How I Started ‘Baba Ijebu’ Lotto With Just One Pen And Table

Chief Kessington Adebukunola Adebutu, the founder and current Chief Executing Officer of Premier Lotto Limited (PLL) also known as “Baba Ijebu”, a Gaming Company which was incorporated in 2001 to carry out the Lotto business in Nigeria recently gave insights into his journey as an entrepreneur.

The name Premier Lotto might not immediately ring a
bell to the ears of an average Nigerian but the soubriquet ‘Baba Ijebu’ does.

Baba Ijebu also founded The Kessington Adebukunola Adebutu Foundation, a
philanthrophic organization to the core. He started life as a game man in the early 1960s. Adebutu whom many believed have been in the gaming business all his life started operating as a pool agent as far back as 1963. Lotto is not the only game business he runs, there are other ones like casino and pool.
According to him:

“Having no capital, i looked for a business that required little or no capital and what came to my mind was to be a pool agent, because to be a pool agent, what you
just need is to get a table and your pen. so, you can see it is not capital
intensive. i did that briefly and within a short time with my best friend, the
late Chief Solomon Adebayo Ayoku, we dominated Africa. We then diversified to
other areas like agriculture, manufacturing, estate management, the lotto and entertainment. Today, i have the concession for the gateway hotels Abeokuta for 25 years.”

Adebutu attended Wesley Primary School, Iperu Remo from 1942 to 1948. He couldn’t finish however and proceeded to ljero Baptist School, Ebute-Metta, Lagos where he completed his primary education in 1950. A very brilliant child, Adebutu led his class in the Primary School Leaving Certificate Examination and was offered a scholarship to train as a teacher at Iwo Baptist College.

But curiously, he rejected the scholarship offer for two reasons: he didn’t want to leave Lagos and also he wanted to continue wearing blazer
and tie like other students. “I rejected the scholarship because I wanted to stay in the neighbourhood for my studies and also wear school blazer and tie like other students,” he said in an interview.

After secondary school, he worked as a clerk for Cable and Wires Limited and later got another offer at Clafin Chemicals Limited as a salesperson and later rose to the position of sales manager. With this experiences Adebutu started his own firm, Face-to-Face Million Dollar Pools Limited.

The name Baba Ijebu is a nickname given by the customers and the fact that he is a native of Ijebu explains it better.

The Premier Lotto boss had his business path cut out early. Asides being influenced by his parents who were business people, the course of his life became permanently altered after stumbling upon a book, “How To Be Your Own Boss”.

Indeed, Sir Kessington Adebutu is a self-made man who rose to the pinnacle of success through hard work, integrity self- discipline and accountability the success of his business corroborates that.

Today, Baba operates the largest pool company in the country.