In 1979 Alhaji Safiriyu Tiamiyu started what is known today as ST Soaps Limited with the sum of five thousand naira ( # 5000 ), expanding from the corridors of his home to erecting a state of the art factory in Ijebu-Mushin, Ogun State.
Despite his wee level of education, ST understands the importance of advertisements on effective marketing, he invested a huge sum on advertisement, the brand’s Jingle on the then Radio Nigeria and across media houses still evokes nostalgic thoughts. By the early ’90s, the company expanded from soap making to making polythene products having over a thousand workforce most of which are inhabitants of Ijebu-Mushin.
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ST’s sporadic downfall began in 2004 when his factory workers began to clamor for a staff union, ST was reportedly dissatisfied with the idea of a staff union within the premises of his business, he argued that the idea is not appropriate in a sole proprietorship enterprise, the staffs who alleged that they are being maltreated by the company’s management, started a protest by abandoning their tasks. During the protest, one of the staff allegedly damaged a mixing machine. This infuriated ST who invited the police to arrest the vandal but on getting to the scene the police fired intermittently in the air and arrested everybody they found including non-staffs and strangers. One of the villagers (a deaf boy) was said to have been hit by a stray bullet.
The police involvement created a complete pandemonium, the villagers got enraged, they vowed to raze the factory if their children were not released from police custody, the old women threatened to protest naked with a left foot sandal and a left earring, realizing the consequences of his actions, ST quickly called for the released of the protesters and everyone arrested at the scene. It took the intervention of the police DPO to quell the growing disturbance, both parties (ST and his staffs) were called to a round table and a compromise was reached.
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However, on Friday, May 13th, 2005, five police officers from the Elewe-Eran police command, Abeokuta, stormed the factory, ST was arrested, one of the villagers called Baba Oníkèké, had implicated him in a kidnapping and ritual case, Baba Onikeke alleged that ST regularly buys human parts from him. ST’s home was ransacked but nothing was found, the court case spans for several months but the case was finally dismissed by His worshiped, OS Moronfolu 1 of the Magisterial district, Chief Magistrate court, Ijebu-Ode.
Following these incidents, ST was unable to regain his feet, he went into depression, his life never remains the same. He, however, died on October 5, 2020, after years of battling an undisclosed illness.
It’s a perilous world we live in.
A world where you can be indicted with offense and be killed without a fault.
Secure yourself or be counted as casualty.
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Source: Oluwaseun Ayilara’s Instagram Page
