From Village to C-Suite: The inspiring story of how Taiwo Oyedele became a partner (Director) in a multinational firm 8 years after NYSC

To those who are familiar with the taxation and fiscal policy circle in Nigeria, Taiwo Oyedele does not need introduction. To those who read popular dailies like Guardian and BusinessDay, his face should not be strange either. Widely regarded as one of the most respected authorities on tax matters in Nigeria, the unassuming Taiwo is a partner (compare Executive Director) in the Nigerian office of PricewaterhouseCoopers, the world’s largest professional services firm.

Taiwo has one of the fastest  career rises you can think of anywhere in the world. He joined PwC like any other person, passing test and interviews, did his NYSC there, and a little over 7 years later, became a partner, equivalent of Executive Director in companies.

Think hardwork and diligence still do not pay in our society?

How did this young man that was raised in a village in Ondo state do it? It’s a most inspiring story. Follow me.

BACKGROUND DOESN’T GET HUMBLER

Taiwo was born in a village called Ikaremakoko in Ondo state some 39 years ago. The name Taiwo  is one of the two default names given to twins in Yorubaland. The twin partner is called Kehinde. His father was a retired school headmaster. Although the father could not be said to be initially poor, his cheerful giving nature turned him into the “bank” for neighbours and friends, and in no time, he was impoverished by the sea of debtors. Taiwo recalled how his father used to be one of the few men in his village who had TV (black and white) and their house turning into Mecca of sorts during times for TV dramas. This didn’t last forever.

STARTED ELEMENTARY SCHOOL @ 5…AND COULD HAVE BEEN OLDER!

Taiwo recalled to me how his short stature almost denied him opportunity to start primary school earlier. But that was even at 5 years of age. He would have started at 6. But his twin sister was his saving grace. How did this happen? Their parent had taken both of them to school to enroll for primary education and the school headmaster required them to use their left hand to touch their right ear, failing which they will be regarded as under-aged and will not be given admission for that year. A short Taiwo’s hand could not touch the other ear…but his taller sister was able to. Now, a dilemma for the headmaster? Should he admit Kehinde and have Taiwo wait till next year? But that will be foolish since they were born same day. That was how Taiwo was admitted too and started primary school at age 5.

CONSISTENT PERFORMER

Taiwo was consistently one of the best pupils in his class from primary school to secondary school, also in his village.

HARD TIMES…….FARM WORK TO THE RESCUE

Like I mentioned at the introductory stage of this mini-biography, Taiwo’s father, who was once decently blessed, financially, would later turn into a pauper, thanks to the story-telling agents of debt. The school fees per term was N50 but Taiwo had to do weekend job of assisting farmers with bush clearing assignments and earned between N5-N10 per weekend to pay for his school fees. He did. He endured. He didn’t drop out. He forged ahead.

THEN THE BIG FEE……WAEC REGISTRATION!

Taiwo soon weathered the storm and got to final year in secondary school. 4 weekends job was enough to fetch Taiwo N50 to pay for his termly school fees, but how many weekends did he have to do to earn N495 to pay for his WAEC registration in SSS 3. I don’t know what your calculator will tell you but my own is showing 50 weekends. How many weekends make a year? I leave you to do the math of how many weekends he needed to work to fetch him N495 to pay his WAEC fees. But definitely not before the WAEC time.

AGAIN, A SAVING GRACE……THIS TIME PARAPO

If your calculator was not made in Aba, you would have calculated that it will take 50 weekends of farm clearing job for Taiwo to raise N495 to pay for his WAEC fee. If you got promotion to SSS3 in September, there was no way you could raise N495, because WAEC registration, in best case scenario, would have closed in April (WAEC is written May/June) and the period between September and April of the prior year is less than 50 weeks. So would have flown another year in the life of Taiwo.

But like a child of destiny, like his twin sister saved him from losing one more year before starting primary school, there was another saving happenstance.

A group of Ikaremakoko (his village) indigenes (called parapo)  working in Ajaokuta Steel Complex (pity this employment generating company had been grounded) had come home to give back to their community. They had decided it would take the form of scholarship, and it will go  to the best pupil in SSS3 in the community secondary school. Since they just entered SSS3 and they had not done any exam, the result will automatically be based on the performance at the end of SSS2. Guess who had the best result from SSS2? Taiwo. Guess the time? When Taiwo and his Dad were fretting over how to raise the WAEC registration fee that would be due soon. Still want to guess? How much? N500. Serendipity doesn’t come fairer.

On the day of presentation of the scholarship money by the community, it was with fanfare with cultural dance and all that at the village head’s palace. Head wouldn’t have swollen higher when Taiwo’s father collected the N500 on behalf of his pint-size son.

With such coincidence, the father was able to pay for Taiwo’s WAEC fees and “kept” the remaining N5 in his pocket.

