BY OYEWALE OYELOLA
By the time he was 25, Ọmọoba Abimbola Onabanjo had already done what many seasoned entrepreneurs spend decades attempting: he had built a thriving business from nothing.
It was 2007, and the young Banking and Finance graduate from Lagos State University saw an opportunity in a market that seemed impenetrable-integrated security services. Armed with little more than vision and determination, He founded Event Secure which later metamorphosed to Extol Security, entering what he describes as “a very closed market” dominated by established players with deep pockets and deeper connections.
Nineteen years later, Extol Security Services stands as one of Nigeria’s most respected security companies, serving government agencies, private corporations, and non-governmental organizations across Lagos and beyond. But this is only one chapter in Onabanjo’s story of building-a story that offers compelling insights into the kind of leadership Ijebu land needs for its next phase of development.
Building From the Ground Up
Unlike many of his contemporaries who inherited family businesses or leveraged political connections for contracts, Abimbola Onabanjo’s entrepreneurial journey is a masterclass in starting from scratch. Each of his ventures-Extol Security Services, KMF Oil & Gas Limited, Scent Arcade Limited, and most recently, Kleensteps Limited-began with identifying genuine market needs and developing solutions through meticulous planning and execution.
“When you build something from nothing, you understand value differently,” says a longtime associate who has watched Abimbola Onabanjo’s businesses grow. “You know what it means to make payroll when there’s uncertainty, to retain clients through service excellence rather than connections, to innovate when established players have every advantage.”
This builder’s mentality manifests in Abimbola Onabanjo’s approach to problem-solving. Where others see obstacles, he sees construction projects. The security sector was too closed? He positively disrupted it through service excellence. The oil and gas downstream sector presented opportunities? He established KMF Oil & Gas and pursued strategic initiatives that capitalized on emerging market trends. High-end hospitality needed luxury scent solutions? Scent Arcade Limited was born.
The Dependability Factor
In Nigerian business circles, particularly in Lagos where Abimbola Onabanjo has operated for nearly two decades, dependability is currency. It’s the difference between one-time transactions and long-term partnerships, between contracts that end and relationships that endure.
Those who have worked with Abimbola Onabanjo across his various ventures speak consistently of his reliability. Government agencies that engaged Extol Security Services found not just armed guards but integrated security solutions delivered with consistency. Private corporations discovered a partner who understood that security was about prevention, not just reaction.
This dependability extends beyond business transactions. During his tenure as Senior Special Assistant on Special Duties to the Governor of Lagos State from 2019 to 2020, Abimbola Onabanjo earned a reputation for seeing initiatives through to completion. In a political environment often characterized by abandoned projects and unfulfilled promises, he became known for data-driven advices and suggestions ensuring that policies were rooted in evidence and research.
“He doesn’t just start things; he finishes them,” notes a former colleague from his time in government. “And he doesn’t just finish them-he ensures they’re sustainable.”
Loyalty in Action
In an era where business relationships are often transactional and political allegiances shift with the wind, Abimbola Onabanjo’s loyalty stands out as both old-fashioned and refreshingly rare. But his loyalty isn’t blind adherence to individuals or institutions; it’s a deeper commitment to principles, people, and places.
This loyalty manifests in how he has maintained his business base in Lagos even as opportunities emerged elsewhere. It’s evident in his long-term relationships with employees, some of whom have been with his companies since their early days. It’s visible in how he approaches partnerships-not as stepping stones but as long-term commitments requiring mutual investment and trust.
For Ijebu land, this quality carries particular significance. Development isn’t about parachuting in with grand projects and disappearing when challenges arise. It requires sustained commitment, the ability to weather difficulties, and the persistence to see transformative initiatives through multiple phases.
The Trustworthy Steward
Perhaps nothing illustrates Abimbola Onabanjo’s trustworthiness more than the nature of his businesses. Security services, protection services, armoured vehicle rentals-these are sectors where trust isn’t optional; it’s existential. Clients literally trust Extol Security Services and Kleensteps Limited with their lives, their assets, their most vulnerable moments.
Building businesses in such trust-intensive sectors requires more than competence; it demands absolute integrity. A single breach of trust, one compromised operation, one moment of unreliability, and the entire enterprise collapses. That Abimbola Onabanjo has not only survived but thrived in these sectors for 18 years speaks volumes.
His approach to financial management reflects this same trustworthy stewardship. In industries where cash flow can be unpredictable and temptations numerous, he has built sustainable business models, maintained regulatory compliance, and implemented effective risk management strategies.
Speaking the Language of Youth
At 45, Abimbola Onabanjo occupies a unique position-young enough to understand the aspirations, frustrations, and innovations of Nigeria’s youth bulge, yet experienced enough to translate those insights into actionable strategies.
