As part of its commitment to the development of quality leadership both in the private and public spheres of the Nigerian economy, Sterling Financial Holdings Company (Sterling Holdco) recently organized its fifth Leadership Series (SLS) with the theme, “Climbing Beyond.”
The SLS is a quarterly interactive session that connects Sterling leaders and customers with thought leaders and captains of industries.
This edition was a hybrid event—physical and virtual—moderated by Ms. Sheila Ojei, Country Manager, Nigeria, for the African Management Institute and headlined by Dr. Segun Odegbami as the keynote speaker.
Odegbami is a multifaceted personality who has made his mark in various fields. He is a former professional footballer who captained the Nigerian national team and represented the country as a two-time Olympian. After his football career, he transitioned into writing, emerging as a published author, journalist, and publisher.
Since its maiden edition in 2018, the SLS has sought to empower participants and provoke transformative dialogues. Past editions have featured distinguished speakers such as Professor Wole Soyinka, Dr. Omobola Johnson, Howard French, and Mr. Yaw Nsarkoh.
Addressing the audience on the theme and how to stand out in society, Dr. Odegbami stated, “You need good players working as a team, trying to think as a team, having a clear vision, and a strategy, who go out to practice and rehearse in combination with modern technological tools to make their dream a reality.”
He shared the advice that the late Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia, former governor of the defunct Bendel State, gave him about harnessing the power of teamwork to win. “It is important for a team to have the right coach, strategy, talent, skill sets, and all those elements of information technology and artificial intelligence. We have a young generation of people who can dare to go where angels dread. And if you have a coach who believes in his team and can lead them, they will succeed.”
He frankly advised, “If you ever be a street cleaner, sweep it as cleanly as Michelangelo did with painting. Perform it with such precision that the hosts of heaven and earth will stop and remark, ‘This man has swept excellently,’ much like Lionel Messi did for football and Beethoven did for music.”
Rejecting societal stereotypes, he embraced a life of resilience and continuous reinvention, inspiring all to defy limitations and relentlessly pursue their aspirations. He heartily expressed, “At 71, I think my age is a floating number. I identify as a 40-year-old and live and think like one, enjoying my regular tennis matches when possible.”
“I know people think I have reached my plateau, achieved greatness, and should be satisfied. However, I intend to press on and hope to inspire others to keep on dreaming big. In any field you are in, particularly those who work in banking, I would climb whatever mountain there was. We live in an era when a new world order is imminent; the world will be different, and Africa will be the center of the future.”
“Nigeria is the leader in Africa, and Nigerians are unique globally. I say this as a well-traveled man. The Nigerian is confident, cool, calm, collected, and brilliant. Fearless and unadulterated by other cultures.”
In encouraging the audience to persevere in the face of challenges, he remarked, “Without failure, you cannot succeed. Failure is the elixir and tonic. It is what motivates you to do more, and this is more pronounced in sportsmanship”.
He further illustrated his point by sharing the experience of Chioma Ajunwa, a former track and field athlete and footballer, who rose from scandalous allegations to become Nigeria’s first Olympic gold medalist at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.
“She didn’t plan to do the long jump in the Olympics. She was training for the sprint, and lo and behold, she went to work, only to see all the hard work she had put in, all her determination, and the fire she had built in herself to prove everyone wrong. She won in one jump. Up to this point, that is the only jump that has won Africa a gold medal in the long jump category. This is the fire of failure, driving her to do incredible things.”
In addressing the issue of mass emigration from Nigeria, he said, “I had the opportunity to leave many years ago when Coca-Cola offered me a job in the United Kingdom, but I have always seen Nigeria as a country of opportunities, and I won’t leave them behind. Even now, I tell students, including my own, that what appears as chaos is an opportunity”
“Because not everything works as it should, the little that you do stands out. That’s all you need to do to make a difference. It is a loss for our country that the best of us are leaving, but they are creating opportunities for those who remain.”
“But if you have a clear vision of where you want this country to go, the opportunity is now, and it is in this country. We have brilliant Nigerians who are seizing these opportunities and succeeding,” Odegbami stated.
To conclude, he remarked that the football business is a huge global business that we have not even scratched the surface of because we are not thinking about it yet. He also stated that we have young Nigerians who are brilliant and innovative, and urged them to take advantage of the opportunities available in the game through information technology (IT) and artificial intelligence (AI).
As the Sterling Leadership Series continues to ignite conversations and foster leadership excellence, Odegbami’s insights serve as a clarion call for integrity-driven leadership and unwavering pursuit of excellence.
Through thought-provoking engagements and visionary leadership, Sterling Bank reaffirms its commitment to shaping a brighter future for Nigeria’s corporate landscape.
