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Just as he was consolidating on the television programmes, the urge to add something new - Limelite Hotels - was irresistible.
Rufai, who read accountancy at the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, Ogun State, says his interest in entertainment started while he was an accounts officer with the Raypower FM, the radio arm of DAAR Communications.
"My interest in entertainment began when the television arm, Africa Independent Television, was established," he begins. "The duo of Kenny Ogungbe and Dayo Adeneye were presenting an entertainment programme, AIT Jams, every midnight, and I was so fascinated by their manner of presentation and style."
Rufai later gave a practical vent to this curiosity by staying behind after closing from work at around 5:00pm three times a week to watch and monitor these professionals do their work. "After the programme must have ended, I would go to them in the studio and begin to ask specific questions about the equipment they were using, and why they pressed one button or the other," he adds.
Before he left DAAR communications in 2000, Rufai explains, he had known more than enough in television production and marketing and this knowledge came handy in all other television stations he had worked before he decided to be self-employed.
Rufai, who worked in Superscreen and Silverbird television houses as the marketing executive tells our correspondent that the urge for self-actualisation also took the best part of him, despite being given a free-hand to operate at the Silverbird Television.
He stresses, "In December 2003, I joined Silverbird Television as a marketing executive. Ben Murray-Bruce gave me the chance to build that station from the scratch, in terms of programming. I conceptualised the rate card, and the programming. In fact, at a time, the majority of the television programmes you see now on Silverbird Television were conceptualised by me.
"Ben Murray-Bruce approached me, saying that the National Broadcasting Commission was on their neck to balance their foreign films with local programmes. That was where I got my breakthrough.
"I went out and got producers like Wale Adenuga, T.B. Joshua, Christ Embassy, Fuji House of Commotion, Nigezie, and Soundcity, among others.
"As I was working with Silverbird, I had already registered Goldmyne Entertainment. Before I left Silverbird, I was producing Videowheels, an entertainment lifestyle programme, which was on 20 stations across Nigeria. But I had to disengage later and face my own business in 2006."
Running four entertainment programmes on 25 television stations across the country is no tea party, but he says that he has been able to get enough advertisements to get them on.
"When I started with Videowheels, it was a joint thing, and at a point, I opted out of the arrangement because I discovered that I could make more money that way," he enthuses.
He claims that it was the success recorded by Videowheels that led to other productions viz: Box Office, Our Home, Hitz Music, and Mingles.
Rufai recalls that it was almost a tug of war leaving Silverbird TV because, according to him, "Mr. Ben Murray-Bruce was initially scared that I might go with all the programmes. When I assured him that I did not intend to go with them, he offered me 25 per cent commission on every programme I brought."
He admits that it has been a mixed bag of some sorts in the Nigerian entertainment industry. While he insists that entertainment could be a money spinner for the country if well developed, he also calls on government to address the twin problems of power and insecurity, which rank high in the society.
"If there's no adequate security, if you organise an outdoor show or a concert, people would be scared to come out," he says. Again, he adds that running a hotel consumes a lot of money, which could have accrued to him as profit. The generator, he says, takes over as soon as there is power outage. "When I opened the hotel, I ran it 24 hours on generator."
Before he embraced entertainment, Rufai had sought employment in the banking industry, despite being brilliant, he still didn't get a job.
He recounts, "Since I read accountancy, I could remember I had job interviews in some banks then, one of them was Ecobank. I came first when the result came out, but because I did not know anyone influential and powerful in the society, I was not offered employment.
"The interviewers asked me, who do I know? Since I did not know a Major General or some other influential Nigerian because it was during the military era, I lost that chance."
Rufai, who holds a Master's degree in Business Administration, using himself as an example, says that youths should pursue their passion rather than dancing to what their parents forced on them.
Rufai believes there is a sense of fulfillment when one pursues one's passion. "Though I was working as an accounts officer, along the line, I located where my passion lies. So many youths have missed it today because of parental pressure."
What has been the staying power of his programmes? He answers, "Content drives viewership; and viewership drives patronage that translates into profits."
He notes that a producer must know the target audience, saying the average Nigerian viewer is very cosmopolitan. He submits that today's audience has very high aspirations and they know what is obtainable in other parts of the world. Consequently, he says, demand on television programmes has increased.
While talking about his leadership style, he states that it is all about respecting and valuing people. According to him, the people are the most important asset any organisation could boast of.
He explains further, "If you don't have value and respect for your people, they'll become disgruntled and when they are disgruntled, they'll definitely sabotage the efforts of the business. There will always be hurdles, because I know that there will never be a perfect environment; but the drive and determination make the whole difference."
And talking about what drives him, he enthuses: "My driving force is the desire to make a difference in this world. I don't just want to pass through this world; I want to leave my footprints in the sands of time.
"The drive is the desire to create something that will be of immense good to as many. I also want to contribute my quota to the development of the younger generation. The desire to achieve success and the passion to change the face of the entertainment industry is the major driving force."
