Meet graduate who roasts fish for a living

Majaro Toyosi

Majaro Aderonmu Olatoyosi is a young man in his late 20s who, like any other young person, nursed big dreams about his future. In his younger days, he had, at different times, dreamt that he was an idealist who could blaze the trail in any  chosen career. But as fate would have it, he would not pursue his anticipated career in the sciences but today, he has no regrets. Born to Ayoade and Adeyola Majaro, he attended Community Primary School, Amuwo-odofin, Festac, and later proceeded to Redeemer’s High school, at the Redemption Camp, Lagos-Ibadan expressway. He continued his education at the Olabisi Onabanjo University, where he obtained a diploma in Industrial Chemistry.


After he obtained his diploma, he met a man and that moment perhaps, changed his life forever.
When asked when he discovered his talent for cooking, Toyosi said,”It was an inspiration and more than talent. I had always had the passion for cooking.
But the inspiration came after I finished my diploma. In OSU, I met a friend who introduced me to someone I can never forget, Douglas Smith, who just arrived the country from London. He is an expert chef, who specialises in fish delicacies and is based at Surulere, Lagos. Smith taught me how to prepare different types of delicacies, most especially fish. This prompted my interest as regards the fish roasting business. After about four months, he told me to go and start my own business.
So why did he come to Ibadan, when he had the opportunity to do business in Lagos? Majaro said “I came to Ibadan because I knew that the business of fish roasting with other delicacies was not yet popular or readily available. However, when I got to Ibadan, I experienced many challenges but after some time, with determination, I strove to make it.  I later got a job at D’Rovans Hotel and was trained as a chef. This helped me to explore Ibadan and its prospects while also honing my culinary skills. In 2010, after a year at D’Rovans Hotel, I left to start my own business,” he said.
Nigerian Trbune sought to know how lucrative the business was and Toyosi revealed that the business is in fact, very lucrative, advising unemployed youths to learn a trade.
“It’s a lucrative job and I wouldn’t think it’s just something you learn. It is something you have to enjoy. I think this is the best thing our youths have to do. They have to discover themselves and think over, what they like and what they have to do. On a good night, I make around N8,000.
Sometimes, I make even more. It all depends on the fish. I use croaker fish. Croaker is a very special fish, it stays firm on fire and it is the best out of all fish. It’s also the cheapest and that is the reason we use croaker the most. It is also readily available. You can get it from any cold room. I can further my education now because I can afford to send myself to school. Youths should not always blame the government. I realised this early and it has helped me to acheive all this. I am a business owner and successful too. I have trained some people and they have started their businesses too and this makes me feel fufilled,” Majaro advised.

Source : Nigerian Tribune