Tony Elumelu recounts how he secured his first job as an youth corper

Tony Elumelu, the founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation and Board Chair of United Bank for Africa (UBA), has shared a very inspiring story of how he obtained his first banking job.

On Friday, he posted a photo of himself as a young man during his youth service days along with the inspiring story.

Young Elumelu received his first banking job a few years after finishing his Master’s degree programme. He said he got the job even though he knew he didn’t meet the employer’s requirements.

Getting his first job: According to him, the bank required graduates with at least a Second class upper (2:1). But he got the job even though he didn’t have that grade. He said:

• “A few years later, after my Master’s, I saw the application for graduates with a minimum of 2:1 in All States Trust Bank, this aligned with what I wanted for my life, but my 2:2 grade did not make me qualified, but still, I applied, because I identified what I wanted in life and I was going to work towards it. I put in my application and said ‘Even though I do not meet these requirements if you give me the chance, I will prove myself’. I got this job and spent every day proving myself and earning my luck in the bank.”

He believed in himself: Elumelu said he always believed that he would stand out whenever he found himself. He believed that his hard work and brilliance would differentiate him. And that was how he was able to achieve his dream.

He went further to say that he had always loved the banking profession because of the way bankers dressed.

• “I had always admired the banking profession, for one, I loved that the guys in the profession were always impeccably dressed… suspenders were a huge thing then, and I wanted to look like them.

Inspiring young people: Elumelu then used the opportunity to motivate the youths and corp members who completed their National Youth Service the day before.

• “Do it afraid and do it unsure! To the young ones out there, especially those who just passed out of NYSC yesterday, this is my message to you. The world needs your courage,” he said.