I’m interested in who takes over from me – Tijjani Borodo
Tijjani Borodo was appointed Company Secretary, FBN Holdings Plc in September 2012. Before this appointment, he was the Company Secretary for First Bank of Nigeria Limited (FirstBank). His career at FirstBank spans almost 3 decades. As he prepares to bow
Daily Trust: It’s been almost three decades of working for the bank, transiting from the First Bank to the Holdings company, how would you describe the journey? It’s been an interesting journey, particularly talking of transition from First Bank to FBN Holdings. I had worked with the Kano State government as the Director of Public Prosecutions. Then in October 1988, I moved to First Bank in Kano State as the Regional Legal Manager. I was in Kano for a couple of years before I moved to Lagos as Assistant Company Secretary, so that’s where my company secretariat career really started.
First Bank then was a public company that had shareholders and subsidiaries. In late 2010, it was decided that First Bank Group cannot continue to run all its businesses under First Bank. So, as secretary of First Bank, I midwifed the creation of the Holding Company. I didn’t know that I was going to continue to be the company secretary of the FBN Holdings. Arguably, as the company secretary, one of the key responsibilities is to manage the shareholders. And if the shareholders I have been managing in First Bank have migrated to another vehicle (FBN Holdings), it didn’t make much sense for me to stay back in First Bank.
DT: How did you cope within this 30-year period, with family on one hand and responsibility of the bank on the other hand?
What kept me going was the passion for my work and a sense of satisfaction. But of course, as you said, there are challenges - family, society and the job itself. I did my best and faced the challenges squarely.
DT: When you joined First Bank, was there the usual anxiety of someone joining an entirely different work environment and ethics?
It’s a natural thing. I respect the public sector because I’m a product of it. There are peculiar aspects of public sector that when you say you are from the public sector people look at you in a particular way. So I was conscious of that. There was a hunt for the job; I didn’t apply for it, there was a vacancy and I was sought to come and do the job. So, I had that feeling that I would measure up. One of my mentors, late Justice Mohammed Bello, believed I could do it and he insisted. I made consultations and was encouraged to go and do it.
DT: In the course of your career you must have worked with many MDs and chairmen of the bank. Can you describe your experiences with them?
I’ve worked with 10 different managing directors and six or seven chairmen, maybe up to 80 directors, you know members of the board come and go. I said six or seven because our group chairman, Dr Chijioke Ona, was the chairman of the bank and I worked with him then. When we moved to FBN Holdings, he wore a new cap - the chairman of FBN Holdings. It’s been really interesting but the most important thing is that I learnt very early in my career that company secretariat is all about people shareholders, stakeholders, directors and so on. DT: What is the family front like?
I have a wife and four boys. They’re not boys anymore, they’re big men now. The first one got married last year. The eldest is Ahmad, the second one is Isa, and incidentally, I joined the First Bank Group when Isa was born - October 3. And then there is Basho and Umar Farouk. Umar is in 3rd year in the university, others are graduates, so I call them men.
DT: Did you think you had sufficient time to instill discipline and values in them considering the nature of your job?
Well, to be honest I should have created more time for them but my consolation is I have this wonderful wife who is everything to all of us. At times, I would come back from work, and would find them in the garden playing football. She had her own career, but when the children play football she also plays with them, then I would come and join them and things like that.
I kept telling them there are three critical values they should hold dear. One, whatever you do you must do it well. You should not be found wanting whether in school or at work. Two, under no circumstance should you be found wanting in integrity. And thirdly, of course, is the grace of Almighty God, the religious upbringing. I learnt these from my father when I was small. These are the bits I had been telling them and I’ll always suggest that to anybody.
DT: Can you share with us some of the things you’d miss about this brand? Are there things you would have done differently?
Part of the things I would say I’m going to miss is the family that First Bank is. But I’m still part of the family. I’ve seen people who left 15 years ago and they are still part of the family. On what I would have done differently, honestly I’m a bit in a rush. Maybe I should have done a little more listening but as I get older, I became more of a listener, and I think it’s something that comes with age. There are people who by nature are listeners but by my nature I’m just the talking type, the outgoing type. So I believe that as I became more matured, I listened more and more. So, I wish I had listened much more.
DT: Do you think your successor would be able to measure up with the demands of his job as the company secretary and keep to the values that FBN Holdings is known for?
Without being technical, if you look at the company it revolves around a tripod. There is the chairman of that company; there is the MD or CEO and then there is the company secretary. So having worked with all these number of chairmen and MDs, I’m interested in who comes in to take over from me.
We have gone through a very rigorous process to get my successor - involving external consultants, board committees and processes. So I’m very confident that the person coming to take over from me is not a novice. He’s a consummate practitioner. I’m confident that he’s somebody with vast experiences and I’m sure he’s going to continue with the values that we have here.
DT: Finally, what is your message to the staff of the institution including your successor?
The critical thing about banking is trust. So I will urge them to keep the trust given to them. When you’re talking of a bank; you’re talking of volume company; you’re talking of business. Whatever anybody entrusts to you, please keep it well. That’s my key word to young people working in the banking industry. Also, work hard and create time for family life and other things.