Tucked within the quiet contours of Ilorin, a metropolis in Nigeria’s North Central, the College of Ilorin (Unilorin) has stood for half a century as an educational beacon. Now, with the rise of distant work and a brand new era of skills, it’s changing into one thing extra—a launchpad for international ambition. No, it has turn into a spot the place deserving college students, no matter their backgrounds, nourish their wildest goals to work in the most effective international monetary corporations.

The college’s merit-based system rewards the best-performing college students, whom they name “Students,” creating an ecosystem the place excellence isn’t simply inspired however anticipated. On the coronary heart of this tradition is The Funding Society (TIS), a student-led organisation present throughout completely different universities that grooms younger Nigerians for careers in international finance.

One such scholar was Grace Abikoye, who now works full-time at a number one international funding financial institution and seconded on a world sustainability initiative within the UK.

“For context, if I have been to check my job to a task at a high Nigerian monetary establishment, I’d say I work someplace in technique,” stated Abikoye. “My function includes extra of technique and mission administration. Whereas I used to be briefly uncovered to the buying and selling flooring throughout my internship earlier than transitioning to a full-time function, I’ve primarily labored in enterprise help, interfacing with rules, technique, and government protection.”

Past her day-to-day function in technique and mission administration, the place she’s managing relationships and tasks, growing methods, and travelling slightly sometimes—however essentially—she’s stood for years as an inspiration for a lot of college students after her.

However her story isn’t the standard high-flying finance trajectory—it’s one in every of audacity, a calculated threat to desert the acquainted and dive right into a world that, for a lot of Nigerians, appears impossibly distant.

A win for TIS, a win for Unilorin

Abikoye’s path to securing a full-time function at a prestigious international funding financial institution was not easy. She’s needed to persevere, place strategically, and decide to studying from scratch, she stated.

As an Agricultural Economics undergrad, her introduction to the monetary sector started throughout her time at Unilorin, the place she actively sought out alternatives past the lecture room. She had joined societies like TIS and attended networking occasions.

The turning level got here when she utilized for an internship at a high international funding financial institution. She’d utilized and did not safe a spot a number of instances earlier than she landed one early in 2021. The internship, a rigorous ten-week programme, uncovered her to international markets, the place she rotated on the linear charges buying and selling and FX gross sales desks.

“I struggled a bit with the core monetary ideas at first,” she admitted. “However I realised I had a robust potential in relationship administration and strategic considering. I leaned into these strengths.”

Her resilience paid off. Regardless of the challenges, she made an impression on her managers and was provided a full-time place whereas nonetheless an undergrad at Unilorin—a totally sponsored alternative.

After her internship, she participated in programmes such because the BCG Aspire Programme and the CFA Analysis Problem which strengthened her understanding of sustainability and finance — two areas that may later show instrumental within the function she specialises in right now.

Past her core tasks, she has discovered immense worth in publicity to management on the financial institution and initiative.

“I help executives with key stakeholder conferences. It offers me the chance to grasp business insurance policies, innovation, and the thought processes of leaders,” she stated.

She additionally attends main international business occasions, which have expanded her perspective on finance, sustainability, and Africa’s growth.

“Just lately, I attended the Worldwide Vitality Week Convention, and it was superb to see how completely different leaders take into consideration vitality transitions and challenges,” she stated. “I all the time attempt to relate what I be taught again to Africa: how can it’s applied? How can Africa’s financial system develop?”

This forward-thinking mindset has turn into a defining trait of her profession—all the time questioning, all the time strategising, and searching for methods to bridge international insights with native influence.

Her success wasn’t simply hers—it was a victory for TIS, for the College of Ilorin, and for each Nigerian scholar who dared to consider {that a} completely different future was inside attain.

Pushing previous each ‘no’

One to steer and permit others to observe, success for Abikoye is greater than private achievement—it’s about creating influence.

From the second she stepped into the company world, she has embraced challenges as alternatives to develop.

“What I’ve sacrificed essentially the most is time,” she mirrored. “I’ve all the time been intentional about what I commit my time to, understanding that each second spent studying and rising would finally repay.”  

But, she genuinely loves her job; anybody can inform from how electrical she sounds when explaining why the world wants extra actions in direction of sustainability.

“The job challenges me to assume critically, to be strategic. I get to satisfy C-suite executives, be a part of main discussions, and see firsthand how international methods are formed,” she stated.  

Each convention she attends, each coverage dialogue she listens to, deepens her conviction that change is feasible—if the appropriate methods are in place.

Maybe essentially the most defining trait of her success is her resilience, which she says is what younger professionals have to compete at elite monetary establishments.

“I’ve acquired so many ‘no’s in my life. However I all the time preserve making an attempt,” she stated. “When you’re keen about one thing, it’s important to preserve pushing for it. Even in the event you fail, perceive what went mistaken, alter, and preserve shifting ahead.”

Making room for others

Abikoye’s success didn’t simply open doorways for herself—it flung them huge open for others. A kind of folks is Knowledge Odusanya, one other College of Ilorin graduate who now works as an infrastructure finance analyst, a coveted function, at a high UK funding financial institution.

“For each transaction we undergo, we’re both advisors or lenders,” stated Odusanya. “And there’s all the time a deal group for this; the deal group will include an MD, a director, a VP, an affiliate, and an analyst. As an analyst, my function is to evaluation the monetary mannequin, and perform due diligence to check money circulate sensitivities and get our group and the financial institution snug with any mission we undertake.”

As I’m not fluent in finance-speak, I attempted to get Odusanya to un-confuse me. His job is like working at a enterprise capital (VC) agency the place you’re main due diligence evaluation efforts on startups and markets, after which recommending offers with potential higher returns on your agency to pursue, he affirmed as I drew analogies.

“Besides that we cope with infrastructure belongings, and at instances these are with sovereigns,” he stated with a chuckle.

After we spoke, Odusanya appeared like he had clearly mapped out a profession in international finance from a younger age. But, he says the function Abikoye performed in his confidence is much too nice to miss.

And there are others like him; since Abikoye made the bounce from Unilorin to international finance, 4 others have adopted in her footsteps, securing roles at high international funding banks within the UK.

“Grace Abikoye confirmed us that it wasn’t inconceivable. Earlier than her, we solely admired these large corporations from afar. She made it tangible for us,” Odusanya stated.

“It wasn’t even till I received to the UK that I realised that there have been others earlier than Grace who secured high roles at international banks,” Odusanya added. “However Grace was essentially the most seen. She was the president of TIS Unilorin at a time when the society was simply taking off.”

Like Abikoye, Odusanya was a part of TIS, the place he served because the director of analysis when Abikoye was president. He grew to become the president shortly after, succeeding Abikoye within the function.

In contrast to Abikoye, Odusanya had a finance background. He studied Accounting and graduated as one in every of Unilorin’s Students. He, too, secured an internship that took him to a world UK financial institution.

Abikoye wasn’t in any respect shocked that others from her college have adopted in her footsteps. Earlier than she started her journey into international finance, she knew what her win would imply for others. She knew the visibility mattered—that seeing somebody with a shared background rise to the highest could possibly be the spark others wanted to consider they might do the identical.

“Nigerians can compete with graduates from goal faculties,” she stated. “They simply have to develop the appropriate expertise, place themselves, and keep relentless.”

* Editor’s observe: On the request of the people featured, the names of the worldwide banks they work for have been omitted.