By Onyeka Ezike

It is always a thing of joy for me as a journalist whenever I have the opportunity to travel. On January 3, 2023, I set out from Lagos to Ijebu-Ode – a city in Ogun State, Southwest Nigeria, along the highway between Shagamu and Benin City.

The town is often referred to as the capital of the Ijebu Kingdom, a famous kingdom in the pre-colonial era and present-day Ogun State. The people of Ijebu have a nationwide reputation for being natural entrepreneurs.

It was my second opportunity to visit Ijebu-Ode on an official assignment. First, I took a bus to the ever-busy Oshodi modern park. From Oshodi I boarded another bus to Ijebu-Ode. It was a chilly morning due to the harmattan. The journey from Lagos to Ijebu-Ode was approximately three hours. We arrived at Ijebu by 8:25 am, having left Lagos by 6:45 am.

The first point of attraction was the popular Ijebu timber market – a home for all kinds of woods. There was also the famous Oba Palace roundabout, which bears the status of the Oba of Ijebu kingdom.

Ijebu-Ode is home to many tribes in Nigeria because the Ijebus are hospitable. Igbos, Hausas, Fulanis, Ijaws, etc., are doing business there. Agriculture seems to thrive in Ijebuland which is evident in the many agricultural products in the town. For instance, it may be impossible to talk about Ijebu without mentioning the Ijebu garri – a popular cassava food across South-West Nigeria, especially among Nigerian students.

My trip took me to the residence of the founder of First City Monument Bank, FCMB, Otunba Olasubomi Balogun, CON, for his annual New Year Thanksgiving Interdenominational service. Otunba Olasubomi Balogun is the Olori Omo Oba of Ijebuland and Asiwaju of Ijebu Christians.

Speaking at the event, Otunba Olasubomi said: “I am forever grateful for what God has allowed me to do as I approach 90 years. By the grace of God, next month will be my 90th birthday.

“The theme of this year’s Thanksgiving, “Adura Odun”, is apt as we all need divine prayer. We thank God that COVID is disappearing to enable Christians to gather in my residence again to praise God in my capacity as the Asiwaju of Ijebu Christian. My ambition is to do more, God helping me.”

Otunba Olasubomi said all he wants to be doing these days is to be thanking God. Having professionals around him and putting all his desires in God’s hands, he said, have helped him scale through in his career, “and I will not stop ascribing all to God.”

Otunba Olasubomi also spoke about his career as a banker and how he founded FCMB in 1982: “I started banking 60 years ago, working for others for the first 15 years, and in the last 45 years, have been given the privilege by the almighty God, the ever-loving father, to be involved in running a bank which I founded single-handedly by the grace of the almighty God. And am also thankful to God that even at close to 90 years, I am still very active.

“I still swim at my age to enable me keep on my feet. I visit the office three times a week in my suit, and I eat all meals without exception. I will not change my attitude of ascribing the things I have achieved in life to God because he has been exceptionally good to me.

“I started as a lawyer, but the almighty God found a place for me in banking. I went into banking as a company secretary. I started banking from the inspiration I got from my second son who was only nine years old. We were kneeling before our family altar, praying, asking God to make Daddy a Managing Director in someone else’s bank. We taught we have done a lot, then the miracle happened.”

He said his second son went to his mummy and said, “why can’t Daddy establish his own bank rather than seeking to become Managing Director in someone else’s bank?” My wife came to me and said, do you know what Jide said to me? He said why can’t you set up your own bank rather than trying to become a Managing Director in someone else’s bank?”

The rest, as they say, is history.