By Seye Adetunmbi
In various professions and vocations, we have people who stand out by virtue of being brilliant and good on the job. Also, the values which they stand for in their calling always make such profession admirable or desirable for aspiring professionals in the sector. One of the distinguished influencers in the history of banking in Nigeria who falls into this category of successful bankers is Venerable Segun Agbetuyi. His rise through the ranks to the pinnacle of his professional banking career, complemented by the speed at which he qualified as a chartered banker attests to the fact that he is naturally brilliant, focused, and hardworking. His success as a career banker and a venerable archdeacon in the Church of Nigeria, Anglican communion are manifestations of dedication, devotion, and diligence.
Archdeacon Segun Agbetuyi was born into the Christian family of Mr. Agboola and Mrs. Eunice Agbetuyi in Usi-Ekiti on the 30th of June, 1953. He is a product of Ekiti Parapo College, Ido-Ekiti; Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; Manchester Business School; Harvard University Business School and Lagos Business School. He started his banking career in the 1970s as a trainee at Arab Bank (later Nigeria-Arab Bank) and worked with the Bank of America (later Savannah Bank). Subsequent to being qualified as a professional banker, he worked as the Credit and Marketing Manager and as the Area Credit Manager for the northern region of IBWA (later Afribank PLC). He was among the pioneer senior executives of the Nigerian-American Merchant Bank in 1980. He worked as the Vice-President Bank of Boston between 1984 and 1986; the Country Risk Manager, General Manager, Credit, and Business Strategy for the Nigerian-American Merchant Bank, Lagos from 1987 to 1989 and was the Deputy Managing Director between 1989 and 1993.
A goldfish has no hiding place. When Ondo-State needed a crack professional who would be result oriented for the then state-owned Owena Bank PLC, he was headhunted and was appointed the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer in 1993. He nurtured the bank through the transformation to profitability and change of name to Omega Bank PLC. His Christian upbringing and personal disposition later led him to attend a seminary college and he was ordained a priest in the Anglican Communion in June 2001. His excellence in banking earned him the recognition of a noteworthy banker by Marquis Who is Who.
My first close meeting with Venerable Agbetuyi was when he visited my brother’s steel fabrication company in Lagos in the year 2001 as the CEO of our banker, to check how his bank’s customer was doing and he prayed for us. When there was an opportunity for me to explore work opportunities in the banking sector, his bank gave me the opportunity. He was a very disciplined boss who was committed to best practices. I must mention the remarkable manner he responded to an attempt to malign me in a soft-sell tabloid sponsored by an inveterate ignoble Ekiti fellow at the peak of the friction between the then-state governor and the bank. As an intuitive person and an upright senior colleague/boss, he saw the intrigue at play by the ill-bred who lied against me and could imagine the mission of the lowlife elements behind the deceptive publication.
When I got to his office to inform him about the irresponsible publication, he said that I should go and be doing my work and ignore those who wanted to cause problems for me with my employer. I am using this opportunity to formally say thank you to him. His honourable action remains indelible in my mind. He has always been supportive of my modest various endeavours. Virtually all the books I have written are in his library. He joined his fellow indigenes of repute in Ekitipanupo Forum which I convened in 2005. One other thing I like about him is his writing skills. I was so delighted that he wrote a preface to my book on Christianity and Anglicanism in 2020.
Considering his wealth of experience in his working career, he was called to serve in various capacities. He served in the Governing Council of the Financial Institutions Training Centre in 1990 to 1992, in Ekiti State Economic Advisory Council, and as the Chairman of Springbank PLC in 2006. He is a member of the Institute of Directors, England and Nigeria; a member of American Management Association; a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, London and Nigeria; a member of the Institute of Management Specialists, England; a member of the Institute of Management Consultants, Nigeria. He was the President of Rotary Club Victoria Island in 1989 to 1990 and Patron of Jaycees International, Ikoyi Chapter. In 2001, he bagged the Doctor of Science in Economics (Honoris Causa) from the Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti. Also, holds the Merit Award of Ondo-State in October 1995 and that of Ekiti-State in 1997.
He is happily married to his beloved wife, Mrs Titilayo Adeyemi Agbetuyi and the union is blessed with fruitful children. Oga has dedicated part of his time to bringing those who worked with him in Omega bank together as one big family in an interactive online platform and he continues to encourage us to support one another. My prayer is that God will grant him more years in good health and bless his ministry in Jesus Christ’s name, amen. Happy 70th birthday to you sir.
