In spite of the disparaging acts of a few charlatans across the disciplines in the geo-polity, there still abound in the land, men of character and value, the thought of whose principles and actions ignite hope.
In this pack is Otunba Michael Olasubomi Balogun who turns 88 years old today. Otunba Balogun is the audacious banking entrepreneur and founder of the FCMB Group, the parent company of First City Monument Bank Limited, one of the prominent Nigerian banking brands.
Call him a symbol of the true Nigerian dream, and you would be stating the obvious. That dream encapsulates warm relationships with and accommodation for people of other ethnicities, religions and cultural values, patriotism and visioning, – vital ingredient in the founding and nurturing of enterprises, as well as the spirit of altruism and help for others in need. In all these, the beloved Olori Omo-Oba Akile Ijebu, has quite an impressive record.
Many stories of him in the public space are tonics for motivation, for embedded in them, are the lessons of dexterity, doggedness and commitment. A typical example is the story of the quest to obtain a banking license for the First City Monument Bank (FCMB), which today has become a premium banking brand. “What I did at that time was unheard of in this country, for one individual to say he single-handedly wanted to establish a bank”, as against the statutory requirement for the bank promoter to have a foreign partner, which Otunba Balogun did not have.
“But I was inspired by my God through the mouth of a 9-year-old son of mine. We were praying and the young boy went to his mother and said, ‘I just pity Daddy. Why can’t he go and start his own bank, instead of wanting to be the Chief Executive of somebody else’s bank?”
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