove them wrong through his success. Lastly, he is a born-again Christian and a family man.