My name is Okusi Olalekan Omotayo, popularly known as Mr. Okusi. I was born on November 9, 2006, in Ikorodu, Lagos State, Nigeria, and I grew up in the same community.

I was not born into a wealthy family, but I was fortunate to have parents who worked hard to give my sister and me opportunities. They may not have been able to provide everything, but they constantly tried to give us the best they could. My father, Okusi Rafiu Omotayo, is from Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, while my mother, Okusi Omorinsola Tawa, is from Abeokuta, Ogun State. My father worked at Zenith Bank in Victoria Island before travelling to the United States, while my mother is a building-material supplier and the owner of a block industry.

I grew up with my only sibling, my sister Okusi Kofoworola Zainab. We were very close growing up, and family remains an important part of who I am.

My family was originally Muslim, but in 2016, we converted to Christianity. That transition became part of my upbringing.

My childhood was not one of luxury, but it taught me something valuable: you can come from an ordinary background and still have extraordinary dreams.

Growing Up

As a child, I would describe myself as outspoken, dramatic and entrepreneurial.

I attended Precious Gem Kiddies for primary school and later Fruitful Ville College International, both in Ikorodu. I was an average but popular student.

Education was one of the biggest areas of disagreement between my mother and me. My mother has always valued education deeply. I didn’t hate learning, but I didn’t enjoy the pressure that came with school. There were hardly any real breaks for me. I would go from school to lessons, return home and still hear that I needed to read more.
I wanted to be educated. I simply didn’t believe that traditional education was the only thing that could take me where I wanted to go.
Even as a child, I felt I had something else inside me—something that would work better in social spaces, creativity and entrepreneurship. Over time, I learned to balance my naturally social personality with being more reserved, cool-headed and calculative.
But there was another feeling from my childhood that stayed with me.
I remember the feeling I got whenever awards and prizes were being presented to other people and I wasn’t among them.
There was something almost like goosebumps about watching someone else walk forward while I remained seated.
At the time, I probably couldn’t explain what I was feeling. But looking back, I think those moments planted something in me.
I wanted to know what it felt like to be the person whose name was called.
To be recognized.
To accomplish something people could point to.
That feeling became one of the quiet forces behind my desire to achieve.
I didn’t know exactly what I would become, but I knew I wanted my life to amount to something.

Interestingly, my parents never really punished me because of my grades. That wasn't the biggest problem. The real challenge was trying to balance what was expected of me academically with the person I felt I was becoming.

Some teachers also influenced me along the way. Mr. Momoh, who taught Further Mathematics and was also one of my private tutors, was a mathematics guru. There was a period when I genuinely enjoyed mathematics because of him. Mr. Ayodele, who taught Marketing, also stood out to me. I rarely wanted to miss his classes because I was already interested in entrepreneurship, and his humour made learning enjoyable.

The Entrepreneurial Side of Me

My entrepreneurial nature did not begin with some huge company or complicated business plan.

I started small.

I made homemade drinks, resold sachet water and sold whatever commodities I could get access to. Those experiences taught me that business is ultimately about solving problems, creating value and being willing to start with what you have.

Later, I became interested in bigger ideas. I tried to raise funding for a palm-oil business, and I have thought seriously about different businesses and investments.

I don't necessarily want entrepreneurship to become the entire public identity of Mr. Okusi. I see myself first as a creator and future internet personality. Business is something I want to build alongside that.

What attracts me to entrepreneurship is not simply money. I like the idea of solving problems, creating opportunities, providing employment and building something that can outlive me.

There are things I am currently building and thinking about that I would rather keep private until the right time.

The Beginning of Mr. Okusi

When I was around 17, I started thinking more seriously about self-care, personal growth and my career path.

At the time, I honestly didn't know exactly what I was doing.

I considered modelling, technology and almost anything that could potentially help me make it big and fast. I was experimenting with different possibilities and trying to understand where I belonged.

Then came 2024.

I dressed up nicely one day, ready to go to school. But school was cancelled after I had already prepared myself. Instead of letting the preparation go to waste, I decided to take pictures.

I was in Badagry, and I thought it might be one of my last opportunities to take pictures there before sitting for my LASU JUPEB programme examination.

The pictures came out well.

So I posted one of them on Instagram.

At the time, I didn't know that a simple picture would become one of the beginnings of my public identity. Today, that particular picture has received close to 15,000 views.

It wasn't a massive viral moment. But for me, it was significant.

It was the moment I began to realize that perhaps there was something I could build in the social space.

I initially used the name signed_lekan when I was thinking about social-media influencing and modelling. Later, in late 2025, I began using Mr. Okusi, a name that connected more naturally with my identity and my developing entrepreneurial interests.

That was when the person behind the name began to take shape.

