My takeaway from Ike Anya’s Small by Small book reading

Tunde Oyedoyin is a personal finance coach and founder of UK-based  Money Intelligence Coaching Academy, a specialist academy of personal finance. He can be reached as follows: +447846089587 (WhatsApp only);  E-mail: tu5oyed@gmail.com

Yours truly has always enjoyed being out on a Friday night. Reason being that it’s that time of the week that you get to attend to the social side of things and perhaps let your hair down .

So, popping out to the London Gallery and Photo Studio in Canning Town on the penultimate last Friday (23rd) of June for Ike Anya’s medical memoir, “Small by Small – Training to be a Doctor in 1990s Nigeria”, was something one actually looked forward to.

Quite pleased that being there was worth its weight in gold. There were a number of takeaways from the event, and majorly the theme behind the title, “Small by Small.”

According to Anya, those three immortal words were a lesson from his grandmother, who, during his University of Nigeria, Nsukka and earlier days, drummed it in his ears that one can achieve a lot in life through ‘small by small’ efforts.

The doctor cum author reiterated this on the night, noting that getting the book from manuscript to being printed was a journey of ten years.

Being on a journey resonated with me in that there’s a parallel with financial freedom, which as it turned out, is the mission of Money Intelligence Coaching Academy. In other words, becoming financially free is a journey. It doesn’t happen overnight even if you use Artificial Intelligence.

Well, except your half-brother is Alhaji Aliko Dangote or you’ve recently discovered that you came out of Femi Otedola’s loins. Or perhaps, if Elon Musk becomes your father-in-law; if you don’t belong to any of those three, you’re not likely to achieve financial freedom in a short time. It could be months or a few years, though. But it’s going to become a reality through ‘Small by Small’ steps. Big up, Dr Anya and please say me well to mama for her now immortal words.

How helpful is your bank?

Yours truly had been thinking of making some noise on behalf of one of his banks, before then reading Dr Patrick Dele Cole’s agonising experience in the concluding part of the piece – “CBN, Politics and the travails of bank clients 2” – which the former Nigerian Ambassador wrote in the Guardian newspaper of Friday, June 23rd.

Interestingly, l read that on the way to work in the morning before later attending Anya’s book reading in the evening.

Writing to his account manager, the retired Ambassador said: “I keep asking you to send me my balances. You haven’t in over a year. Please send my balances. Thanks, God bless, PDcole.” He continued : “I repeated the request for my balances on the 4th and on the 8th of January 2023. I said; “I still haven’t received the balances, what programmes do you have for elderly clients like me at 82 years old? Thanks. God bless.”

Here’s the thing. After reading about their lousy service and what GTCO Bank put the 82-year old former diplomat through just for making an inquiry that didn’t cost an arm to provide, one was wondering if that branch of the bank shouldn’t be closed for three days to serve as a lesson in customer service. But seriously, the particular staff member and her manager should be banished to do a refresher course at Idumota market for seven days.

Lest I forget, the reason one had wanted to make some noise on behalf of his bank is because they shared their profits with account holders. Though the amount may not last you all day long nor follow you back home if you accompany your wife on a shopping trip to Oxford Street, Nationwide Building Society deserves a mention for remembering the little guys.

“Every little helps “ should be what you experience only when shopping at Tesco. Wished all UK and Nigerian banks remember the little guys when they declare profits.