Personality in Focus
We Are Positioning for Digital Leadership, Market Dominance – Polaris CEO, Sonola
Leading digital financial institution, Polaris Bank, has assured customers, financial sector stakeholders, and regulators that the Bank passed its road to recovery years back.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO), of the financial institution, Adekunle Sonola, stated this in a recent interview, with PROSHAREs team of analysts, noting that the Bank is currently on the growth path leading to market dominance.
According to him, careful rethinking and re-strategizing corporate plans create the bedrock of competitive burst and business sustainability, both attributes that Polaris Bank has focused on in the last few years, working with professional bodies such as PwC, Ernst & Young (E&Y), and KPMG across several corporate verticals.
“The bank has travelled past the recovery road years back; it is currently on the growth road leading to market dominance.
“Adequate capitalization is a key measure of financial health, providing comfort to depositors and affording balance sheet and business growth. The bank is presently adequately capitalized, operating well above the 10% minimum requirement for National Banks. Nonetheless, we are concluding arrangements to inject Tier II capital into the Balance Sheet to support our growth aspirations. Our shareholders are ready and willing to inject Tier I capital into the books. Having instituted best-in-class risk management practices, and maintaining adequate capitalization to support our growth objectives is not one of the bank’s immediate challenges and will not be in the foreseeable future. The new owners are committed to providing necessary support towards building a strong and resilient financial position to underwrite transactional activities of the Bank for sustainable value creation,” Sonola assured.”
Confirming that the Bank now operates a two-prong ideology of controlling the funding cost and growing earning assets at economic pricing, the Polaris Bank boss noted that earning asset growth is something the Bank is driving at from both the investment and risk asset sides of the business.
“The Bank has consistently been growing its asset base year-on-year (Y-o-Y). The Bank’s recently developed strategic plan will guide the Bank to a position of being a major challenger of Tier 1 banks and be the leader among Tier II banks along all the key performance parameters. Furthermore, the bank’s focus is to be one of the most efficient deposit money institutions in the industry, delivering superior value to its stakeholders, our competition is not of size, but value creation.
“We have revamped our go-to-market structure, broadening our customer base, fine-tuning our product, and supporting service offerings, strengthening personnel sales capacities, and improving our loan onboarding processes. We are very confident our Net interest income and margin will witness considerable growth as our strategies mature.”
Clarifying that cost control is a critical part of the Bank’s tactical and strategic roadmap, Polaris Bank Managing Director said its short-term tactics come from its longer-term strategies, adding that at the tactical level, the Bank is strengthening digital deliveries, and upgrading the capabilities and offerings on Digital Bank, Vulte, for an even more intensive and intuitive experience across customer journeys.
Polaris Bank has also improved its digital play, as reflected in the improvement of technological interfaces that feed into the customer’s journey expectations and experiences.
“We intend to build a dominant digitally led retail franchise and continue to reshape the bank’s business processes and support technology to continuously improve enterprise agility. The key thing is to drive top-notch processes and build agility in customer responsiveness.
“The VULTE product is just one of our service offerings. Indeed, we are creating a digital service reality that is customer service-focused. The technology driving this will scale digital service delivery to enhance our customers’ product or service experiences as we front-load features that fit into their expectations and future possible journey outcomes. As financial service platforms get better and continue to be an enabler, a part of the fabric of our modern economy, we will be an integral part of the way people carry out their businesses and we will make their digital journeys an integrated friendly experience. One cannot talk too much about this, but the tea leaves are pointing to a fresh pathway to consumer banking satisfaction.”
Other areas of positive growth in the Bank include the creation of a more powerful customer service experience via improved staff productivity with the best of Polaris Bank staffers driving the process having gone through upskilling and retraining programmes. This ensures we are driving a productivity-sensitive framework that marries staff effort with measurable business contributions.
“We have zeroed in on offering superior customer experience as a competitive tool. The new world of competitiveness requires that corporations are agile and flexible, we are building this into the bank’s operational DNA. Our customer journey experiences have been deconstructed across demographics and the service propositions will soon grace banking halls in the next eighteen months at the latest.
“We plan for a stronger balance sheet, with higher loan quality, greater liquidity, larger capital, and resilience to absorb economic shocks. Our loan asset quality has improved significantly, thereby improving liquidity, earnings, and the bank’s capital. We are primed to improve our cost-to-income ratio (CIR), Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR), and Cost-of-Risk ratio (CoR). In the recent past, we saw bumps in the risk area with CoR higher than we would like, but more recently risk quality has improved leading to lower CoR.”
With a focus on customer-centricity, risk management, cost optimization, and technological advancements, Polaris Bank is seen as positioning itself as a major player in the industry, offering superior customer experiences and driving financial performance.
The Bank has been decorated as Nigeria’s Digital Bank of the Year in two successive years; it aims to position itself as a dominant digitally-led retail franchise, delivering superior value to stakeholders.
