₦airaland Forum

When Ecobank took over Oceanic Bank, the Oceanic staff discovered that we were calling one another by our first names in Ecobank. Our MD Funke Osibodu was Funke but not Mrs. Osibodu. They were coming from a background that they were calling Mr. Adetunji, Oga Deji, Madam Ibru, Dr. Clever…. So, they had to adjust. So, if it is Mrs. Cecilia Ibru who is cautioning that lady, I may not have any issue with it. No issue because that is what she encouraged in the institution that she ran in Oceanic Bank. Majority of Nigerians who will be contributing on this discussion online will definitely not know this truth. They will not know because most of them were still in primary school or still crawling in the 1990s when Tony Elumelu and his other ‘cow boy bankers’ came to the corporate world at their tender ages. Elumelu became MD of Standard Trust Bank, STB in 1997 at age 34. Other guys who floated GT bank and Access Bank were also in their 30s. They could not do the work alone so they had to recruit staff into their Banks. They discovered that the experienced people that they were hiring were in their 40s, and 50s. They found it ridiculous to be calling their staff Mr. Lagbaja and Mr. Tamedu. They had a complex, giving instructions to someone older than them. To conquer the complex, they introduced the idea of calling all staff by their first names. It levelled the ground for everybody. Mr. Daramola Oladeji at 44 is now addressed as Deji, Mrs. Oluwole Olufunmilayo with 3 boys in the university at 48 was being called Funmi at work and she must answer. They were the one who came to destroy the work place ethics in order to satisfy their ego and help them manage their complex.
One good thing about it I must confess is that it makes you freer to relate with your colleagues without any age barrier to the overall benefit of the organization. In Ecobank during the general staff meeting which we call village meeting, you will hear people saying ‘Funke’, I have been raising my hand since and you have not given me chance to talk … that is the MD that that they are addressing. Even at that, if I am to travel with the MD to Abuja on the same flight and I want to ask her which airline to book, i will enter her office and say ‘Funke admin is asking me which airline should they book for our journey?’ Do you know that on that flight, I will carry her bag, as a mark of respect. If another big Oga is with us on the trip and we reach our destination and he ask ‘ Deji what are you doing, you are delaying us’; Do you know I can tell the Oga without any fear, "I am waiting for the conveyor belt to bring Funke's bag, but it has not come" meanwhile, the person i am calling Funke is the owner of the bag I am waiting to collect oooo.

I have gone this far to let you know that even in the midst of name calling, we used to give honor and regard to one another but not openly like they do in some other places. That girl knew which environment she was coming into. She knew people were being called and addressed by their first names. They were tutored along this line in the training school. Those who violated the policy were given penalized
She will do d same in an Access Bank. She will do it in GT and Ecobank and she will not be reprimanded. I had an Oga that came from Afribank of old to join us in Ecobank. When he would address our Group Head, he was always being fined N1,000 in those days. He would say ‘Excuse me, Sir’, here is a fine of N1,000. Mr. Lagbaja sir, another N1,000 fine but when he calls our Group Head by his first name, our group head will say ‘Yes, i am listening’. The other man was coming from a background where the culture was different from the new place he found himself.

Money has come; age has also come. Tony is seeing that lady as age mate of his own girls of yesteryears who have equally become ladies now. He and his friends who were underaged bankers were the promoters of this culture in the banking industry.


cc
Seun
Myndd
Nlfpmod
Dominique
Fergie001
Lalasticlala

dallasi:
When Ecobank took over Oceanic Bank, the Oceanic staff discovered that we were calling one another by our first names in Ecobank. Our MD Funke Osibodu was Funke but not Mrs. Osibodu. They were coming from a background that they were calling Mr. Adetunji, Oga Deji, Madam Ibru, Dr. Clever…. So, they had to adjust. So, if it is Mrs. Cecilia Ibru who is cautioning that lady, I may not have any issue with it. No issue because that is what she encouraged in the institution that she ran in Oceanic Bank. Majority of Nigerians who will be contributing on this discussion online will definitely not know this truth. They will not know because most of them were still in primary school or still crawling in the 1990s when Tony Elumelu and his other ‘cow boy bankers’ came to the corporate world at their tender ages. Elumelu became MD of Standard Trust Bank, STB in 1997 at age 34. Other guys who floated GT bank and Access Bank were also in their 30s. They could not do the work alone so they had to recruit staff into their Banks. They discovered that the experienced people that they were hiring were in their 40s, and 50s. They found it ridiculous to be calling their staff Mr. Lagbaja and Mr. Tamedu. They had a complex, giving instructions to someone older than them. To conquer the complex, they introduced the idea of calling all staff by their first names. It levelled the ground for everybody. Mr. Daramola Oladeji at 44 is now addressed as Deji, Mrs. Oluwole Olufunmilayo with 3 boys in the university at 48 was being called Funmi at work and she must answer. They were the one who came to destroy the work place ethics in order to satisfy their ego and help them manage their complex.
One good thing about it I must confess is that it makes you freer to relate with your colleagues without any age barrier to the overall benefit of the organization. In Ecobank during the general staff meeting which we call village meeting, you will hear people saying ‘Funke’, I have been raising my hand since and you have not given me chance to talk … that is the MD that that they are addressing. Even at that, if I am to travel with the MD to Abuja on the same flight and I want to ask her which airline to book, i will enter her office and say ‘Funke admin is asking me which airline should they book for our journey?’ Do you know that on that flight, I will carry her bag, as a mark of respect. If another big Oga is with us on the trip and we reach our destination and he ask ‘ Deji what are you doing, you are delaying us’; Do you know I can tell the Oga without any fear, "I am waiting for the conveyor belt to bring Funke's bag, but it has not come" meanwhile, the person i am calling Funke is the owner of the bag I am waiting to collect oooo.

I have gone this far to let you know that even in the midst of name calling, we used to give honor and regard to one another but not openly like they do in some other places. That girl knew which environment she was coming into. She knew people were being called and addressed by their first names. They were tutored along this line in the training school. Those who violated the policy were given penalized
She will do d same in an Access Bank. She will do it in GT and Ecobank and she will not be reprimanded. I had an Oga that came from Afribank of old to join us in Ecobank. When he would address our Group Head, he was always being fined N1,000 in those days. He would say ‘Excuse me, Sir’, here is a fine of N1,000. Mr. Lagbaja sir, another N1,000 fine but when he calls our Group Head by his first name, our group head will say ‘Yes, i am listening’. The other man was coming from a background where the culture was different from the new place he found himself.

Money has come; age has also come. Tony is seeing that lady as age mate of his own girls of yesteryears who have equally become ladies now. He and his friends who were underaged bankers were the promoters of this culture in the banking industry.


cc
Seun
Myndd
Nlfpmod
Dominique
Fergie001
Lalasticlala

After much criticism from both , Tony has finally located the girls and made it up before online blogger capitalised