In many ways, human life is spectacular. The length of our days is not what gives strength to our time on Earth, but the degree to which we burn. Unfortunately, even that isn’t set on stone as the foundation of an enduring and notable legacy. Only nine years after the demise of Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) co-founder and champion, and the world outside his household has already moved on.
Tayo Aderinokun died on the 14th of June, 2011. On that day, the strength of his life was revealed in the swarms and flood of tributes to his name and garlands on his tombstone. The man had essentially died a hero, paladin of banking, champion of the corporate Wildlands. Nine years down the line, less than a decade later, neither that hallowed name nor the well-attended tombstone received worthy mentions.
One can only imagine how the Aderinokun family feels. The first thought is that this forgetfulness follows from the family’s abandonment of society; but that’s not true. It wasn’t so long ago that a 500-seater lecture theatre—the Tayo Aderinokun Memorial Theatre in the University of Lagos’ Faculty of Business Administration—was commissioned in memory of Tayo Aderinokun. Besides, his wife, Salamatu Aderinokun, continues to blaze with a fire similar to her late husband’s. She is the brain behind much of the exploits of First Marina Trust, being its Managing Director of First Marina Trust. Thus, the forgetfulness and subsequent absence of a notable mention is painful.
Maybe the present pandemic is the culprit to blame. This might be the excuse of many, but not GTBank, which benefited immeasurably from Tayo Aderinokun’s life and genius.
While alive, Aderinokun did not only co-found the bank; he also led it, as a father does a child, into the light of recognition and acclaim. According to the Tribute from GTBank in 2011, it was during the time of Aderinokun that GTBank “witnessed tremendous progress and growth and…emerged over the years as an industry leader, pacesetter of unique and progressive innovations in the banking industry”; it was because of Aderinokun that GTBank “is now easily acknowledged and recognised as one of the most profitable and professionally managed corporate institutions in Nigeria and has been the recipient of several awards for exemplary corporate governance practices and excellent customer service”.
On June the 14th, 2020, the world forgot to remember a great man; the world he forged neglected his memory. The lesson is well captured by Jim Butcher: One day, when the last man has breathed his last breath, the sun will shine, the mountains will stand, the rain will fall, the streams will whisper—and they will not miss him.