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Like Tajudeen Fola Adeola, her husband and co-founder of GTBank Plc, Hajara Adeola is a thriving professional. Hajara, who is the CEO of Lotus Capital Limited —a Nigerian pioneer firm in Shari’ah compliant Asset Management, Private Wealth Management Advisory Services and Financial Advisory Services— has made a remarkable stride in the finance business in Nigeria. As a billionaire’s wife —and also very liquid on her own rights and effort— her modest way of life is not in doubt.
Her Islamic background notwithstanding, Hajara is known to be dressed to the nines even though her clothing and matching accessories are not loud and extravagant. Blessed with a trim physique, not a few admire the ease with which she moves about whether at work or otherwise. Often in company with her husband who adores her, the duo is a model couple. Yes! The Fola Adeolas are a model couple both domestically and professionally. The story of Fola in the evolution of Nigerian banking industry is well documented. He has established his mark on the sands of banking time in Nigeria and abroad. Owning a successful bank is not a mean feat for anybody to achieve, and starting one while being in one’s early 30s makes it even more exceptional. It takes grit, ambition and business acumen to pull off such an achievement —and these are all traits that Fola had in excess when he co-established GTBank in the late 80s. Now Hajara, his adorable wife, has jumped into his corner. Like her husband, whenever she sees a business proposal, what excites Hajara is not the money that can be made, but the impact on society. And with over 20 years’ experience working in top tier global investment banks in the UK and Nigeria, Hajara has stepped up the plate with the coming of her Lotus Bank Limited which secured a non-interest banking licence from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) early this week.
Hajara’s Lotus Bank is the first non-interest bank to commence operations from South-West Nigeria with a focus to serve people of all faiths. This follows the bank’s determination to deliver alternative options to interest-based banking and cater to the needs of the banked, unbanked, and underbanked population. And the industry stakeholders are already warm towards Hajara, given her pedigree as the top industry expert in Islamic fund management in Nigeria. Prior to founding Lotus Capital, Hajara previously worked with Arthur Anderson Consulting (now Accenture), UBS Warburg, BNP Paribas and ARM Investment Managers. With solid academic qualifications including MSc Finance (Durham University); MBA International Management (Exeter University) and BSc Pharmacology (King’s College, London); Hajara has been instrumental to the development of Islamic finance products in the capital market and the issuance of the Sukuk bond in Nigeria. Despite her busy schedule as a financial big shot, Kogi State-born Hajara —nee Atta— still has time to look after her husband and their six lovely children all doing well in their various careers.
