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As the 2023 general elections draw closer, politicians are already making obvious and subtle moves to vie for one position or the other. These moves are not out of place because, in every election round, people are elected to occupy political offices.
As the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Oyo South Senatorial District, gears up to nominate a candidate for the senate in 2023 general elections, the news that a 43-year-old Kolapo Idris Kola-Daisi joining the race has been described as a welcome development.
The massive endorsement Kola-Daisi has received since he started consultation with party stalwarts and the critical stakeholders across the party line is a pointer that the people, especially those at the grassroots, are tired of the status quo and desperately seeking a change. It is also an indication that the people of Oyo South are tired of those who have been representing them at the Senate over the years.
Education
Born August 12, 1978, into the illustrious Bashorun Kola-Daisi family of Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State, Kolapo attended St.Catherine’s Model Primary School between 1985 and 1990, before proceeding to the Federal Government College, Ogbomoso between 1990 and 1995 for his secondary education.
He received a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Manchester, United Kingdom, and immediately moved on to qualify as a chartered accountant in August 2004, becoming a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales at 25.
Kola-Daisi bagged a Chartered Banker MBA in 2015 from the University of Bangor, Wales, United Kingdom. He is also an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers in Nigeria and Scotland and has also undergone executive training globally and secured a Strategy Course certification from the Insead Business School, France and another in Financing Strategies from the Goldman Sachs School of Finance.
Professional Career
Young Kolapo started his career in the Remittances department of the First Bank of Nigeria, London, in August 2000, where he shouldered the responsibility of overseeing money transfers to various other banks all over the world. He later moved to Arram Berlyn Gardner, an accountancy firm where he trained and gained his ACA qualification.
Soon after his ACA feat, he secured an assistant manager role in the financial services division of the London office of KPMG International Limited. Here, he deployed his rising skill set to work with different clients across banks, investment and private equity companies. His brilliance was also designated to coach and develop junior members of staff in the company.
By 2007, his stellar career took further flight as he became the vice president at Strand Capital Partners Limited at just 29. In this role, he was responsible for the finance unit and the financial advisory unit, where he led his team to raise over N16bn (about $100m) on behalf of various clients via Initial Public Offerings, IPOs, private placements and debts. Kolapo moved to Secure Electronic Technology two years later.
The company, listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, is the National Lottery license holder with the largest platform for gaming and electronic payment services in the country. Here, Kolapo’s capacity was handed the responsibility for two departments as chief financial officer and chief strategy officer (for business development).
In 2012, Kolapo Kola-Daisi joined Heritage Bank Limited as the Group Head of Performance Management at 34. Following a string of noteworthy performances in this role, he rose to the position of Treasurer in the establishment, and was made part of the Executive Committee of the Bank responsible for providing strategic direction for the same; a role he has meritoriously served in till date.
He is a Fellow of the Financial Markets Dealers Association, FMDA, a self-regulatory body in Nigeria that was set up to build capacity, identify, support and develop, where necessary, possible financial market infrastructure, human capital and promote professional and ethical standards in treasury activities in Nigeria.
Personal Life
Kolapo Kola-Daisi is happily married to businesswoman, luxury lifestyle and fashion connoisseur, Abisola Kola-Daisi, daughter of the former governor of Oyo State, Abiola Ajimobi. The union is blessed with three children.
Joining Politics
Having studied events in the Nigerian political space for years and from a close range, Kola-Daisi officially entered the political ring in the fall of 2019 and declared interest to run for public office in 2021.
Rich Resume
Kola-Daisi, an astute finance and banking executive, is coming with a rich resume from the private sector. With a grasp of excellent standards and precise execution from the private sector, while also coming with a political message and intention wrapped around the timely need to participate, Kolapo Kola-Daisi promised to use his expertise, experience and exposure to better the lot of governance and the governed in Nigeria, starting from his home state of Oyo.
He believes that the numerous challenges bedevilling Nigeria today is a result of electing bad leadership at various levels of government and he is poised to turn things around for the better if given the opportunity to serve his people as a lawmaker.
Youthful Participation
In a recent chat with journalists, Kola-Daisi noted that he was ready and willing to serve and contribute his experience and expertise for the nation’s good. According to him, by throwing his hat into the political ring, he was standing up to answer the timely need for youthful participation in governance.
The financial expert, no doubt, has got the right mindset, experience, network of goodwill, and readiness to perform. He fits into the youthful strength and more importantly, the brains to deliver on the constitutional mandate if elected.
Since it has been discovered that the wrong choices people make during elections give birth to incompetent leadership, it is, therefore, incumbent upon the people to make informed choices while electing their leaders to avoid electing self-serving politicians who seek political positions to amass wealth at the detriment of people that elect them.
