By Michael Effiong and Eric Elezuo
When the French call someone formidable, they mean tremendous, terrific, awesome and capable. These are words that came to mind when you meet Oyindamola Lami Adeyemi, the Group Managing Director of Still Earth Holdings.
Just a few days after the world celebrated the International Women’s Day and Mothers’ Day, Oyinda, one of the few women who has dared to thread where even some men dread, is a year older – and it is worth celebrating.
She deserves all the encomiums because she is a business amazon who works hard, very hard. Indeed, those who work with her marvel at her strength of character, her stamina and amazing spirit, which they believe comes from her faith in the Almighty.
We gathered that she has reached these great heights due to her penchant for personal and professional excellence. Her uncompromising management style, never taking no for an answer and settling for nothing but the very best has led to the steady growth of her enterprise.
In her lifestyle and the structure of her business, you see fierce competitiveness, strong work ethic and there is no doubt that she is a leader that her staff and team members trust and respect.
She is unashamed of her convictions and faith, and lives a life that consistently reflects her values, day in and day out. She is very respectful, fair but firm and never cuts corners in order to make profit. She does business with an ethical mindset, and this has stood her out from the Pack.
A reserved technocrat blessed with both beauty and brains, Adeyemi was born and raised in Gombe State, North Eastern Nigeria to a Yoruba father from Ondo State and Hausa/Fulani Mother.
Her multilingual and multi-ethnic upbringing have made her a bridge builder which enables her to feel free at home, not only in the Northern or South Western parts, but every part of the country.
Fluent in both Hausa and Yoruba languages, Ms. Adeyemi has built a solid reputation as one of the few entrepreneurs without an ethnic bias, which makes her such a distinctive and appealing business leader. And of course, an epitome of togetherness. It is a unifier like her that Nigeria needs at this time that tribalism and ethnicity has taken over every national conversation.
Though classy and fashionable, she is not the kind of executive you meet at every occasion. She is the cerebral type who prefers negotiating complex deals and explaining the intricate genius of construction to spending time at social events.
The media-shy Ms. Adeyemi, who guards her privacy jealously, has with a combination of tenacity, integrity and ability overcome fierce opposition in entrepreneurship and carved a niche for herself as major player in the fields of construction, real estate and financial services. In fact, since she broke the proverbial glass ceiling, there has been no stopping this Woman of Steel.
Her trajectory is indeed worthy of emulation. It is a testament to her determination and vision.
Over a decade ago, she founded Still Earth Limited which has metamorphosed into Still Earth Holdings, which she presently oversees as the Group Managing Director, with a vision to deliver maximum performance in line with international best practices.
As the years have rolled by, Adeyemi has proved her mettle, developing desired concepts and delivering mega projects across Nigeria.
Highly educated and equipped for whatever tasks ahead, Adeyemi earned her B.Sc. Degree in Political Science from the University of Abuja, and an M.Sc. Degree in Political Economy and Development from the same University. She is also an alumnus of the prestigious Harvard Business School, Massachusetts, Boston, having attended the Owner/President Management Program.
From the earliest days when she desperately sought startup capital to set up her business, even asking from an unknown person at Julius Berger, who turned her down, Adeyemi has come of age.
She said this of her dexterity in one of the few interviews she granted; “I have a determined attitude to life. I am very detailed and I never take anything for granted.”
This ‘determined attitude to life’ shot her up to the highest echelon of human development within a very short time, prompting so many influential personalities she worked with in the early days to assume that she was only a daughter of the owner of her company.
She continued: “But the perception is becoming better these days. All I need to get them to key into the reality of my life is to spend 30 minutes with them. Anyone I engage for 30 minutes leaves with the impression that I know what I am doing.”
It is worthy of note that Adeyemi did not just become the Group Managing Director of Still Earth, she went through the ropes, gathering veritable and verifiable experiences as she climbed the corporate ladder.
Adeyemi kick-started her professional career as a Banker when she joined First City Monument Bank Plc, Abeokuta branch as Banking Operations Officer. Her functions included undertaking general banking operation activities as assigned by the Head of the Head of Operations including cash management.
She left to join defunct Equatorial Trust Bank Limited as the Relationship Manager, Public Sector Group. There, she was saddled with the responsibility of managing all public sector group account and relationships in the bank’s portfolio. Her competence elevated her to the rank of Head, Public Sector Group, (Ogun Region) of the bank, with added responsibilities of coordinating and managing all Public Sector Group activities in the region.
Having garnered loads of experience on the field, she then established Still Earth Limited in Ikoyi, and has remained its Group Managing Director till date, expanding the conglomerate with core principles hinged on service delivery, client satisfaction and staff motivation. She has over the years led in driving direction and leadership in project and construction management and general contracting for the multi-billion naira company.