Personality in Focus
Eminent Gents Int’l Announces Philanthropist Abiodun Enilari Paseda As New President
By Eric Elezuo
The Eminent Gents International Club, an association of eminent gentlemen, who have proved their mettle in the society, and committed to lending a helping to the upliftment of the society, has announced Sir Abiodun Paseda as its new president.
Paseda takes over from Eminent Otunba Olumide Owoseni, who performed creditably well during his tenure in office.
The announcement was made following a keenly contested electoral process, where Paseda was elected unopposed. His election, according to a cross section of the club members, was made possible as a result of the confidence members reposed in him owing to his acknowledged discipline, focus and leadership abilities.
Announcing the results, the Chairman of the Electoral Committee, Eminent Barr. Taiwo Odumosu, commended members for the maturity, discipline, and commitment they demonstrated throughout the process, noting that despite minor challenges encountered, members conducted themselves in a manner that reflected the values and ideals upon which the Club was founded.
Immediate Past President Eminent Otunba Olumide Owoseni
Barr. Odumosu congratulated the newly elected officers and urged them to provide purposeful and inclusive leadership capable of strengthening the unity and growth of the Club.
Among members of the executive council, who will be working with Eminent Paseda are Eminent Barr. Oluwaseun Basorun, who was elected as the Vice President and Eminent Ariyo Abass, who won the General Secretary position.
Others are Eminent Ganiu Omotoso for the office of the Assistant General Secretary, Eminent Akinsanya Olaseni as Financial Secretary, Eminent Muyiwa Jayesimi as the Treasurer, Eminent Barrister Yomi Akodu as the Public Relations Officer and Eminent Segun Fetuga, who won the position of the Social Secetary.
Eminent Odumosu admonished the incoming administration to ensure that no member is left behind in the affairs of the Club, and to place the welfare of members at the forefront of its programmes and policies in order to continue to enhance the beautiful etiquette of the almost 20 years Club.
The Eminent Gents International Club was established in 2006 as a group saddled with the responsibility of catering for the less privileged, the needy and the have-nots of the society. The Club strongly believes in giving back to the society, with an overriding philosophy, which revolves around pooling skills, resources and experience to create a sustainable change, and improve the lives of those in need.
New Vice President Eminent Barrister Oluwaseun Bashorun
Consequently, the Club has prioritise engagements in targeted initiatives aimed at addressing critical issues affecting the needy cutting across food, heathcare, shelter, clothing and not forgetting empowerment.
In his acceptance speech, Eminent Paseda pledged to live up to expectations, and ensure that the founding principles of the Club is not derailed.
He congratulated his co-executive council members, urging everyone to give their best performance to ensure the success of the administration in particular, and the Club in general.
A distinguished Nigerian based in London, England, Paseda is the Chief Executive Officer, Focus on Disabilities (FOD) Foundation, a not for profit organization that is saddled with the responsibility of seeing to the wellbeing of those living with disabilities. The organization, founded in 2010, has supervised the provision of sundry humanitarian assistance to people living with disabilities across Nigeria and the African continent with special mention to England, his place of residence.
He is a stern believer in the lifting of the downtrodden in the society, and has been awarded the Humanitarian award by Ceebee Gold Foundation.
A recipient of the BEFFTA Award, Africa achiever Award, Scotland among many others, Paseda has since 2012 been distributing movement enhancing materials to the disabled across the continent. Some of these distributions include 60 wheel chairs and disability aids in Kano and Kaduna states in 2012; distribution of clutches, wheel chairs, food items among other things in Ogun state in March and September 2013. Ever since, the selfless giver has not looked back in supporting the less privileged with his resources. He runs an all-expense paid home for people living with disabilities in Odogbolu, Ogun State
Paseda’s humanitarian outreach stretches across Africa and the UK where he is reputed to have touched a lot of lives.
A new chapter in clinical leadership has commenced at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Abeokuta, with the appointment of renowned Consultant Nephrologist, Dr. Olusola Adebisi, as the institution’s new Head of Clinical Services (HCS). He officially resumes duty today, Monday, June 15, 2026, following the expiration of the tenure of his predecessor, Dr. A.S. Adediran, whose stewardship contributed significantly to the advancement of clinical services within the tertiary healthcare institution.
The appointment, approved by the 7th Board of Management at its 6th Extraordinary Meeting held on June 8, 2026, is hailed as a strategic move that places one of the hospital’s most experienced clinicians and respected administrators at the helm of its clinical operations. With a distinguished career spanning renal medicine, healthcare leadership, organized medicine, and community service, Dr. Adebisi brings a wealth of experience and a reputation for excellence to the role.
