The last time Michael Afolaranmi, founder of the popular food company, 12 Baskets, hosted a major celebration, it was to lay his mother to rest. Now 50, Afolaranmi, also known as the King of Small Chops, is throwing it all in the ring to have a one-of-a-kind birthday bash.

 He tells Vanessa Obiohawhy this celebration truly matters 

Today, all roads lead to the Balmoral Convention Centre, Ikeja, where Michael Afolaranmi is hosting over 1,000 guests to mark his 50th birthday. That number could easily have doubled if he had started planning earlier than two weeks ago. Yet, in true Afolaranmi fashion, he managed to pull off something not just lavish but deeply intentional: a birthday fair.

“We’ll have different vendors on-site,” he told me a few days ago. “The goal is to create buzz in every corner. Every industry will be represented. From the tech guys to event planners, communication professionals, and even the police. Everybody.”

So when guests step into the venue, they won’t just enjoy 12 Baskets’ signature small chops; they’ll also sample offerings from other vendors, network with players across the events and catering industries, and witness the unveiling of new ideas.

However, the party goes beyond the celebration. Alongside the festivities, Afolaranmi will be launching Style by 12, a fashion brand that reflects his long-standing flair for dressing well, something admirers have noted over the years. Hence, it is not entirely surprising that he would find a passion in the needle and thread business.

“Your style is an expression of yourself and over the years, people have been wowed by my style, not just locally but also internationally. It’s only accurate that I turn the admiration into a business.”

Themed ‘The 50th Affair,’ the birthday celebration carries deep personal significance for him.

“I’ve never thrown a party in my life, except for my mother’s burial,” he shared. “Some of my friends didn’t make it to 50. Some passed at 52. When I reflect on my journey, running 12 Baskets for almost 23 years and now 50, I know it deserves to be celebrated.”

Indeed, it was a 27-year-old Afolaranmi who “self-encouraged” himself to start 12 Baskets—a company renowned for its finger foods, or as he modestly puts it: “We sell puff puff for a living.”

Today, 12 Baskets is a thriving brand with branches in Lagos and Abuja. It’s already registered in the United States, with operations set to commence soon. In a few days, the company will open an outlet at the arrival terminal of the international airport. From delivering finger foods at high-profile events, the business has expanded into grills, lunchboxes and more.

Afolaranmi, who now sits on the board, has diversified into other businesses such as real estate. He intends to officially unveil 12 Baskets Properties at his party as well as the foundation that has, over the years, provided scholarships for indigent students. His next goal is to train 500 young people in both tech and culinary arts.

Since turning 50 on March 25, he’s been consumed by thoughts of legacy.  How can he make a deeper impact on society, the younger generation and the country? To be sure, he has always lived a life of impact.

“We have been doing this over the years,” he said, “through knowledge, our customers and in different phases of life we’ve passed through. No one has been left behind. And with the wealth we have accumulated, we need to make an even more impact on society.”

For Afolaranmi, part of that impact means restoring hope in a generation chasing instant gratification. As a pastor, he often engages with young people, teaching them the value of purpose and persistence. For one who did not attend Harvard Business School or work in a blue chip company to amass wealth, he believes that purpose can be found anywhere, even in little things. What actually differentiates everyone is hard work. Hard work, in his view, goes beyond physical strength. The way he puts it, it is one’s response (mental, physical, spiritual) to the ability in which you are needed.

“Hard work is a mindset.”

Calling himself a silent billionaire, he argued that anyone can achieve billionaire status, but it must start from the mind.

“West Africans have this myopic mindset that billionaires must wear a suit and tie or be flamboyant, but it’s not always the case. We don’t even need to announce it on Instagram. We sell puff puff for a living and we’ve succeeded,” he said with pride.

This message of hard work and humility is what he constantly preaches to the young people, often drawing from his personal experience.

As a young boy and the eldest child of his parents, Afolaranmi experienced firsthand the value of hard work. He recalls how his mother wakes up by 4am to go sell food under Obalende Bridge in Lagos.

“Once she is up, we are all up. By 7am, we were in school, but we had prepared all the meals.”

Finding a job after school was tough, especially as an HND holder. Frustrated, he turned to catering, inspired by his mother’s hustle. But no one supported him, not even her.

“As a graduate, nobody wanted to encourage me to start frying puff puff after graduating from a tertiary institution. My mom discouraged me, and everyone around me did. I took the bull by the horns and said to myself that if I fail, it is my fault. If I keep falling, I will pick myself up because the Bible says a just man falleth seven times and rises up again. So I told myself that no matter how many times I fall, I’ll rise up.”

Falling and rising—that, to him, is the essence of success. His definition of success is even more instructive.

“Success is opportunity mixed with preparation. It is also about empowering people and replicating yourself. When you replicate yourself, you are a successful man. A successful man or a successful leader is somebody who has a successor. For example, if I don’t reproduce myself, I’m a failure. Most leaders in Nigeria are myopic in their thoughts. They don’t want their followers to be like them, that’s why they cannot grow beyond their thoughts.”

The way out, according to him, is education.

“The solution is to keep empowering and educating people. Education is the totality of a man. So when you educate, you are liberating life. You are taking people out of so-called poverty. Poverty is a thing of the mind. A rich man might be poor in his mind because he has failed to make another person rich. I have a couple of young friends who made me rich in my mind. They don’t give me money, but information that transforms life and that has made the best of me.”

To scale that knowledge-sharing, Afolaranmi is launching a new online series, ‘A Date with Michael Afolaranmi,’ where he will share principles of success, hard work, and leadership.

“Not everyone will be a CEO. Not everyone will work for someone else. So meet yourself, find your platform, find your level. Celebrate your passion, celebrate what you have inside of you, and before you know it, you become a celebrity.”

A celebrity in his context is not the one obsessed with likes and clout. A real celebrity can afford their needs without “doing rubbish.”

“You cannot do unconventional and vulgar things to become a celebrity. We have sold puff puff for 22 years, and we are still there. We have seen different levels of people who have built a reputable brand. When I say reputable, a brand that you can trace. If you search for 12 Baskets online, you will see that they have been in existence for years. That’s a celebrity, not one who has defrauded the American government and other businesses.”

If life has taught him anything, it’s to stay humble, impactful and friendly “because the future holds everything.”

“Humility is key, no matter what you have, don’t blow your own trumpet, be hard working and always find time to relax.”

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