To mark his 86th birthday, one of Nigeria’s topmost industrialists, Chief Razaq Akanni Okoya, chose to organise a massive medical outreach in Lagos instead of rolling out the drums and the echoes are reverberating across the land, GBENGA SALAU writes.

When Nigeria’s revered octogenarian industrialist, Chief Razaq Akanni Okoya (CON), chose compassion over celebration to mark his 86th birthday, it was a moment that blended gratitude, grace and generosity – reinforcing a pattern many have come to identify with the billionaire industrialist. On Monday, January 5, 2026 (one week before the birthday anniversary), the Chairman of Eleganza Industrial City Limited turned what could have been a lavish birthday affair into an extraordinary humanitarian spectacle, which left residents of Ajah and neighbouring communities not just deeply moved but fostered a sense of belonging in them.

For a man whose name has become synonymous with enterprise, resilience and enduring wealth, Chief Okoya once again rewrote the script of celebration. The billionaire businessman, whose multi-billion-naira empire spans industries under the iconic Eleganza brand along with decades of active inventiveness, stunned many as he flagged off a massive, free medical outreach for people living around him.

Fondly called Eleganza by admirers, Okoya’s legacy stretches beyond boardrooms and factory floors. Generations of Nigerians – pupils, students of tertiary institutions, market leaders, artisans and other professionals – have different stories to tell about using the famous Eleganza biro, a modest tool that quietly became part of the success stories of several generations.

At 86, the industrialist has chosen to write another chapter of impact, laced not with ink, but a large dose of empathy. Rather than roll out drums for a flamboyant birthday bash as many who are not even in his class are wont to, Okoya deliberately redirected his celebration to the streets and homes of ordinary people in Ajah and the wider Eti-Osa Local Council of Lagos State.

Many of the people ordinarily would not be able to gain access to him but his intentional and purposeful decision granted them unhindered entry. His reason was simple, yet profound – good health is the foundation of a good life. Still, he is not unaware that many Nigerians lack access to quality healthcare.

To bridge that gap, he unveiled the Okoya @86 Medical Outreach, a week-long programme designed to deliver free, quality healthcare services to people who, otherwise, might not be able to access such care due to poverty, limited education or lack of information.

As a result of this, his sprawling estate became a beehive of activities as residents from near and far-flung communities including Ajah, Jakande, Ikota, Iru, Egunshi, Eleko, Epe and surrounding communities trooped out in their numbers. Men, women, young parents and the elderly not only gained entrance but got to experience the comfort of the classic Eleganza chairs as they sat patiently in the over 300-capacity hall of the expansive castle, hopeful and grateful as medical professionals attended to them with dignity and care.

The outreach, which continues till January 12, 2025, the actual birth date of the celebrant, is a bold testament to Okoya’s long-standing commitment to community development, healthcare delivery and service to mankind.

Far from a token gesture, the initiative has been described by many as unprecedented as beneficiaries were extremely delighted about the healthcare services they accessed for free. Beyond the comprehensive medical check-ups, each beneficiary who completes the cycle would get a food pack and N10,000 transport fare as earlier announced by Dr. Jemilade Longe, Consultant for the Okoya @86 Medical Outreach and a retired Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Health Services Commission.

Speaking with characteristic humility at the flag-off of the event, Okoya explained that his decision to give back to people of lesser means in the format he did was born from observation and gratitude.

He noted that while he has been fortunate to enjoy quality healthcare throughout his life, many around him are not so lucky. “This birthday is not about me — it is about giving people the chance to live healthier, happier lives,” he said.

Okoya added: “I prayed to God that I know this year. Health is wealth. I have been going in and out of the country but by the grace of God, now I feel better. I see that most of us, if we detect our health challenges earlier enough, we won’t have problems. Six years ago, I even had prostate cancer, which I detected on time. I had an operation and I am happy with it.

“Today we have tests here; anyone who wants to do a test for prostate cancer, HIV, it’s available. There is no disease that is untreatable once it is detected early and you know your status and you take care of yourself. You know what to eat, what to drink and you are taking good care of your health. So, health is wealth. You can live up to the age of 100 years or more.

“And this is why I am grateful today and said I should extend what I have been enjoying to my community so that everyone can know the status of his or her health. This is why we are here with this medical outreach today. I thank the government of Lagos State and a lot of doctors, pharmacists. We have a high calibre of healthcare here which, if most of the people go out to get they cannot be able to get easily, and they are here for the next one week and we are ready to give our services. Whoever needs attention, our doctors will take care of them.”

To the wife of the celebrant and Managing Director of Eleganza Industrial City Limited, Mrs. Folashade Okoya, it was not the first time Okoya would be doing a social responsibility of this nature.

According to her, “Chief Rasak Okoya @86 Medical Outreach is just something we decided to do so that everybody will be conscious of their health status and they can manage it from there.

“So, this is just an awareness for people to know what and what is wrong with them physically and mentally so that when you know your health status, you will be able to now start checking and start controlling and know what to do, what to eat, how to ensure that you are in the best state of health and today marks the first day,” she added.

For Okoya’s son and Director at Eleganza Industry, Shubomi Okoya, “these are some of the things that we as young boys aspire to do like him. So, we all support him today. He loves to give out. You can help just one person today; he will be grateful for life. We give glory to God for everything.”

Dr. Kemi Ogunyemi, who represented Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said: “I am very elated to be here representing the Ministry of Health and the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu. When I was called to come here to flag-off this event, I said to myself, perfect! I didn’t even have to think about it twice and Chief has said it all – health is wealth.

“The governor cannot do it all; everybody has to be responsible for their health. So, when events like this occur, when philanthropists like Chief Okoya decides to do this, it’s not just because of his community, it is also to honour God and, like he said, also to thank God because a lot of us has been through healthcare and the best thing is to lead other people and say ‘I do not want bad thing to happen to you.’