Until his appointment, Dr. Adebisi served as Head of the Nephrology Unit at FMC Abeokuta, where he earned recognition as one of the leading authorities on kidney-related illnesses within the West African sub-region. A passionate advocate for preventive nephrology, he has spearheaded numerous community sensitization initiatives, including annual World Kidney Day campaigns aimed at promoting early detection and management of kidney disease. He has also mentored and supervised generations of resident doctors, medical officers, and specialized nephrology nurses, helping to sustain a culture of clinical excellence.
His leadership credentials extend beyond clinical practice. Dr. Adebisi previously served as Chairman of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), FMC Abeokuta Chapter, where he was instrumental in fostering professional harmony and academic advancement among consultants. He currently serves as Faculty Treasurer of the West African College of Physicians (WACP), a role that underscores his financial discipline, organizational trust, and administrative competence. His earlier engagements with the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) and the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) further enriched his understanding of Nigeria’s healthcare landscape.
Beyond medicine, Dr. Adebisi is actively involved in civic and community development. He currently serves as President of the Rotary Club in the Oke-Ona Egba District, championing humanitarian, maternal health, and community empowerment initiatives. He is also the Social Secretary of the Abeokuta Sports Club, contributing to social cohesion and cultural development within Ogun State.
A devout Christian and committed family man, Dr. Adebisi is widely respected for a leadership style rooted in integrity, compassion, and service. As Head of Clinical Services, he is expected to focus on strengthening patient-centred care, enhancing clinical research and residency training, improving interdepartmental collaboration, and promoting institutional harmony across all clinical cadres.
Speaking on his vision for the office, Dr. Adebisi emphasized the need for innovation, professionalism, and teamwork in healthcare delivery. “Our objective remains clear: to deliver compassionate, world-class, and accessible healthcare to our immediate community and beyond, fueled by clinical innovation, integrity, and absolute dedication to human life,” he said.
With his assumption of office today, stakeholders within and outside FMC Abeokuta express optimism that his blend of clinical expertise, administrative experience, and people-centred leadership will further strengthen the institution’s position as a leading centre of excellence in healthcare delivery, training, and research.
Personality in Focus
June 12: Tinubu Confers National Honours on Kolade-Otitoju, Dasuki, Okei-Odumakin, Others
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has conferred national honours on several prominent pro-democracy activists, journalists, civil society leaders, and retired military officers in recognition of their contributions to Nigeria’s democratic struggle and the historic June 12 movement.
The announcement was made during the President’s nationwide Democracy Day broadcast commemorating Nigeria’s 27 years of uninterrupted democratic governance.
According to President Tinubu, the awards are intended to immortalize the sacrifices of individuals who endured persecution, imprisonment, solitary confinement, harassment, and exile during the fight against military dictatorship and the struggle to actualize the June 12, 1993 presidential election mandate.
Tinubu Honours Democracy Heroes
The President emphasized that the honourees played critical roles in defending democratic values and laying the foundation for the civilian rule Nigeria enjoys today.
Among those recognized are veteran journalists, media executives, civil rights advocates, and leaders of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), whose resistance to military rule helped shape the nation’s democratic journey.
Media and Civil Society Leaders Recognised
Notable recipients in the media and civil society category include:
* Gbemiga Ogunleye, former Provost of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism (NIJ)
* Babajide Kolade-Otitoju, Director of News at TVC News and veteran journalist
* Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, renowned human rights campaigner
* Chief Ayo Opadokun, NADECO chieftain
* Sam Omatseye
* Oladele Alake
* Olatunji Bello
* Louis Odion
* Tunde Fagbenle
* Richard Akinnola
* Debo Adeniran
The recognition highlights the pivotal role played by the media and civil society organizations in resisting authoritarian rule and advocating for democratic governance.
Retired Military Officers Honoured for Opposing Dictatorship
In what observers have described as a historic and groundbreaking move, President Tinubu also created a special category to honour military officers who worked from within the armed forces to challenge authoritarian rule and support democratic ideals.
The honoured retired officers include:
* Colonel Sambo Dasuki (retd)
* Colonel Lawan Gwadabe (retd)
* Brigadier Yahaya Abubakar, the Etsu Nupe
* Major General Ishola Williams (retd)
* Major General M.A. Garba
* Brigadier General Lawal Jaafaru Isa
The President noted that these officers risked their careers, personal freedom, and lives in pursuit of democratic governance during one of Nigeria’s most turbulent political periods.
Celebrating 27 Years of Democracy
The national honours ceremony forms part of activities marking Democracy Day, observed annually on June 12 in remembrance of the 1993 presidential election widely regarded as the freest and fairest in Nigeria’s history.
President Tinubu reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to preserving democratic institutions, protecting civil liberties, and ensuring that the sacrifices of June 12 heroes remain permanently etched in Nigeria’s national memory.
The honours have been widely viewed as a significant step toward acknowledging the contributions of individuals and groups whose courage and resilience helped restore democratic rule and strengthen Nigeria’s democratic foundations.
