Basic HTML Version
LK: What was life like as a young
undergraduate
?
EE
: I was a regular student
grappling with mixed feelings
from excitement of teenage
accomplishments of being in the
university to the fears and anxiety
of tomorrow because life was not
particularly rosy since I was not
born with a silver spoon.
LK: You recently won different
awards during the last CEO
Awards. You are obviously an
achiever. Kindly tell us the secret
of your success
.
EE:
As aperson of Faith, I would like
to give God all the glory and also
say that God is the fundamental
secret of whatever may be called
success that I have achieved
professionally and otherwise. It’s
important to understand that
consistent performance does
not come by mere wishes. You
cannot over-emphasize the
value of dedication to work,
preparation, and opportunity.
In a nutshell, it’s about passion
and determination; ensuring
that you have a team of persons
with aptitude and attitude; and
above all, supportive bosses. It
may interest you to know that this
is the very first time I am working
outside of Lagos, so you can
imagine the trepidation of being
asked to work in CRA Bank upon
joining UBA last year. I took the
challenge and galvanized the
team I met, such that with the
sameteam Imetweareachieving
a different result. Other things
that have helped me include:
the willingness to learn and seek
help even from my subordinate,
positive attitude to challenges,
never considering failure as an
option, personal development at
all cost, perseverance, support
from my family, colleagues and
Bosses.
LK: How has life been after the
award?
EE:
They say the reward for hard
work is more work. First, the CEO
award has fished me out of my
corner to the spotlight and has
therefore raised expectations
with the attendant responsibilities
and challenges to not only
sustain our stellar performance
but to remarkably improve on
same. The expectations are very
high now and I cannot afford
to let the institution and those
looking up to me as a role model
down. Talking about additional
responsibilities; I was recently
admitted into the executive
management committee and
executive credit committee,
respectively, a reflection of the
confidence that management
reposes in us, the experience and
learning I have garnered over
the last few months in these new
roles have been unimaginable
for me and I see them as a
preparatory platform for taking
on additional responsibilities later
in life. I am always very humbled
when colleagues call me on
the phone and request to learn
from me, wishing to understudy
us to understand our winning
and turnaround strategies, the
opportunity to energize and
infect others in a positive way has
been very fulfilling for me. Looking
back, I did not expect we would
come this far in so short a time
because the growth of CRA
bank has been phenomenal and
it is only God who can make this
happen.
LK: Do you have any role models
?
EE:
Not any in particular, but
I always look up to learning
from those that have been
exceptional in different fields of
endeavour both secular and
religious, coming down home. I
would say my mother who has
been my pillar of support.
LK: What would you say have
been your best and memorable
moments in UBA
?
EE:
I would be quick to say the
day I won the CEO’s awards;
it was indeed a memorable
moment especially when I was
called to receive the third award
of the best Regional Bank Head,
which was a big and pleasant
surprise because I never had
a clue or expected this would
ever come to me. The day I was
promoted as General Manager
would also remain evergreen in
my mind. Above all, It is looking
back and seeing the turnaround
of our region, seeing how our
region has been transformed to
a high performing region and
the impact it is having on every
member of my staff, my staff are
very happy and radiant, these
were people who at a time had
completely given up on the
organization, people who were
living in fear because of poor
performance, but today, they all
look wonderful and motivated. I
give God the glory everyday and
for me it’s always something to
remember.
LK: What are your interests outside
banking
?
EE:
Family, family, family. I love
being with my family and having
a good time with them both
nuclear and extended family.
LK: Ladies love reality shows
and soap operas
;
what are
your favourite
programmes and
movies
?
EE:
I rarely watch soaps or reality
shows because I hardly have
time to keep up with the series.
As regards movies & Television,
I love channel 255, the Crime
Investigation Channel.
LK: Do you love reading? Which is
your favourite book or magazine?
EE:
My thirst for knowledge has
made this inevitable for me. I like
books on leadership, motivation
and corporate restructuring.
Ask the Executive
“...the reward
for hard
work is more
work.”