From Security Guard to Facility Officer: Ibilolu Shares his HH Success Story

By Ifesinachi Okpagu

– Some of you may know Ibilolu – the diligent, young man that seems to be everywhere at once around Heirs Place. If you haven’t met him, visit the office and ask for our new celebrity.

Ibilolu is the Facility Officer at Heirs Holdings. In this interview, he shares with me his journey of success at HH from his position as a security guard to receiving a double promotion!

In his words:

Before I became the Facility Officer in HH, I started as a security guard. Before then, I was working with old UBA as a security man.

I was at the gate one night when they called me that they are expecting someone, Mr. Tony Elumelu; that he was arriving to meet the Chairman of UBA then. I felt it was going to be an old man, based on what was obtainable then. I was surprised to see a young man with a bulletproof car and heavy security. I was wondering, “Is this the Tony Elumelu? Not an old man?”

That night I had a rethink…that if I am to work with this man, I have to be very hardworking, resilient, because before someone of his age can get to that stage, he must be a strong and hardworking person.

That same year I went to LASU. Luckily for me, I got enrolled to study Economics. After 5 years, I completed my studies. I wanted to leave my security job to look for something else to do, but something was telling me to calm down.

By then, UBA and STB merged, and our Chairman became the CEO of UBA. I was moved to UBA Marina as a security man. When I was moved, I was wondering if to continue the job, after all I had my papers.  But something kept telling me to stay.

After a while, they posted me to McGregor while they were renovating. They completed the renovation in 2010, and I was still doing the security job. After a while they asked me to supervise the security post since I was a graduate.

But there was a day I messed up. I did not take proper recording of a visitor that came into the building, and I just allowed the person to go in without proper documentation. Owen called me into her office and advised me. She let me know I could move further from that present position. I then took her advice and started handling some admin jobs in addition to what I was doing. I also handled vendor supervision.

Then Victor called me and said since I am doing some admin jobs, why don’t I go for full facility work? I was wondering what he was talking about.

After some time I went to find out what it would take me to get trained, but the money was much; over 100,000 Naira. But Victor kept pressing me, so after about six seven months, I realised that my savings was close to what I needed. I went to Tom & Associates and they gave me the breakdown. Then I went for the training, and I became certified.

So when I came back Victor would give me some jobs to do while I was handling my security job. It was after a while they needed someone in the Facility Management team. Owen called me that since I was already handling some things, I should be assisting Victor.

And that was how I became a Facility Manager.

After a while, Owen called me that since I had improved and the Chairman was happy, that they had decided to increase my salary. I was really happy.

In all this I learnt that you a lot:

• You have to be very hardworking
• You have to know what you are doing
• You have to be ready to learn
• You have to be resilient

Without these there is nothing you can gain. That is my success story.

Seeing Chairman that night was the turning point for me. I was expecting a very old person. He just came in – a young, smart man. At the end of the day, when I got promoted, the Chairman called me and shook my hand and congratulated me.

That was it.

Congratulate Ibilolu in your comments below!

Do you have a HH Success Story to share? Send an email to ifesinachi.okpagu@heirsinsure.com