Chartered securities dealers in Nigeria have mourned the passing on of a frontline stockbroker, Venerable Olu Odejimi who was called the Doyen during his active professional practice.
Odejimi who died at 78 was the founder of Clearview Investment and Company and Vicar of All Souls Anglican Church at Lekki.
Addressing securities dealers at the Special Session organized by the Council of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS) held virtually, the President, CIS, Olatunde Amolegbe explained that skill, integrity and forthrightness were some of the sterling qualities that made Odejimi towered above his peers during his lifetime.
“ I believed what endear our Doyen to our heart the most was his voicing of the innermost thoughts of those without a voice about the most current issues of the day to the people in authority in a powerful way and without being objectionable.”
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The former Director-General, The Nigerian Stock Exchange, now NGX, Professor Ndi Okereke-Onyuike, described Odejimi as a colossus, saying the Nigerian financial market had lost one of its brightest.
“ Venerable Odejimi was an accomplished multi-dimensional professional. He was a renowned Chartered Stockbroker, Consummate Banker and tested Compere. He was a walking encyclopedia who turned every event organized by The Nigerian Stock Exchange (Now NGX) and quoted companies to an avenue for celebrating stockbrokers as the topmost operators in the stock market value chain.
He reminds the management of quoted companies that pricing of shares on the secondary market is contingent on the company’s performance, demand and supply and market hearsay.”
Responding to all the encomiums showered by stockbrokers, his son Mr Tosin Odejimi expressed gratitude to the stockbroking community on the show of love to the family and pledged continued partnership with stockbrokers.
Stockbrokers generally eulogized Odejimi, especially his erudition, carriage and ability to hold audience spellbound at any event.
He attended Federal School Statistics, India and later attended the University of Westminster and Institute of Statistics both in the United Kingdom on scholarship. On his arrival to Nigeria, he worked with the Federal Office of Statistics till 1973. He later joined the defunct NAL Merchant Bank (now Sterling Bank) and rose to General Manager before he retired in 1993. He was appointed the Acting Managing Director of First Interstate Merchant Bank from 1993 to 1995 where he resigned and set up Clearview investment and Company in 1996.