“Early detection is going to save lives. That’s what this outreach is all about. There are many other outreaches that are going on in different places but this is such a comprehensive one. This is excellent, and I got the list of all the things you are providing, not only lab services; even family planning that we are always talking about in the Ministry of Health. HIV screening, very important; tuberculosis, dental services, eye screening services, breast and cervical cancer, prostate cancer and, of course, you are going to get drugs.

“But it does not stop here. This is almost like an introduction to all of you. Some of you don’t even know you have high blood pressure. You do not know. Coming here doing some tests, they let you know that you need to curb it. In other words, you need to treat it so that it does not lead to stroke. That’s why you hear that young people collapse; they got stroke and you wonder why. It’s because they did not check. This is free; you need to go back to your family, your brother, your husband, your wife, your sister, your church members and tell them that they should check themselves.

“What you are getting here is free for you because somebody is paying for it and that is what Chief is doing.  To commemorate his 86th birthday, he thought it wise and, rightfully so, to extend that hand of health. Health is wealth. You can have all the money in the world but if your health is not good or you are not treating whatever is wrong with you well, you are not going to enjoy this wealth.

“We thank God for a new year and we are happy to be alive. That’s what Chief Okoya is saying – that he wants you to stay alive to witness next year and the year after. So, what he’s doing for you, you need to take advantage of it but it does not end here. You have to continue looking after yourselves. You have to be responsible for your health. Government cannot do it all. That’s why we appreciate Chief Okoya for doing this, for extending this to his community, the area that sometimes we cannot reach.

“We say thank you to Chief Okoya and his entire family because it is not easy. What he’s giving you is more than food. What he’s giving you is more than the joy. He’s giving you an opportunity to stay healthy, an opportunity to see whatever may be wrong with you.”

Health experts, volunteers and beneficiaries alike echoed similar sentiments, praising the Okoya @86 Medical Outreach as timely, impactful and deeply humane.

For many residents, the programme was more than a medical exercise — it was a rare reminder that wealth, when guided by conscience, can truly heal.

Among the health experts drawn from various health institutions were Prisca Anyakee, who is Head of Marketing at Grandville Hospital and team leaders at the hospital, which is one of the healthcare organisations partnering with Chief Okoya @86 Medical Outreach.

Fielding questions from journalists, Anyakee said: “It was a thing of joy that Chief and his family reached out to us. We see this as a celebration of a legacy of giving back to his people and it is the kind of life that Chief has lived. For example, we have attended to 150 people and these are lives that are being transformed because the screening is intensive. On our own part at Grandville, our doctors are here, our nurses are here.

Also, the eyes screening is also very thorough, even the medications. These are some of the things that we are contributing to the programme. So, Grandville has been a friend and partner to the Okoya family.”

An optician, Dr. David Ayanlere of Haven Eye Clinic highlighted the services his section was contributing to the outreach.

He said: “What we are doing here is visual screening. We are also trying to diagnose and help elderly patients to get reading glasses and see smartly better. This is basically just an eye screening to help elderly patients mostly. But we can also diagnose early stages of conditions that are just starting up and we can refer properly and manage. This is what we have done so far.”

On whether he was impressed with the turnout of beneficiaries, Ayanlere said: “Well, if you look around there are so many people. So, to be impressed is an understatement. I am overwhelmed. You can even see that it was difficult to find two minutes to even talk to me. That is to tell you the number of people that we have around to be attended to.”

Mrs. Haruna Oluwaseyi of Lagos State Primary Healthcare Board, who headed the pharmacy team, assured that the Okoya @86 Medical Outreach had enough drugs to take care of the patients.

Some of the beneficiaries who spoke to journalists on their experiences generally expressed their gratitude to the celebrant.

One of them, Mallam AbdulMalik Kolawole, who said he came from Jakande to partake in the medical outreach, said: “Why I really came to be attended to was eye problem and that has been fixed and they gave me drugs because they said my case has not reached the stage to be recommended for eye glasses. But I also did an HIV test and I was negative. I was generally well attended to. After that, the last place I went to was the dental section.

My teeth were examined and I was counselled on how to treat my teeth so that it will not have a problem.”

Comfort Kakraba, a Ghanaian, also shared her experience saying: “I did not expect it. I thank God for the man who organised this. We are here to take our medication for free. Nobody does that. Only God can send help to just help a nation like that. So, we thank God for everything. They checked my blood, my urine, everything was perfect. I must be sincere with you – things I got here today will cost me a lot of money outside.”

Another beneficiary, Mrs. Funke Olayemi, who said she came from Abule in Lafiaji Lagos Island, expressed her joy and appreciation to Chief Okoya over the gesture. She said: “I came because of an eye problem; they examined me, gave me drugs and eyeglasses. They also gave me takeaway food and N10,000 transport money for coming. This is great. May God never let difficulty touch Baba Okoya and his family. His health and work will not go bad by the grace of God.”

Oladipupo Sunday Dele of Ikota, Ajah said: “What made me wonder more is that after checking my blood, eyes, teeth, and all the treatment, the Baba still gave us food and N10,000. Anybody who plans evil against him will carry it with his own head.”

Mrs. Modinat Hassan said: “So many things happen in Eleganza here, not medical outreach alone. Even if you come to the mosque, he makes sure that worshipers go back happy. But this one of today, I am so surprised because I am seeing it for the first time and Baba that made this happen, may God please accept it from him as an act of worship and prolong his life, prolong the life of his wife so that next year, we will witness it in good health and peace.”

As the days roll towards the grand finale on January 12, Okoya @86 is already etched in the hearts of the people — not as a birthday party, but as a powerful act of love from a man who chose to celebrate life by preserving the lives of others.