For Dr. Olayinka Opeke, an International Business Consultant of repute, there is no gainsaying that she eats and breathes ideas. With business ethics centered around a “win-win or no deal”, her professional strengths are innovation and strategic thinking. She demonstrated that in 2016, when she moved to the United States to continue with her creative talent of easy-to-tie Gele and later established Trade Expo Africa (TEXA), a Houston-based registered company focused on promoting bilateral trade relations, investment opportunities, educational advancements, international collaborations and information exchange between business in the U.S. and Africa. But her most creative ingenuity occurred between 22 February, 2020 when she lost her dad and 25 January 2021 her mum also passed on to glory. The death of her parents 11 months apart and the attendant heartbreak actually inspired the journey of her latest but most ambitious project: Smart Gas.
Spotlight learnt that Opeke’s inability to pay her final respect to her dad in particular last year was like the salt on the injury because she was in the United States and international flights had been suspended. The pain of the void was so deep, and to literally distract her, the idea of Smart Gas was born in her spirit in March 2020. According to Opeke, a 2004 University of Ibadan graduate, who is also the Founder & CEO, TEXA Property Group in the US, her company, Smart Gas is a tech company established to leverage technologies to solve challenges faced by consumers when purchasing cooking gas and the dangers associated with it. Opeke’s company is the only technology driven, app-based platform in the market designed from ground up for clients to experience a more convenient way to purchase cooking gas, increase transaction efficiency, and optimize user experience.