By Dapo Ipoola

Given the lofty height attained, many would think that success is just a honorary thing but with a cursory imagination of the labyrinthine maze of his way to the top, one would easily come to term that its involves a dint of perseverance, prayer and hard work. The iconic playwright, William Shakespeare, in his play, Twelfth Night, Act 2, scene 5, well captured this when he said, “Be not afraid of greatness, some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them.”

In his thoughts, the quote encapsulates the complexities and the intricate dance of human destiny and the pursuit of greatness. Whether one was born great, achieved greatness or have greatness thrusts upon him, greatness comes with price. As it is an irreducible fact, every great man goes through some certain inconveniences to achieving greatness, and it’s not different in the case of Pastor Pitan Kayode, a Senior Pastor at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, City of David. He is a seasoned banker and erudite investor who worked assiduously to be an indomitable power broker in investment banking, structural and project finance, and oil, gas and power sectors where he was the Managing Director of ENESEC-energy division. ENESEC is a specialized banking unit, FSB International Bank Plc that focuses on the energy sector in Nigeria.

As financial expert, his fiscal wizardry afforded him the opportunity to superintend many sensitive financial units such, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, First Interstate Bank Plc, Unity Bank Plc- in charge of Corporate Banking and Treasury Management, Arthur Andersen, Nigeria International Bank(Citibank), Head, Trade Finance, Industrial Bank limited, Assistant General Manager, Public Sector and Middle Tier Market, FSB International Bank Plc, Group Head, Commercial and Consumer Banking Group, Chairman of the Technical Committee that midwives the merger of Centerpoint Securities Ltd., and FIIST Ventures Ltd., to form Unity Registrars Ltd, and again served as the Chairman of the Technical Committee that merged Kapital insurance Plc, Intercontinental Assurance Company Ltd and Global Commerce General Assurance Co. Ltd into UnityKapital Insurance Co Plc, where he served as the Director of the new financial institution and as well instrumental to the listing of Unity Bank on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

While he heldsway as the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria’s oldest bank, the Bank of Industry, he resourcefully raised over $5billion from the international bond market which in turn provided buoyancy for the age-long financial institution. As a born giver whose greatest delight is to bring smiles to the downtrodden, he founded the Habitation of Hope, a non-governmental organisation where he reaches out to the have-nots. The NGO in no describable measure has assuaged the needs of countless underprivileged individuals. Pastor Pitan must have found the words of Wayne Muller inspiring when he said, “As we serve others, we are working on ourselves; every act, every word, every gesture of genuine compassion naturally nourishes our own hearts as well. When we attend to ourselves with compassion and mercy, more healing is made available for others. And when we serve others with open and generous heart, great healing comes to us.”

If any mortal had impacted lives positively, Pastor Pitan Kayode will definitely come to mind because he has given succour to the lonely in heart, uplifted the dispirited and the dismembered; he has umepteenth times demonstrated that our lives no longer belong to us alone; they belong to all who need us desperately and that our lives aren’t significant except for its impact on others. One could go on and describe Pastor Pitan in endless superlative terms but the summary of the description will not be farfetched- he is a rare breed without greed, and reasons for his non-discriminatory extension of helping hands. In every of his dealings, he has always taken to active cognisance the word of Albert Pine, who said, ” What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal.”

To Pastor Pitan Kayode, service to God and humanity is what prayer looks like, it gets up off its knees and walks around the world. The multiplier effect of this is palpably evident at every given point of service by this enigma who believes that the best way anyone could find him/herself is to lose oneself in the service of others. If any, for his selfless service, Pastor Pitan Kayode will receive a gold medal for his compassionate promotion and projection of humanity. He his only not a useful vessel in the vineyard of God, he typifies what he preaches and acts beyond the verbal proclamation of what he teaches on the pulpit. He detests luxury and the profane. Humility and modesty are his watchwords despite his enviable attainments, both professionally and spiritually.

Dapo Ipoola, a media consultant wrote in from Ekiti State.