On my right hand is a scar – I see it every day and it brings bittersweet memories.
Many years ago, as a new hire at Allstates Trust Bank, I was asked by my boss to work on a credit analysis for a corporate customer. The assignment was due at 8:00 a.m. the next day; there was no option but to deliver. It meant that I had to work on a long, detailed, demanding 40-page document overnight.
I worked late into that night, so I could finish the job. To go home, I went to Racecourse/TBS bus stop in Lagos, where I got on a “Molue” – Lagos’s classic yellow transit bus. I promptly slept. When I woke, the bus had reached Jibowu, miles away from my home.
I got off immediately, but as I jumped, I cut myself badly on my hand. I remember the blood dripping on the ground, as I made my way to the hospital to get treated. This not so pleasant memory is a reminder of my early days in the corporate world.
This memory has stayed with me – not just the pain, the hard night, one of many hard nights or the challenges that so many young Africans have to show, but the lessons I learned – there might be difficult moments in life and business, but resilience, hard work and staying laser-focused will shape what the future will ultimately be.