This relatability to young people isn’t performative. He built his first company at 27, navigating the same challenges today’s young entrepreneurs face: limited access to capital, skepticism from established players, and the need to prove oneself repeatedly. He understands the hustle because he lived it.
More importantly, his continued engagement with cutting-edge business education-recent certifications from Harvard Business School, Wharton School, and Columbia Business School Executive Education-demonstrates a commitment to staying current. He hasn’t allowed success to ossify his thinking; instead, he continuously updates his knowledge base, studying disruptive innovation, authentic leadership, and scaling businesses for profitable growth.
For a region like Ijebu land, where youth unemployment and underemployment represent both a challenge and an opportunity, this connection to younger generations could prove transformative. Onabanjo doesn’t just understand youth; he can translate their energy and innovation into structures that create lasting value.
The Problem-Solving Mindset
Across Abimbola Onabanjo’s career, a consistent pattern emerges: he enters sectors with entrenched problems and develops innovative solutions. The security sector needed modernization and professionalization-he built a company that set new standards. The downstream oil and gas sector presented complex regulatory and operational challenges-he navigated them through strategic partnerships and effective risk management.
During his time in government, this problem-solving approach translated into developing ideas for special projects that addressed critical issues facing Lagos State. As the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor, he provided strategic advisory support by assessing issues of concern, coordinated information flow, engaged relevant stakeholders, and offered informed recommendations in line with the Governor’s policy direction.”
This systematic approach to problem-solving represents exactly what traditional institutions need as they navigate modernity. Ijebu land faces challenges common to many Nigerian communities: infrastructure deficits, youth unemployment, brain drain, underdeveloped local economies, and the need to balance tradition with progress.
Abimbola Onabanjo’s track record suggests he possesses both the analytical framework to understand these challenges and the execution capability to address them. He doesn’t just talk about problems; he builds solutions.
Vision for Development
What emerges from Ọmọba Abimbola Onabanjo’s business portfolio is a leader who understands development as multifaceted. Economic development, yes-but also security, quality of life, access to services, and creating environments where businesses and communities can flourish.
His work spans sectors critical to modern development: security (the foundation of stability), energy (the enabler of economic activity), quality of life services (from luxury scents to protection services), and most recently, his focus on scaling businesses for profitable growth while maintaining operational excellence.
This holistic understanding of what communities need to thrive positions him uniquely to think comprehensively about Ijebu land’s development. Not just attracting businesses but creating secure environments where they can operate.
Not just infrastructure but the services that make infrastructure valuable. Not just economic growth but the quality-of-life improvements that retain talented young people.
The Ancestral Connection
Ọmọba Onabanjo’s lineage traces directly to the Awùjalẹ̀ Fasẹ̀ngbúwà through Ọmọba Òṣinúgà, Ọmọba Òṣíyọ̀nkú, and Ọmọba Lámínú Abímbọ́lá Adéríbígbẹ̀, his great-grandfather. This isn’t mere genealogy his great-grandfather. This isn’t mere genealogy; it represents a connection to Ijebu’s institutional memory, its values, and its aspirations across generations.
Yet he has enriched this inheritance with contemporary skills, global exposure, and entrepreneurial success. He represents a bridge, someone who understands the rich culture and tradition of his lineage while speaking the language of innovation, disruption, and modern development.
Building the Future
As Ijebu land contemplates its future development trajectory, the builder’s approach offers compelling advantages. Builders understand that sustainable development isn’t about grand gestures but consistent, strategic construction over time. They know that foundations matter, that structural integrity determines longevity, and that the best buildings serve their communities for generations.
Ọmọba Abimbola Onabanjo has spent 19 years building businesses, building teams, building solutions, and building his reputation as someone dependable, loyal, trustworthy, and effective. Each business he founded still operates, still employs people, still serves clients-tangible evidence that when he builds, it lasts.
For a region seeking to build its future while honouring its past, the question isn’t whether a builder is needed. The question is whether the community recognizes one when he emerges.
In Onabanjo’s case, the evidence has been building for nearly two decades. Ijebu land stands at a moment of readiness, prepared to build with someone whose record demonstrates endurance, credibility, and the discipline to turn vision into lasting institutions.
Ọmọba Abimbola Onabanjo holds a BSc (Hons) in Banking and Finance from Lagos State University and executive certifications from Harvard Business School, Wharton School, and Columbia Business School. He is married to Mrs. Tolu Onabanjo, and they have three children.
Oyewale Oyelola is a lecturer with the Department of Mass Communication, Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti. He writes from Ekiti State
