20 •
The Lion King
• October - December 2016
Ask The Executive
informal knowledge exchange and
career mentorship. My concern is
however largely shifting towards talent
retention to ensure we keep these
trained and cultured brains within the
system. Second, whilst I believe there
is need for further improvement, the
testimonies of my colleagues on the
work environment is encouraging.
Notwithstanding the increasing
pressure in our job functions, we have
been able to build a conducive
work environment through an open-
door and reward/recognition system
that breeds positive competition
for excellence in our day to day
deliverables. I have overtime seen
colleagues go the extra-mile in
meeting up with deliverables, as they
take fun in the job and interact freely
with me and every other colleague
within the Group Finance organization.
From the feedback, the environment,
they say, is like home away from
home. I however believe there is still
a lot of room for improvement, and
we shall continue to work assiduously
towards achieving this.
Do you see Africa as the continent of
the future?
I am not sure anyone is still in doubt
about the fact that Africa is the
last frontier for global growth. The
statistics are too evident. What I
cannot authoritatively speak to, is the
timing of our path to development,
as this is a function of several moving
parts, particularly as it revolves
around making some hard calls on
policies as well as the need for all
economic agents, government,
business and households, to take
the relevant dose of actions
required to propel Africa to the
desired state.
How is UBA’s Africa spread
contributing to the business’
bottom-line?
It has been a challenging
but exciting journey, from
near zero contribution a
decade ago to some one-
third of the Group’s profit in
the first nine months of 2016.
Beyond the earnings contribution
from our African subsidiaries, the
geographic spread provides a
rich diversification of earnings and
risk, just as the diverse experience
from different markets, rich pool of
talent from different backgrounds
and culture also enrich our DNA and
approach to customer service and
overall business strategy.
What business opportunities should
investors be on the lookout for in 2017?
The fundamentals of African
economies remain compelling, with
immense opportunities across different
sectors in the diverse economies.
Whilst there are common grounds
like infrastructure and utility provision
across most African markets, there
are also distinctive opportunities in
each of the countries, For instance,
agriculture, mining, power, healthcare
and light manufacturing that aligns
with the inward looking policies of
the government present strong
investment attractions in Nigeria. On
the flip side, technology-based service
offerings and agro-allied processing
are taking the centre stage in the East
African markets. So, I believe whilst
there are unified
opportunities
across Africa,
it is also
important
to treat
e a c h
m a r k e t
on a case
b y
case basis in prioritising investments
and adopting preference sectors.
What do you think about when you
are alone in your car in traffic?
I think about making the world a better
place through three means; my family,
my work and my social engagements.
I continuously work to model my
family towards being a benchmark.
For me, families build communities
and communities form nations. So, if
everyone’s family is well cultured and
have the right orientation, the world
should be a better place. I believe if
everyone makes a good mark in his/
her work, the firm we work for should
be a better firm and thus should
contribute more to the economic and
social progress of the country. I also
like to positively impact the world
within my small sphere of influence,
through mentorship programmes and
support for entrepreneurship, career
development and skill/knowledge
acquisition. My dream is to ultimately
be a veritable agent of income
redistribution.
If you were to be a car, what kind of
car would you be and why?
If I were to be a car, I would be a Rolls
Royce Phantom. They are amazing
cars. Simple looking outwardly, yet an
ultimate driving machine! Its exquisite
interior portrays a mark of royal touch,
without the opulence and lavish
flamboyance that characterizes
luxury cars. I am also thrilled by
the state of the art technology
coupled with bespoke designs, all
born out of a passion for continuous
improvement.
What lessons should be learnt from
the awards you recently bagged,
including ‘CFO of the year’?
The lesson is to be steadfast, as
good and hard work will always
have a positive pay-off. It will
always be recognised, whether
now or later. Also, as one of my
bosses would say, the reward for
hard work, is more work. So, my
team and I need to work even
harder to sustain the feat, as
peers will also not rest on their
oars.
