The Funke Olakunrin I Knew

Olakunrin and Bayo Adeyinka

The late Mrs Funke Olakunrin, left, and Bayo Adeyinka took this picture when they had Jersey Day at work about five years ago.

The late Mrs Funke Olakunrin, left, and Bayo Adeyinka took this picture when they had Jersey Day at work about five years ago.

By Bayo Adeyinka

I met Aunty Funke Olakunrin when I joined the erstwhile Enterprise Bank Limited. She was our Company Secretary while I was the Regional Head of Victoria Island Region. As someone whose responsibility included the Head Office Branch, our paths crossed almost daily.

One event I will never forget was when I had a particular transaction I considered a game-changer but I knew it would be difficult to get it approved due to the unusual transaction dynamics. I went to her office and convinced her. It was a transaction that would get to the Board. She took it upon herself to explain the merits of the transaction. I recall it was her suggestion that assisted in getting the final Board consent. She suggested to the Board to nominate two people to see the project physically before any further decision is taken. That suggestion got me the deal as the visitation report was outstanding. That deal transformed my Region and I ended up getting 2 commendation letters from the MD. Aunty Funke was the architect of that transformation.

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Curiously, she never flaunted her background. While we worked together, I never knew she was Papa Fasoranti’s daughter. I never knew she read my articles which were very regular then. It was when I left for another organization that I knew who she was. That was when I graduated from calling her Mrs Olakunrin to Aunty Funke. We got closer after we both left our former employ. I now became her aburo. She shared so many personal struggles with me.

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