BGL was the place to be in those days.
Every young and ambitious investment Banker wanted to be part of the glitz and huge transactions that lit up the sphere at the time
Albert Okumagba’s charisma and almost god-like persona attracted the brightest like a moth to flame
Kayode was one of them. I first saw him walk in with his bowlegs at the Abagbon close of BGL just at the point where we were abt moving out and headed towards the giant Catholic Mission Street tower where it all ended
Kayode worked with me at the institutional desk but was always restless
His mind was working, his ambitions spiralling and his energies refusing to be curbed
I would walk into Albert’s office and Kayode was sitting and milking Albert
With time, I knew this one was on a separate trajectory, he was impatient and couldn’t wait to start building something
He was like the Igbo apprentice who studied his bosses in preparation to set up his own
Everything Kayode did at BGL, United Capital or wherekse he worked was preparing him for his date with fate
He loved travel, he loved attending courses, especially international ones and when the system wasn’t sending him, he would send himself
He loved networking and from a young age and career, he was already in the first ranks with the giants of the time
Kayode recently marked his 50th at a huge glitzy party that he did not invite me to
I cannot say that I am not offended cos at the same time, his people were chasing me all over the place to get me to come and speak to his most recent batch of recruits at Ava Capital Plc
Ava is where Kayode’s restlessness was taking him
He is planning on listing AVA on the NGX by introduction
On his own, he has built AVA into a huge investment banking monster with about 500 shareholders with AUM running into the high billions
‘I want to list five companies on the NGX like Tony before I am 60’ he says to me after my session with his young people
As he speaks, he raises one hand on one side and uses the other hand to count Tony’s five
Tony Elumelu is the high-profile businessman who joins an elite group of people who continue to ignite the economy with brilliance
Edgar, I am excited and there are a lot of things, I cannot tell you about AVA cos of our listing procedure, so calm down and let’s go on a tour of the facility
I was headed to the Ikoyi office when Nike the HR coordinator, called and said, ” Oh, Mr Edgar, we are now in Lekki
I told my colleague, who moves an Investment banking franchise with a robust Wealth Management desk away from Ikoyi.
I didn’t have to wait long before I got my answer.
Edgar, people who invest heavily through us never come to the office, so why don’t I buy something and build to taste
It was four duplexes that they got a brilliant Architect to remodel into something you would see in Silicon Valley
From the expansive patio which leads to an open space dotted with beautiful plants and a baby grand with a staffer playing its keyboards, to meeting rooms named after key figures in their lives
The hall I spoke in was named after Kayode and a partner and then another one named after his mother and another thankfully named after his father
One other one was named after the mother of a staff member
One remarkable thing was the black and white pictures of the staff
He took me very close to the wall and explained it to me very succinctly.
Edgar these are pictures of our staff and when they hit 10years with us, it will turn coloured and it will never leave the wall forever
One deep thing however was the pix of a staff they had just lost days earlier – Edgar, this will never leave this wall
Ava Capital Plc is modelled differently as its human capital is freshly minted and super trained and this is why it is now a very fertile ground for corporate scavenging
One Merchant Bank came in and took 10 of our staff and even offered our head of Infrastructure Finance x4 of his take-home
We upfront exit. We prepare for departures and that is why we have a continuous recruitment exercise
People leave for different reasons – he opined, Japa, personal or poached and we are always prepared for such eventualities
Kayode is a young man we should watch very closely as the spirit of complacency is very far from this grey-bearded young man
Edgar, when we are ready, I’ll supply you with all the information you need. For now, let’s just go and eat Afang
Kai
Duke of Shomolu
Last modified: June 3, 2026