Still Becoming

I don't consider myself an internet personality yet.

I'm still becoming one.

Today, I am involved in content creation and education, and one of the things I am working on is my online profile and public identity.

I am still learning what kind of creator I want to become and what exactly I want people to know me for.

I don't want to simply be famous.

I want to build an audience that understands who I am, what I believe in and what I am trying to accomplish.

I also don't take criticism too personally. If I am going to pursue life as an internet personality, I understand that people will have opinions. Some will support me, some will misunderstand me and some may dislike me.

That comes with being visible.

The People Who Influence Me

Several people have influenced the way I think.

My sister, Kofoworola, has been an important person in my life.

I also admire Farooq Oreagba because of his appreciation for culture. My connection to Yoruba culture is something I value deeply, and the Ojude Oba festival in Ijebu-Ode is an event I look forward to experiencing and attending.

I admire President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the way he articulates his speech and thinks strategically.

I admire Aliko Dangote for what he has built and for the way his name has become associated with business.

I also admire Damson Idris, among others, for what he represents in his own field.

I don't necessarily want to become any of these people. I simply take something from each person who inspires me and allow it to contribute to the person I am becoming.

What I Believe In

If I had to describe some of the qualities I value most, I would mention intelligence and philanthropy.

I respect people who are becoming what I want to become. I believe the people you surround yourself with matter, because I want people I can trust—people who will genuinely come up for me when I need them.

Loyalty matters to me.

So does generosity.

I want to become someone who creates opportunities and smiles for people.

I don't want wealth to be something I possess only for myself. I want whatever success I achieve to make life more comfortable for other people as well.

My Nigeria

My dreams go beyond myself.

I want to contribute to changing the story of Nigeria into the story Nigerians dream about.

When I imagine the Nigeria I want to see, I imagine a developed country—one where people have reliable electricity, food security, good roads and access to quality healthcare.

I want Nigeria to become a country where more people want to come and build their lives than people who feel they must leave to find a better future.

I believe some of the major challenges we face are connected to job insecurity, health insecurity and the lack of opportunities.

That is why employment matters so much to me.

I want to build businesses that can eventually supply across Africa, create employment, solve problems and contribute to economic development.

I want to compensate Nigeria in my own way—not by pretending I can fix everything, but by contributing something meaningful.

I want to help reduce the circumstances that push people toward crime and hopelessness.

I want to build.

My Vision

I dream of having numerous businesses that can operate beyond Nigeria and contribute to the African economy.

But I don't want my life to be reduced to business.

I want to be a creator.

I want to become an internet personality.

I want to build a strong public identity while quietly building things that create value.

I want to make life better for people.

I want to provide opportunities.

I want to create jobs.

I want to help people smile.

And eventually, I want to become a man of the people.

Not because I want everyone to know my name, but because I want the things I do to mean something to people.

The Setbacks

My journey has not been perfect.

I have had moments where things didn't go according to plan.

Raising funding for a palm-oil business was one of those experiences. The JUPEB examination was another difficult part of my journey.

There was also Okusi Development, which became demanding enough that I had to suspend it and plan to continue later.

Sometimes I look around and see people sitting at big tables with big names—people who are already known for something. Some of them have resources and opportunities that I don't yet have.

Coming from a barely middle-class background means I understand that I may have to build some things differently.

I've also had people laugh at my ambitions.

But I don't see that as a reason to stop.

At 19, I don't have everything figured out.

And I'm not pretending that I do.

What I have is a big dream, optimism and the willingness to keep learning.

The Man I Want to Become

I am still becoming the person I see in my head.

I want to become an entrepreneur who solves real problems.

I want to become a man capable of creating employment and opportunities.

And most importantly, I want to become someone whose success is useful to other people.

I don't want to be remembered simply as a successful man.

I want to be remembered as a man of the people.

A man who created opportunities.

A man who made people smile.

A man who believed that coming from an ordinary background did not mean he had to live an ordinary life.

My name is Okusi Olalekan Omotayo.

Some People know me as Mr. Okusi.

I'm 19 years old today, and on November 9, I will turn 20.

I am not at the destination yet.

I'm still learning.

Still building.

Still creating.

Still figuring things out.

But I know where I want to go.

And I believe the best part of my story is still ahead.

I’m turning 20 on November 9, 2026.

As the day gets closer, I’ve been thinking about how much life can change in a few years. There is still so much for me to experience, learn and understand.

I don’t have everything figured out, and I’m not trying to pretend that I do. I’m simply looking forward to this next chapter—new experiences, new lessons, new people and everything that comes with growing.

More than anything, I hope to keep learning, stay open to life, support people around me, and find meaningful ways to give back to society.

I don’t know exactly what the future will look like. But I’m curious to see where life takes me.