By his official disengagement few months ago after about nine years in office as the 13th Managing Director and Chief Executive of FirstBank Group; Dr Sola Adeduntan has been recognized in history as the longest serving MD of the Bank.
The journey to the historic preferment can bear a brief recount as far as I could recall being his family brother, his mentor, his teacher at the University of Ibadan and someone with whom he has related with uncanny humility, respect, trust and confidence. I will be doing prosperity a little damage if I do not say a word as Sola is being send forth by the Board, Management and staff of the Bank tomorrow 2nd of November.
Sola Adeduntan himself should document his own memoir at a later date in life. As it is often said if you do not blow your trumpet others may blow it in a discordant tune when you leave office and people would not listen to you again. The send forth itself been organized is an attestation to the fact that he came he saw and conquered.
After a most thorough and rigorous training as a Veterinary Surgeon at the Nation preeminent University of Ibadan he decided to venture into accounting and banking and Almighty Allah sanctioned and blessed the endeavour yet the best is yet to come.
After his brief stints at the then Afribank Nigeria Plc (Now part of Polaris Bank Plc) he went to acquire professional accounting, auditing and consulting training at Arthur Andersen.
All he usually tells was to send confidential reference to the various establishments and that’s was it. Sometimes in the year 2014, the former Governor of Oyo State Late Senator Isiaka Abiola Ajimobi had head hunted him to be The Secretary to the State Government. It was in my office in UI that he left for the Governors’ Lodge Agodi to keep the appointment of interactive session having arrived from Lagos few hours earlier. But typical of politicians, he had hardly arrived Lagos that night when the Governor named another person as the Secretary to the Government. He was eventually appointed as Executive Director & Chief Financial Officer Of FirstBank shortly after. He had all the trappings of the hands of God. He left the Africa Finance Corporation where he was one of the founding directors and Chief Financial Officer to become the FirstBank Executive Director/CFO. A security operative made a call to me shortly before the appointment and subjected me to thorough investigation on his personality, family history and training as a student at University of Ibadan. The rest they say is history.
At a Reception organised for him in Lagos on his appointment as ED/CFO I made a brief speech to the point that Sola Adeduntan can now begin to serve humanity and his people as a Banker in a bank that is well known with many branches that people can freely come and seek for all kinds of assistance. The audience burst to laughter of what I must have perceived as narrow perspective of banking!! I never visited his office when he was ED and I never made any demands of him But I kept hearing good things about him and prayed that he get to the ultimate position of Managing Director.
He brought the “cap” of MD/CEO designate to my office UI in September 2015 when he came to give a lecture under the auspices of Sigma Club. Of course staff and students of Faculty of Veterinary Medicine were delighted to see him in my Department but he declined to go to the Deans office. When he resumed as MD/CEO in January 2016 he truly hit the ground running and the record of his achievements will be told by different people.
Sola Adeduntan is very strict, cautious and never loses sight of the fact that only almighty Allah will make a position for human being no matter how powerful you are. Expectedly a number of offers request and demands from individuals and professional colleagues began to get to him through me but I never over indulge or abused the privilege the relationship conferred on me. Whatever lay in his powers he does without my being pushful. I doubt if any of his close personal staff knew me.
When boardroom politics started he received his own fair share with necessary shock absorbers, native intelligence and abiding faith in God. I was with him at the 125th Anniversary of the Bank in 2019 and observed at close range the irritating shenanigans being played out both at the anniversary lecture and at the dinner attended by the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Akanmu Adetunji, the Nation’s Vice President, the Finance Minister, the Emir of Kano Lamido Sanusi Lamido, the CBN Governor then and host of other eminent Nigerians
What was to be a second term appointment in the mode of ‘continue your good work’ was almost turned into a subtle brawl. But the agenda came in form of a “coup” and a new Ag MD was concocted but that was to Sola Adeduntan to the voyage of the 3rd term which other MDs can now enjoy!!! I
On a personal note Sola Adeduntan attended the weddings of all my three daughters in 2010, 2014 and 2019 and gave handsomely He was also there at the janazah of my mother the very day she died and buried on 22nd March 2022. He was also there on July 16th 2022 when I turned 65 and retired from the services of the University and sponsored the book publication. I am equally aware of his salutary gestures to the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, the University of Ibadan and Ibadanland generally where he bagged the chieftaincy title of Apesinola. Sola is very passionate about Nigeria and Africa in general and the capacity of Africans to turnaround the fortune of our countries and continent. I am convinced beyond any iota of doubt that Dr Kazeem Adesola Adeduntan still has greater years to keep with destiny in Sha Allah.
Congratulations Dr Gani Adeniran is Retired Staff of Dept of Veterinary Pathology University of ibadan write from Ajangboju Akobo Ibadan
