Isaac Durojaiye – DMT Toilets

Victor "Global X" d'Allant
Former Executive Director, Social Edge

Isaac Durojaiye, also known as Otunba Gadaffi, is Managing Director of DMT Toilet in Lagos. He is so tall that Global X had to stand on a chair to take a picture of him.

Mr. Durojaiye launched his company after noticing that even though 20 million people lived in Lagos, there were very few public toilets, thus creating a health hazard. His mobile toilets are now built locally with local materials, a first in West Africa.

Besides improving sanitation and public health, Mr. Durojaiye uses the toilets to create jobs: most are given to street gang leaders who are now going off crimes and widows, who in this society are often resource-less. Their job is to manage the toilets located in bus terminals and markets –clean them and collect the money.

His biggest joy: one of the widows who manages four DMT toilets has been able to send her four children to school without having to ask help from her husband’s relatives. "One of the kids is the best pilots Nigeria has ever produced," says Mr. Durojaiye.

Which may explain why the motto printed on his business cards says: "Shit business is serious business."