A Conversation with Olatunde Olagunju: The Architect of Industrial Revival

Nigerian engineer Olatunde Olagunju is at the forefront of a movement to reclaim billions of dollars in abandoned industrial assets. His patented system is not just fixing machines; it’s challenging a decades-old culture of neglect. Oluchi Chibuzor sat down with him to understand the mechanics and the mission behind his company, Agro-Revive Technologies.

Olagunju, your work centers on what you call Nigeria’s “Trillion-Naira Graveyard.” For our readers, can you set the scene? What does this problem look like on the ground?

It looks like potential, paralyzed. Imagine driving past a government-owned farm and seeing dozens of tractors, bought with public funds, sinking into the soil. Or a construction site with millions of dollars of earth-moving equipment lying idle because of a single, critical component failure. That is the reality. It’s a landscape littered with dormant, high-value assets that should be building our infrastructure and feeding our nation. My work is focused on reversing that paralysis.

Faced with a problem of that scale, what was the specific catalyst for developing your “Predictive Diagnostics and Modular Refurbishment System,” or P-DMRS? Was there a single moment that made you realize a new approach was essential?

There was. About a decade ago, I was on a commercial farm that had just imported five new tractors. In the same compound, they had at least fifteen older, abandoned tractors. I learned that one of the abandoned tractors had a simple hydraulic failure, but because there was no clear path to diagnose it properly and source the parts affordably, it was left to rot. The solution was to spend a fortune on a new machine. It was an economic absurdity. I realized the problem wasn’t the machine; it was the system. We needed a new system—a new logic—for how we manage asset value. That was the genesis of P-DMRS.

So how does P-DMRS differ from just calling a good mechanic?

A good mechanic is reactive; they fix what is visibly broken. P-DMRS is predictive and holistic. Our proprietary diagnostic process analyzes the entire machine as an integrated system—mechanical, hydraulic, electrical. It identifies not just current faults but also future points of failure. This allows us to perform targeted, modular refurbishments. We don’t just replace a broken hose; we might re-engineer a part of the hydraulic system with more durable, locally sourceable components. It’s the difference between patching a pothole and repaving the entire road.

That sounds revolutionary, but it can’t be easy. What has been the single biggest challenge in implementing this on a large scale?

The biggest challenge hasn’t been technical; it has been changing mindsets. For a long time, the default solution has been to seek funding for new procurement. We had to prove, with data and tangible results, that revival is not only more cost-effective but also faster and more sustainable. Every fleet of tractors we bring back to life is another argument won. It takes time, but the economic logic is undeniable and is now gaining significant traction.

That traction has reportedly led to major contracts, both private and public. How do you see the future of Agro-Revive? Is the goal to be a service company, or to license this technology?

Right now, our focus is on direct implementation to prove the model at scale. We have several projects, some with private commercial farms and others with public sector institutions. For us, the client is important, but the mission is paramount. However, the long-term vision is to transform the industry. This means that eventually, yes, we see a future where we license the P-DMRS framework and train a new generation of technicians in this methodology. The problem is too big for one company to solve alone.

Finally, looking at the bigger picture, what is the ultimate impact you hope to achieve?

The ultimate impact is to make the ‘Trillion-Naira Graveyard’ a thing of the past. It’s to build a national culture of sustainability and industrial self-reliance, where we see value in what we already own. Every machine we revive is a step towards greater food security, better infrastructure, and a more robust Nigerian economy.