RB is not a typical story of grass-to-grace or rags-to-riches phenomenon. It is just an ordinary humble beginning with limited motivation for extraordinary dream.

EARLY LIFE:

Born into a polygamous family of a father with four wives and many children. Father was a carpenter and later in life changed profession to petty trading in building materials. Signs of limited provision were written all over with family without western education and struggle for only male children to be educated up to secondary school level while females stopped at primary school. An unusual inspiration came from my mother who was combining trading in consumer goods with occasional trips to Ghana for secondary income. She was daring and aggressive and relatively comfortable by her circle of friends’ standard. While we were living in our grandfather’s house and father was contented with life as it was then, mother was already a home owner in a decent location due to spirited enterprise. She took an unusual decision that touched my soul when she insisted on funding her own female children to tertiary level. That might have come from exposure in Ghana or interaction with Lebanese selling fast moving consumer products. Father provided the spiritual and value arrowhead while my own mother was achievement and success personified. But the view and sights were limited and the horizon foggy.

I lost my father in form 2 (school year 9) and it dawned on me to grow beyond my environment and aspire to be a success as there was no more back-up support. Mother was “focused and aggressive”. From then on, mother was responsible for my education up to University level. The more I achieve, the more doors of opportunity I see ahead. It all started in form 3 when I led the whole set in Bible knowledge subject, coming from a strong Muslim background, that was unusual. This opened my eyes to later possibilities like making grade one at the West African School Certificate Examination and winning University, ICAN and NYSC prizes and awards, etc. PriceWaterhouse gave me my first job while in the University before I even finished my final year.

The Big Push:

working in places like PriceWaterhouse and Arthur Andersen surely brings out the best in everyone. You interact where superior logic is the currency. You are exposed to leading edge trainings and world-class on-the-job assimilation. Dick Kramer of Arthur Andersen and Jim Ovia of Zenith Bank significantly influenced my belief that “you can be what you can imagine”. In an environment that is under-led, very early in my career life, I saw that service to humanity and mankind and worshipping Allah is what life is all about. When the unusual opportunity to serve the nation at the highest level came, even though at great personal cost, the dream was spinned higher as I accepted the challenge.

Today”

I am involved in managing the Nigerian economy but more involved in youth empowerment, opportunity creation and philanthropy. I am a passionate motivational and inspirational speaker for the new order and value system in Nigeria.