52 | The Lion King
Sunday:
At 5:20 p.m., we touched down
at the Murtala Muhammed
International Airport aboard
RwandaAir. I love getting off
a plane. Being my first time in
Nigeria, I didn’t know what to
expect. I didn’t double check
my pick-up, so I took a gamble
out of the Airport. After a phone
call, my colleague Luqman from
UBA Corporate Services came
to my rescue. He summoned the
driver who shows up after an
hour. Unless one lives under a
rock, I was not shocked by the
sight of many security men with
machine guns. We arrived at the
hotel at about 8:00 p.m.
Monday:
In the morning I joined the
rest of the team from 12 other
African countries for breakfast at
the hotel. I was glad to see my
colleague, Judith from Uganda.
After breakfast, we got on a
bus to UBA House. We headed
straight to the UBA Academy.
The Meeting with the CEO of
UBA Africa, as expected, was
brief. At 11:00 a.m., I arrived on
the 3rd floor, to meet-up with
Charles, the Divisional Head
of Marketing and Corporate
Relations. I had overestimated
his age by far. He introduced
me to the rest of the Group
Marketing and Corporate
Relations team.
Tuesday:
I spent the day with the
Marketing and Corporate
Relations team; a rich, young
and talented team. They are
supportive. I was shocked when
I was asked about Idi Amin. I
wondered how this image of
Uganda still existed after 34
years. I got to appreciate their
functional deliverables and at
this point I felt value from my trip.
I closed the day at the UBA gym;
it had been a long time since my
last work-out.
Wednesday:
We regrouped at the UBA
Academy to make sure all the
appointments are harmonized.
I was stationed in Head of
Marketing Africa, Emeka’s office.
We discussed the Ugandan
business and zeroed-in on some
quick wins. Lunch time has been
difficult for me to deal with,
unfamiliar with the menu and
local delicacies. I tried some
new foods, a decision I later
regretted.
Thursday:
I attended the Marketing and
Corporate Relations divisional
meeting. I like the open
approach to discussions. I was
encouraged. During the day,
My Achilles heel strikes, I usually
get a bad stomach reaction
to new food. My temperature
goes up. I start to get weak. I
end up at the Bank’s Medical
facility. I develop fears that my
programme will be affected.
Friday:
Not feeling too well, I missed the
morning bus to the group office.
At mid-day I gathered some
energy to take a taxi, the fare
is 4 times what I pay in Uganda;
I endure this, knowing that I
will be out of Lagos soon. In
the afternoon, the attachment
programme is officially closed by
the Director, UBA Academy who
invites us to TGIF, a cocktail meet
& greet event in the evening. I
enjoyed the mix and inspiring
speeches from senior executives.
Saturday:
I spend the morning in bed. I
miss-out on the Lagos city tour
and shopping but my treatment
slowly responds. My colleague
Patrick and friends pick me up
for an outing. I’m introduced to
some fine entertainment spots. I
start to dismiss all the stereotype
images of Nigeria. I see a very
rich, vibrant and bright side. I
have a flight to catch tomorrow,
so I beg to retire but reflect on
doing this again.
Sunday:
It’s my return day, UBA driver is
on high alert at the hotel. The
morning is calm, churches are
busy and we get to the Airport
early. After spending only 5
days the immigration officials
insist I over-stayed. My visa
reads 3 months. He says ‘I need
to do some-thing for him’ but I
fight back. He comes back to
his senses after his colleague
acts as a referee. Aboard
RwandaAir, I discovered I had
lost my Kindle reading device
with tens of books during
security checks. I can’t stand the
pain of idle flying time.
Though I was in Nigeria for the
first time and only for a few days;
the visit gave me a very positive
and different perspective of the
country despite the negative
images propelled by western
media that we Africans, also
consume.
I am inspired by the UBA Plc
legacy and how remarkable
the group projects are a perfect
fit for Uganda, for instance
the ‘Read Africa’ project, with
scalable opportunities for brand
awareness and differentiation,
positioning UBA in good light
and as a thought leader brand.
I can now confidently say
without a shadow of doubt that
UBA is truly Africa’s global bank.
Sharing Experiences
My Nigeria Diary
by Brian Mukisa
Brian Mukisa is the Head of
Marketing and Corporate
Relations, UBA Uganda.
