From the series: Leadership Lessons in Sustainability
by Dr. ‘Bekeme Olowola
By all modern standards, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede has “made it.” But unlike most power brokers who remain enshrined in the echo chambers of capitalism or politics, Aig (as he’s popularly called) has made it his mission to build a legacy that transcends wealth. His journey is a rare blueprint for a continent in search of leaders who don’t just rise, but uplift.
Prologue: A Generation in Crisis, a Continent in Question
It’s hard to know what to believe in anymore.
Young people in Lagos, Nairobi, London, and Toronto scroll through TikTok feeds filled with images of war, environmental collapse, political absurdity, and curated luxury lifestyles. In one tab, they’re researching grad school options; in another, watching a meme war over whether “nepo babies” deserve their success or if “lapo babies” (those with no parachutes) are just bitter.
Climate anxiety is now as normal as network failure. Trust in governments is at a historic low. And many boardrooms, despite glossy ESG reports, still struggle to articulate what sustainability truly means beyond PR.
Amid all this, leadership has become performative — sometimes loud, sometimes self-congratulatory, but often lacking in the quiet discipline and institutional foresight that real legacy requires.
In moments like these, it helps to study those who chose differently.
This is where we begin the story of Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede; one that begins not necessarily on a throne of power, definitely nepo, yet on a tarmac, grounded, while watching a plane take off without him.
Scene I. The Tarmac Moment: A Metaphor for a Generation
In Leaving the Tarmac, Aig’s memoir released in 2021, he recounts a now-famous scene early in his young life: he had just been passed over for a seat on a school chartered flight from boarding school by stronger, more hustling peers. It wasn’t just a missed trip, it was a moment of invisibility. One that many young people know too well.
But instead of resentment, he chose resolve. Though that moment on the tarmac was pivotal, Aigboje didn’t arrive at it empty. He came from a household where values were oxygen.
His father, Frank Aig-Imoukhuede, is a respected retired civil servant and lawyer who modelled public service with quiet dignity. His mother, Emily Aig-Imoukhuede (née Ihonde) was a historian, immersed in legacy, context and the power of narrative.
That simple, brutal moment, seemingly standing on the outside of a system, lit a fire that would eventually help him co-lead the historic transformation of Access Bank from a small player into a tier-one Nigerian bank with international acclaim.
The lesson?
Power may be inaccessible today. But systems can be built.
Legacy is not given, it’s constructed, brick by principled brick.
Scene II. The Architecture of Legacy
While many leaders focus on the optics alone — momentary influence, trending interviews, or Forbes rankings — Aigboje’s entire career has been a masterclass in institution-building, whilst uncannily using the media to his advantage, no surprise considering his patriarchial heritage in journalism.
Access Bank: From Vision to Institution
His acquisition and transformation of Access Bank was not about creating a personality cult or short-term market gains. It was about something deeper: proving that ethical leadership, operational excellence, and stakeholder trust could thrive in the African context.
In 2002, at just 36 years old, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede and his friend and partner, Dr. Herbert Wigwe, took a bold step that many considered reckless at the time — they acquired a struggling Access Bank that ranked 65th out of 89 banks in Nigeria, with a balance sheet of only ₦17 billion (approximately $100 million at the time).
With just ₦1.5 billion of their own capital and backing from a small group of believers, they executed what was then an unprecedented management-led acquisition. Most of their peers opted for foreign partnerships or lucrative expatriate roles; Aig chose risk, national relevance, and transformation.
Over the next decade, under his leadership as Group Managing Director/CEO (2002–2013), Access Bank grew into a top-five Nigerian bank, expanded into 9 countries, and crossed ₦1.6 trillion in assets by 2013. It later became one of Africa’s most respected financial brands, renowned for transparency, gender inclusion, and sustainability integration — long before it became a global ESG trend.
This wasn’t just scaling a bank. It was architecting institutional credibility in a post-military economy still plagued by corruption and inefficiency. Aig proved that with integrity, strategy, and values, even the most underdog institutions can become nation-builders.
It was a bet against cynicism …. and he won.
During his tenure as Group MD/CEO between 2002 and 2013, Access Bank became a model for:
- Governance excellence
- Transparent reporting and disclosure
- Strategic sustainability integration
- Gender diversity in executive leadership
- Public-private synergy
The vision was never “just banking.” It was nation-building through finance.
Scene III. Sustainability Is a Legacy Conversation
Today, sustainability has been overrun with jargon. But in the hands of Aig, it becomes something refreshingly human and generational.
Through the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation, he is pouring resources not into spurios events or headlines, but into the one thing that guarantees institutional renewal: people.
His partnership with the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government, for instance, is training African public servants, not to make them technocrats with foreign accents, but to equip them with the tools to rebuild trust in governance. Aig understands that without public sector reform, private sector growth is a house built on sand.
He is also advancing his philosophy of sustainable value creation through Tengen Holdings, a nod to Ten Generations, a long-term investment holding company he founded after stepping down from Access Bank. Tengen is Aig’s direct way of proving that capital can serve legacy, not just returns. It is sustainability at the core — not as branding, but as legacy.
Scene IV. The Three Pillars of the Aigboje Blueprint
Having examined his career journey, I believe there are three non-negotiable pillars in Aig’s leadership philosophy:
- Principle Over Popularity
Aig has never been the loudest man in the room. However, his consistency in ethical leadership, especially starting at a time when it was unfashionable, is indicative that real influence is often quiet and rooted in principle. - People Over Persona
While others build brands, Aig builds leaders. He understands that institutions survive not by the brilliance of one man, but by the preparedness of many. - Systems Over Symbols
Legacy isn’t in plaques or portraits — it’s in structures that outlast you. From Access Bank to the Nigeria Solidarity Support Fund, his initiatives show a deep bias for systems that scale.
Scene V. The Message for Emerging Leaders
If you’re a young African professional, perhaps you’ve had your own “tarmac moment.” Maybe you’ve felt overlooked. Maybe you’re watching the rich kids board first while you’re still hustling to afford the taxi to the airport. Maybe you’re a rich kid who hasn’t felt strong, wily or smart enough.
What Aig’s life says to you is this: don’t dwell on the lost seat on their plane. Build your own airline.
But do it differently. Don’t just hustle to be rich. Hustle to be useful. Don’t just get loud on social media. Get disciplined in your field. Don’t just break ceilings. Build floors for others to stand on.
Because that’s what legacy is.
Epilogue. A Final Word
There are many African billionaires. Many technocrats. Many reformers.
But there are very few leaders who have touched finance, governance, public sector renewal, and sustainability — and managed to remain largely scandal-free, principles-driven, and deeply committed to national service.
Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede is one of them.
And in a time where the world is asking, “Who can we still trust?”, his story offers not just an answer, but a blueprint.
So the next time you find yourself grounded, confused, or overlooked, remember this:
You may still be on the tarmac. But transformation is already boarding.
And Aig has shown us all how to catch that flight.