President of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) Dr. Ken Opara has strongly charged young bankers to get prepared for the current and future trends, especially in the banking and financial sector.
Opara, who is also CIBN’s Chairman of Council, gave the admonition at the graduation ceremony of the 2023 edition (second stream) of the Institute’s mentorship programme, which held virtually on Thursday, 27th April.
The mentorship programme is one of the avenues designed by CIBN to deliver on its mandate of building capacity for the Nigerian banking industry. It was introduced in 2012 and re-launched on 17th June 2020, with the objective of providing a platform for young bankers to be groomed and nurtured by senior, experienced professionals. The overall objective is to help the future generation of bankers achieve their personal and career objectives faster, whilst ensuring the safety, soundness, and sustainability of the banking industry in Nigeria and beyond.
Considering the fast pace of advancement in global systems being driven by technology, the theme of this year’s programme was “Staying Ahead of the Curve in a Competitive Environment: Prerequisite for Career and Personal Advancement”.
Opara expatiated on the theme: “Staying ahead of the curve can simply be put as being aware of and prepared for current and future trends. It is about being proactive instead of reactive. In today’s fast-paced business landscape, where technological advancements, market disruptions, and unpredictable events are increasingly becoming the order of the day, staying ahead of the curve for relevance has become more critical than ever before, not only for organizations but for employees as well. Therefore it involves hard work, commitment, critical thinking and knowing what to do and where to be, to get that extra bump into the future of your industry”.
He said that staying ahead requires impartation by experienced and successful individuals to influence the thinking pattern, professional character and relational attitude of the young ones. These form the background of the objectives of the entire scheme, which, Opara said, included “enhancing learning and career development for young bankers; reducing the incidence of professional misconduct among practitioners; enhancing bonding and building of new long-term professional relationships; assisting in acquiring competencies and professional experience; and strengthening the talent pipeline into senior leadership roles in the banking industry”.
He is therefore convinced that the 302 mentees that participated in the programme are better equipped to perform excellently in both their professional and individual aspirations given the quality of skills and knowledge acquired during the programme.
He expressed profound appreciation to the mentors whose immense contributions and sacrifice facilitated the success of the programme, which was geared towards helping the mentees grow their skills, make better decisions, and gain new perspectives on their lives and career.
Opara further said to the graduants: “Prioritising your all-around development is essential for long-term personal and career success. By setting aside dedicated time, using technology to your advantage, and attending knowledge-sharing events, you can ensure that you are investing in your growth and development”.’
Among personalities at the graduation ceremony were former Managing Director/CEO of Wema Bank Plc, Mr. Ademola Adebise, who was Special Guest of Honour; and Chief Executive Officer of Soft Skills Management Consultant, Mrs. Wonuola Adetayo, who was the Guest Speaker.
Others included Director of Human Resources at the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mrs. Amina Habib; Managing Director/CEO of Ecobank Nigeria Limited, Mr. Jubril Mobolaji Lawal; Executive Director of Finance and Corporate Services at Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, Mrs. Zubaida Umar; Director of CBN Centre of Excellence for Economics and Finance at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Prof. Muhammad Auwalu Haruna; and Regional Managing Director (West Africa) at Oracle, Mr. Dare Ogunlade.
