Some years ago, captains of Nigeria’s foremost banks as well as a very rich audience which included representatives of major embassies gathered at the Lagos Business School (LBS) to proffer an urgent answer to a puzzle: “can the Nigerian Insurance Industry complete the countries financial loop?” The guest speaker was Dr. Akin Ogunbiyi; who was then the Group Managing Director of an Insurance conglomerate, Mutual Benefits Assurance Plc, with substantial investments in not only insurance but also banking, transportation, leasing, real estate as well as oil exploration and oil sales.
Dr. Ogunbiyi did justice to the topic and Nigerian Banks quickly jettisoned the “siddon-look” attitude to insurance. The banks also went ahead to establish insurance companies as subsidiaries.
An analyst wrote that it was unbelievable that all the Toyota cars being used for car-hire services in all Nigeria’s airports were financed by Akin Ogunbiyi’s insurance company.
Dr. Akin Ogunbiyi is a highly resourceful and audacious entrepreneur who believes that “available resources must be put into efficient, wise and ingenious use in order to improve life and overall well-being.”
He says: “I am totally committed to normative economics. That is, implementing models for enduring outcomes by using “sleeping” or latent human and material resources to generate growth and development” Dr. Ogunbiyi that standards for betterment for citizens’ lives can be set and also prescribed.
“Progress is determined by things getting better every day. In various countries and states, we must be on course for productivity and growth. Our value-adding metrics must be on the rebound and be tailored to fast-tracking highly beneficial rewards and growth”, he added.
Dr. Akin Ogunbiyi has pioneered laudable and flagship value-adding macro-economic activities in Nigeria and also Liberia as well as Niger Republic. Liberia and Niger have particularly benefitted from his enduring growth delivering exploits.
He has described himself admirably as a formidable game changer, well-tested entrepreneur that always achieves beneficial results.
Business entrepreneurs are special people who see opportunity in every latent or slow services, poor products and unmet needs. They always put in years of hard and smart work to achieve enduring excellence.
Dr. Akin Ogunbiyi’s capability and capacity have been greatly enhanced by his insatiable thirst for education and laurels. He is an alumnus of Obafemi Awolowo University and University of Lagos. He also attended the International Graduate School of Management, University of Navarra, Barcelona, Spain. He bagged the Global Executive Leadership Certificate from Yale School of Management and Graduate Advanced Management Leadership Certificate from Saïd Business School, Oxford University, United Kingdom.
Akin Ogunbiyi is a personality brand icon. His distinguished professional and entrepreneurial trajectory is characterized and defined by value creation and delivery, humility, excellence and humanity.
A true son of Ileogbo, Aiyedire local government area of Osun State, Dr. Akin Ogunbiyi has declared that it is time to give back to his roots: “I have taken a very deep look at the continuing evolution of our darling state since its creation in 1991. I have watched the different fortunes which have befallen the state in the hands of various Chief Executives and I am seriously about the less than satisfying pace of Osun State’s economic position in the Nigerian Federation. Despite the enviable level of human development, our citizens are not enjoying the values of democratic governance. We are indeed very far away from the dreams and aspirations of our founding fathers.”
Today, is Osun State working for her citizens? Let us check the metrics. What are the state’s strategic objectives vis-a-vis her objective realities? Where are the beneficial values being delivered by government? Where are the jobs? Where are the industries in spite of rich and massive agricultural endowments? What are we doing with our rich mineral resources? Where are the opportunities for our teeming and vibrant youths? What is the state of our school, health facilities, roads and other infrastructures? Is one flyover in twelve years adequate? Where are the support services that will engender growth? We used to be the home of batiks, where are they now? Do we have provisions for the growing our artistes in view of the high contribution of Nollywood to Nigeria’s GDP? What are the plans for IT development or even availability of the internet facility? Do we have equity and justice in wealth creation and distribution? What about tourism? Government is talking about future plans for development after twelve (12) years. Are we casting our votes so that we can remain impoverished? Or are we ready to dispel the illusions? Will we validate too little performance or no performance at all with our votes?
Our GOD, the Almighty is the ultimate leader but HE has in HIS mercy, endowed us with capacity and capability to utilize resources and strategy to deliver good life and appreciable well-being.
A leader must create impact through effectiveness and must always raise the lid on effectiveness by creating more impact. But what do we have in Osun state, the incumbent is surely and certainly tired and should retire.
For Dr. Akin Ogunbiyi, his opinion is that there is an Effective Simple Model. The question is: How do you move from where you are today in Osun State to where you desire to be? The answer is to lead and institutionalize a culture of “peak performance.” Adopting the kind of focus on accelerated growth and development that is strategically intentional and purpose driven. We must for instance, build alignment around actionable well thought out strategy on agricultural or for instance, cocoa development revolution, agro-allied industries, accountability and transparency in exploiting our God-given mineral resources as well as mineral processing plants.
Dr. Akin Ogunbiyi has a proven track record of value-adding and value-delivering achievements. No one can give what he does not have.
We cannot continue to be cynical about growth, development, progress and productivity. We cannot continue to live with assumptions. We must stand up and get connected, and with determination, work for the progress of Osun State. We must decide tomorrow for ourselves and the future for our children.
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