A Lesson About Failure: Behind Every ‘Yes’ Are Many ‘Nos’
I want to share an experience I had during one of the many interviews I attended over the course of my career. I shared this piece for the first time on May 26th, 2019 and posted it on Twitter (now X) exactly a year after. This experience was so pivotal that I also shared it in my book, How to...
The Unspoken Rules of Mentorship: 8 Lessons Every Mentee Must Learn
A few years ago, I was in South Africa and I stayed in my mentor's house. One day, he called me from Nigeria and gave me directions to a particular location I had to access by taking the Gautrain. He was on the phone with me almost throughout the journey which took about two hours. Eventually, I...
25 Years in Banking: A Journey of Growth, Grace, and Grit
Twenty-five years ago (May 30, 2000), I started a banking career that has now spanned seven financial institutions. On that day, I resumed at the Banking School located at Elephant House, Apongbon in Lagos. I was part of the first set of entry-level trainees (we were called Banking Analysts) that...
From Awolowo to Abacha: Why It’s Time to Stop Blaming Nigeria’s Past Leaders and Start Taking Responsibility
I've wondered if it's okay to blame the misfortunes of Nigeria on past leaders. These were people who hardly got the benefit of what most of us enjoy now— and irrespective of their weaknesses or missteps, still remain references of a nostalgic past. We refer to Awolowo and his contemporaries as...
Learn to Fart Together and Other Lessons from Over 20 Years of Marriage
I didn’t plan to write anything. I had been on sabbatical. I wanted our 20th wedding anniversary on July 20, 2022 to be a quiet one. I took my wife for a dinner date and there was a slide put up on the wall to congratulate us for our 20th anniversary. A short while after, another banner was...
The Class That Built a Nation: Dr. Olunloyo and the Legacy of His GCI Classmates
This is the concluding part of a six-part article series to celebrate the legacy of Dr Victor Omololu Olunloyo (1935–2025) Dr. Victor Omololu Olunloyo’s life is a mosaic of remarkable achievements in education, engineering, and leadership. But perhaps one of the most fascinating aspects of his...
Dr. Olunloyo’s Visionary Leadership and Pioneering Contributions to National Development
This is the fifth of a six-part article series to celebrate the legacy of Dr Victor Omololu Olunloyo (1935–2025) Dr. Victor Omololu Olunloyo's impact on the Nigerian education sector provides insight into his visionary leadership and unalloyed commitment to national development. In the...
How Dr. Olunloyo Became an Icon at Government College Ibadan
This is the fourth of a six-part article series to celebrate the legacy of Dr Victor Omololu Olunloyo (1935–2025) Dr. Victor Omololu Olunloyo’s early life was marked by fierce academic competition and a relentless pursuit of excellence. His story at Government College Ibadan (GCI), one of...
From Shakespeare to Spacecraft: A Journey Through Dr. Olunloyo’s Mind
This is the third of a six-part article series to celebrate the legacy of Dr Victor Omololu Olunloyo (1935–2025) The Oke-Ado, Ibadan residence of Dr. Victor Omololu Olunloyo might appear modest from the outside, but stepping into his living room is like entering a cathedral of knowledge. ...
From Ibadan to St Andrews: Dr. Olunloyo’s Remarkable Academic Odyssey
This is the second of a six-part article series to celebrate the legacy of Dr Victor Omololu Olunloyo (1935–2025) In Part 1 of this series, we were introduced to Dr Victor Omololu Olunloyo, a man who could quote Shakespeare, solve engineering problems, recite Yoruba literature, and explain the...