How Ibigbemi Oloruntobi Turned a Student Food Stall Into Item7Go, a 45-Location Chain Now Open in Abuja

Item7Go, the Nigerian quick-service chain founded by Ibigbemi Oloruntobi, opened its first Abuja restaurant on Thursday 24 September 2026, extending a business that began around 2012 as a food stall at the gate of the University of Ilorin.

The Mabushi outlet sits on Ahmadu Bello Way beside Capital Hub Mall. Delivery platform Chowdeck reportedly recorded about 1,500 pre-orders before the doors opened, and Glovo offered promotions on selected meals on launch day. Orders can be placed through the Item7Go app, Chowdeck and Glovo.

Oloruntobi, a Physics graduate of the university who is popularly known as Tobi Ibi, built the business around a simple gap. Students wanted party-style food at prices they could afford. He sold jollof rice, chicken and shawarma near the campus gate, and accounts of the period describe long queues from the earliest days. The name comes from Nigerian slang, in which "Item 7" means food.

Around 2016, a purpose-built restaurant went up beside the original kiosk. Branches followed in other busy parts of Ilorin, including Sawmill and University Road, before the brand moved into Ibadan, Lagos and Ogun State. In Lagos it operates on Allen Avenue in Ikeja and in Lekki Phase 1.

A 2025 BusinessDay report on the Allen Avenue branch said the chain does not rely on flashy marketing or extravagant decor. Its offer is good food, fair prices and quick service. At lunchtime the branch draws office workers, dispatch riders and families, and payments are separated by method, whether cash, POS or transfer, so the routine holds in the rush hour.

Prices explain much of the appeal. Rice meals cost about ₦2,500 to ₦4,300 depending on the protein, and shawarma sells for around ₦3,300 to ₦3,500. Customers can order online or collect in person.

The chain is now described in business social media posts as having more than 45 locations, built on affordable meals, high volume, repeat demand and systems designed to scale. The company has not published an audited outlet count.

The expansion comes as food and operating costs continue to rise, which makes affordable meals more important to consumers. Reports on the opening said the outlet may create jobs directly and through suppliers, delivery services and the wider food supply chain.

Item7Go has not disclosed revenue, funding, the cost of the Abuja site or first-week sales. It is also unclear whether the 1,500 pre-orders were fulfilled on launch day or over several days.