In my life, i have met a lot of young professionals. Most of them come at you with the reluctance of ambition.
By this i mean, they see themselves as receptors of policy and push themselves to the background and complain and rant against a system that wasn’t designed for them
Donald was different. My sister Amaka who was then MD of fast-growing Fidelity Pensions had called me one cold morning
Edgar, can i send Donald to you. Let us see how we can tap into this your vast network. I say make he bring money o
Donald walked into my ikoyi office with the kind of suit they always wear. When you are still a little bit up mid-management, your suit begins to reflect. Not there yet but strong aspirations- the suit.
I listened to Donald and liked him immediately. He had clarity, he was forthcoming and deep. His understanding of the pensions market was astounding.
Remeber as a stockbroker during the pensions reforms, i had worked with firms like Leadway Pensions, Crusader etc as they struggled to put in place a credible portfolio management system along the lines of the pension guidelines promulgated by the OBJ regime
So we had a very sweet conversation and zeroed down to the recently opened porting window.
What this means is that subscribers could now leave their principal PFAs in search of better returns etc
I was to consult with them in first holding down their subscribers and then pushing into the market and catching new clients.
I don’t know what happened but we didn’t get round to doing it. You know me and where my head is these days
But his brilliance really caught my attention. You know it is one thing to be brilliant and another to channel it productively towards society.
So i kept my radar on the young man Donald and was not surprised when he was appointed acting Managing Director after lovely Amaka’s retirment.
Amaka had built an enduring institution after the management buyout from Fidelity Bank I think and her shoes were quite big for Donald to fill.
However, if there was anybody in the system that had a prayer, it was Donald. He had understudied her, especially her penchant for ethics and her discipline.
Amaka was my only MD friend who never gave me sponsorship and i respected her for that cos she would not bend corporate rules cos of friendship. Nice but annoying.
So Donald reached out last week and said, Edgar im trying to have a session on the economic outlook for the Nation in the second half of the year. Can you assist in putting it together?
I say gerrout. You wey never taken my call since you become MD. You don’t know that i am angry with you?
He laughed and i laughed. I like him. So i said, who is speaking and he said Johnson Chukwu, my Chairman
Now Johnson is one of the most brilliant economists you can find. As a young stockbroker, i used to go sit down in his office and listen to his take on the markets
He was the client and i was the stockbroker but he was more intelligent and experienced, so i just listen
Today he is one of the economic and intellectual powerhouses of the nation. In high demand as a speaking resource and a major fixture in the media
I said Donald if Johnson is speaking then u will need a very brilliant moderator. Someone that can go to Johnsons depth and bring his positions to us in a simple way. He agreed
So i recommended my brother Ugodre. Ugodre is the founder of influential Nairametrics and one of the most expansive economic analysts in Africa
Listening to ugodre is a dream. I never tire. He speaks about the markets, economy, and policy the way Michael Jackson sings.
Ugodre agreed immediately i contacted him and we were set.
Donald now said, you nko. I said me ke. He said yes you, what will be your role.
I say what can i talk when these giants are talking. But i quickly remembered what my brother the brilliant Bode Olanipekun SAN did with me
He had said, Edgar, we are having a session with the Vice President, supreme court judges and so many legal lyminaries and i want you to be rapporteur.
I say, bro what is that. He explain and say you will do a summary of the session and ask the VP the first question.
I say bravo. So, Donald, i am rapporteur of your event thank you.
Fidelity Pensions’ economic outlook is taking place tomorrow at 11am with Johnson Chukwu speaking and Ugodre as moderator. I am the rapporteur
Pls ask for the link
Edgar Joseph
Editor in Chief
Thealvinreport.com