Taiwo would have lost another year, if not more, but for such wonderful happenstance.

CAREER DECISION

Taiwo finished secondary school and still had no idea of what he wanted to do. Village boys hardly have, after all there is no exposure. His Mum wanted him to be a doctor, but he said he didn’t think that was his way. Then while all that was going on, one of his uncles told him and the parents that he should go for Social Sciences, and write the examinations of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), that if he wrote ICAN he would be a hot cake. According to Taiwo, that was the first time he heard about ICAN. The suggestion appeared appealing to the young Taiwo.

THE OAU & UNILAG REJECT WHO WOULD EMPLOY OAU’S & UNILAG’S BESTS

Taiwo developed passion for this profession talked about by his Uncle. He would write UME, choose University of Lagos and Obafemi Awolowo University, score circa 220, travel to Lagos and Ife to follow up but will be told he didn’t meet cut-off score. These schools will offer Taiwo courses like Estate Management, Economics Education but he will reject. For him, it’s either this Accounting or nothing.  Not desperate to gain admission into university by all means, he opted for polytechnic. That was how he found himself at the Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti, to study his dream course, Accountancy.

OAU – rejected Taiwo…but it didn’t matter

BEDSPACE FOR ICAN REGISTRATION FEES: DETERMINATION DOESN’T COME SHEERER

Taiwo’s story is classic case study in the power of focus and determination. After gaining admission into Ado Poly, he never lost sight of his ambition. He held in his palms what his uncle told him about ICAN. Year 1 and final students are normally given bedspaces in many higher institutions in Nigeria, and Taiwo, as a year 1 student, was allotted bedspace. Guess what? The poor Taiwo sold the bedspace to the un-allotted students, who usually bought at higher price, raised some money, and rushed to Lagos to register for ICAN and purchase materials and past questions. That was the first step into that noble profession that would earn Taiwo fame and money.

INDUSTRIAL ATTACHMENT EXTENDED……ALL TO FUND ICAN

By selling his allotted bedspace in school, Taiwo was able to register for ICAN and got started. He was combining his ND programme with ICAN and after finishing his ND he came over to Lagos for industrial training (IT). Of course the money from the bedspace sale could not have paid for more than 1 or 2 ICAN diets, so he decided not to return for his HND and extended the IT programme for another year so as to raise money to continue financing his ICAN exams. After raising enough money, he enrolled for his HND in Yaba College of Technology, Lagos.

He qualified as a chartered accountant in 1999, a year before finishing his HND in 2000.

PwC – HOW THE JOURNEY STARTED

Taiwo was living at Surulere area of Lagos, which coincidentally was close to PwC office in Alaka then. According to him, one day, shortly after finishing school, while waiting for NYSC mobilization, one of his friends told him that a consulting firm, PwC would be conducting test for fresh graduates in  few days time and he casually showed up with his friends. It would happen that Taiwo was the only one of his friends that passed the test. That was the beginning of his journey.

WAIT…..YABATECH ALMOST SPOILED THE SHOW

Elated, like any poor boy that got job in a multinational consulting firm would be, Taiwo waited for NYSC mobilization so that he can serve with PwC, which test he had passed. But the shocker: his name was omitted by Yabatech…you know all these issues Nigerian schools have. He would have missed one year in primary school, another one year before WAEC, and here again another one year about to be bungled by Yabatech.  His devastation was however short-lived when someone told him that he  could actually serve with his ICAN certificate. He tried his luck, went to ICAN office, got his result and letter, presented it at NYSC office and NYSC mobilized him. That was how he resumed at PwC as a corps member.

Has anyone noticed the trend in his life trajectory? Always having someone come to rescue at critical moments.

NO LOOKING BACK….IT’S A SUPER HIGHWAY

He joined PwC as a corper in 2001. He was confirmed a full time employee in 2002. With a dint of hardwork and diligence, the HND-holding Taiwo would rise through the ladder in record time to become a partner in the firm by 2009. For those who don’t know, a partner is the equivalent of a Group Executive Director in a company. And we are talking about PwC here – a respected multinational.

Today, Taiwo is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), fellow and council member, Association of Certified Chartered Accountants of United Kingdom (ACCA), and fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN).  He is a highly sought after speaker in global conferences on taxation and fiscal policy and contributor to the Annual “Doing Business” Report of the World Bank

Seeth thou a man diligent in his work….

Note: This is an abridged excerpts from the book I am currently writing: INSIDE THE HIGHRISES OF VICTORIA ISLAND, where I featured Taiwo and a few other rapid-career-rise professionals as case studies. I hope to finish the book by the third quarter of 2014 by God’s grace.

SEE ALSO: 10 THINGS TO LEARN FROM TAIWO OYEDELE, PwC’s YOUNGEST PARTNER