The Power to do: Leaving the Tarmac Book review

After reading a couple of reviews of the book- Leaving the Tarmac by Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, I was endeared to buying and reading it and I thoroughly enjoyed the book. The book is a great behind the scene reveal of how Access bank became the entity it is today and most importantly, the men and their ambitions shone through. I haven’t read a lot of Nigerian authored ‘real life’ building a business books but it is definitely close to heart, as the Risk and Return written by Yomi Jemibewon. The current and next generation, definitely needs to read more insights into navigating the business terrain in Nigeria.

In my view, every single successful person in business, government, sports or in anything always has that inflection point where there is the burning desire to stretch and achieve or better still empower themselves or others and possibly have some more control of life outcomes.

The author of the book highlighted his experience at the airport when he was much younger and was left behind at the airport despite having a ticket and not being late, but simply a reflection of the inefficiency of the Nigerian state and its flagship airline back then. Coupled with other moments in his life, that was a driving force for part of his ambitions, to ensure he achieves his dreams.

For me, I think Leaving the Tarmac was particularly interesting because every single page turned kept you deeply rooted in the driver’s seat with the author. As with most people, there is usually a breaking point, where they discover that they will ignite change or possibly move in the direction of where they see their lives, some for-legacy reasons, others immediate fulfilment or for some what is termed the ‘calling’. For the author, it was when he realized that he didn’t want the banking industry to leave him behind and it was time to jump on the train.

I find it profound that in each individual there is always that motivation with varying degrees of attainment. Finding it as an individual can be quite phenomenal, some call it clarity!

Personally, I have key learning points from Leaving the Tarmac, and which may be particularly be useful for someone with innate intra/entrepreneurial drive somewhere in business, government, social development roles.

Firstly, the power of people — It was prevalent throughout the book, from his time at GTB- under the tutelage of Fola Adeola and Tayo Aderinokun, to buying the bank, to setting up his board amongst others. But I will highlight that he made known the value of his number 2 — Herbert Wigwe. They were strongly aligned particularly on values. The book was filled with praises of his wingman and other colleagues in the bank’s formative years, with sincere and specific highlights of how instrumental they all were.

Secondly, as they say you must work for it, to earn it — the sacrifices, pains and gains. But I reckon that given the health scare for the author at some point, in hindsight, he must have thought there is always a better way to ensure that health remains at the front burner. Nevertheless, to build requires effort and there are no quick fixes.

Lastly, sometimes how you start or acquire a business, can have a lasting impact on your business’s reputation. Perception is key! Pushing your narrative early enough is valid, for the danger of a single story. For me it was good to read the book and understand perspectives, particularly with the initial purchase of the bank and on to how they ran the bank. It was not farfetched to see the author dedicate a chapter of the book to explaining how corporate governance and risk management was at the heart of the bank.

Leaving the Tarmac is a book that ignites the passion the passion for entrepreneurship, the need to pursue your dreams and in the same vein it pushes to diffuse the single narrative of the author and the bank. The book is filled with great narrative quality, depth, and solid self-awareness by the author across various key moments for the bank. The book is authentic in how businesses are(or can be) built in Nigeria and unveils a timeline of the game, for the probably the most important player and its delivery is captivating!