Her journey to the top has been far from easy. According to her, it was more of perspiration and perseverance “I have years of experience that spans the Banking Sector, Retail Marketing, Public Sector, Oil & Gas and Construction. My story is one of grit, resilience and persistence, which over the years has built a solid foundation to pursue excellence end-to-end and achieve higher goals.”
But how has she been able to navigate the muddy waters of business in Nigeria and has come out clean and unscathed, a reference can quickly be made to a response she gave many years ago during an interview with The Nation newspaper thus: “Our success is hinged on our passion to achieve our company’s goals and objectives. It boils down to our team and the corporate values and culture we uphold at Still Earth. We have in place a Board of Directors comprising veterans who are passionate about Still Earth. They always bring their experience and expertise to bear.
From the outset, Still Earth has had to leap over impossibly high hurdles to reach goals that had boggled the minds of contemporaries and competitors, all thanks to the able and charismatic leadership, coupled with her characteristic style of being decisive, bold and imaginative.
With an undeniably unmatchable can-do spirit, Adeyemi, who believes that the infrastructural deficit in Nigeria needs urgent attention and with a track record as a woman of steel, has proven that chal indigenous companies can achieve amazing results, and she doesn’t compromise good management and leadership.
“Our management is peopled by technocrats whose professionalism can compete with global standard. I have been lucky with having the right people all the way. Our clients have also been a part of our huge success.”
Adeyemi has marshaled her team and workforce well by activating and directing the positive energy of her people to achieve excellent results.
She has continually invested in qualified talents and thus lead a workforce of trained individuals towards becoming a major player in line with the company’s ambitious aspirations.
According to the company “Our objective is to work together as a team to achieve success on every project for our clients, through the professionalism, diligence and hard work that we profess and promote”
Not done with just making a mark in the construction industry, like a typical knowledgeable serial entrepreneur, she has formed other companies and invested in other sectors. One of those new adventures is in the finance sector with the establishment of Still Earth Capital Finance.
That is the reason Adeyemi’s Still Earth pride’s itself as having the ability to deliver projects on budget, on time and with the best quality too!
Still Earth wears the garb of a premier general contractor and is highly regarded as one of the leading engineering & construction companies in Nigeria. The songs of satisfied customers across the country and beyond have remained the testimony behind the greatness Adeyemi and her Still Earth Group team enjoy.
The company assiduously works on major projects, and has successfully completed several in the bargain, both as direct contractors and sub-contractors. With diversified, yet distinguished construction capabilities in the Nigerian market, Still Earth has successfully completed several prestigious projects and continue to participate in large scale projects both independently or in joint venture with international companies
Some of its reputable clients include Julius Berger Nigeria, Dangote Refinery, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd, Oyo State Government, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Lagos State Government, Ekiti State Government, Akwa Ibom State Government, Delta State Government, Federal Ministry of Transport, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, Niger Delta Power Holding Company Limited, many High Networth Individuals amongst others. Certainly, these first-rate organisations cannot be wrong!
The company’s aim is to develop the country’s infrastructural base by responsibly executing every project it is entrusted with, while creating real benefit for communities it serves by adopting principled and uncompromising approach to its professional and value standards. And of course, it takes Corporate Social Responsibility seriously.
Still Earth aims to be a market leader, preferred general construction contractor that is globally recognized. Its focus is to achieve consistency and proficiency in the delivery of outstanding service, while adding value for clients through professionalism, pro-activity, creativity, transparency, timeliness and qualitative performance.
The company’s future challenge in the dynamic market is to take full advantage of its competitiveness and available opportunities. From this perspective, Still Earth has been restructured to become recognized with high competence in the market.
There is no doubt that Still Earth is driven by ingenuity and innovation; it has a human face because the Group Managing Director draws her deep understanding from both human and business dynamics to run an efficient organization. She always ensures to make it about the client and her company and nothing more.
Little wonder the company’s core mission is “To add exceptional, lasting value through our technical expertise, corporate culture and corporate social responsibility to our staff, clients, country and humanity”.
Adeyemi’s personality is not just all business and boardroom, she is also serious about political affairs though not an active participant, and that was why she studied Political Science for her first degree.
“I have always been interested in Nigerian politics, that is why my first degree was in Political Science,” she said.
It is this nationalistic passion that led her to set up The Green Renaissance, a Leadership Advancement Initiative saddled with the responsibility of championing institutional independence and competence in Nigeria.
As a result of her sterling achievements, she has received numerous recognitions and honour such as the African Leader of Integrity Merit Award – Excellence in Corporate Governance and Service Delivery from Accra, Ghana.
As she marks her birthday today, here is wishing Oyindamola Lami Adeyemi many more years of business accomplishments.
