Says ethnic bias during general elections won’t take us far

By Olayinka Ajayi

Mr. Ede Anthony is the CEO of Satellite Kitchen and Bar, a leading restaurant in Satellite Town, Oriade Lagos. In this chat speaks on how cutting out middlemen and buying directly from farmers helped sustain his business and selling at half the price to attract more customers. Excerpts:

What birthed the idea of a frontline restaurant in Satellite Town?

The idea was born in 2013. During that time, so many people were struggling to get hot meals. So we tried to see how we could meet up halfway by providing a rich meal in a decent way at half the price. We started this also with the support of an ASP in the Nigerian prison. He saw what we were doing; we would subsidize the food ourselves, move it to a strategic position, and sell it at half the price of the worth of the food. Some individuals who were public-spirited would ask us to prepare meals for inmates, and we would supply them directly to them. That was what we did that time before it got up to the level it got to today. It is with the same principle that we operate. We tried to get our foodstuffs in bulk so as to bring the price down and ensure a larger number of people are accommodated.

Despite the harsh economy, how have you been coping with selling good meals at half the price?

Sincerely, it negatively affected our operations because the food prices skyrocketed, and things were a bit difficult. But as much as we could, we tried to be moderate in our prices. Also because we ordered some foodstuffs from the North, palm oil from the east, locust beans otherwise called Iru in Ogun State, and plantain from Delta State. We have people that bring them to Lagos. We have cooks from the northern and southern parts of Nigeria to cook delicious meals for our diverse customers. So cutting the middleman from purchasing our foodstuffs has helped us to cope with the economic hardship. I can tell you that it was challenging in 2023 when the fuel subsidy was removed and prices of everything, including food items, skyrocketed. So we had to order in bulk from the producers. People are suffering from hunger in Nigeria. When we started sometime in 2004, an individual could walk in, order about 500 packs of jollof rice, and pay upfront, instructing us to distribute them to anybody. But now, due to the economic hardship, many people who want to do that find it a bit hard. But we are really concerned and would really like it if the government could bring the prices of foodstuffs down. I already noticed in that direction that what it is presently is better than what it was in 2024. So it is helping us to do what we were doing before. So I am hopeful that things will get better because I understand the challenge this administration faced as the country was deeply messed up by the previous administration, and to amend it cannot be done in a day. A few years ago, in Satellite town we suffered terrible roads, but with this new administration, the government is driving us in a better direction; small businesses occupying this area are beginning to breathe again because we now have access roads without traffic. With the new chairman of Oriade LCDA, Rasaq Akorede Olojede, he’s grounded in knowing what the community needs, and he’s attending to it. Going by the number of days in office, he’s already getting 7.5 over 10.

What is your advice for the residents of Satellite to better the community?

I will strongly advise we stay away from ethnic bias during general elections. Regardless of your tribe, a good person is a good person. If you vote in a thief, be it Igbo, Hausa, or Yoruba, a thief is a thief. Olojede has proved to us that no matter who occupies a particular area, he does what is required of him in Oriade. That was why he got 80 per cent of our votes. Tribe for me is nothing, and politicians have used the tribal cards for so long to get their way. People should open their eyes to see what is real from the fictions we were fed with over the years.