By Funsho Arogundade
Since his resignation in October last year as the managing director and chief executive officer of the Bank of Industry, BOI, Olukayode A. Pitan has gone off the radar. Pitan’s sudden departure as BOI helmsman surprised many clients of his bank and some players in the nation’s financial sector, especially given that his second term of five years only began on 27 May 2022. Of course, there was no official disclosure or media report of any undercurrents that triggered Pitan’s resignation. But not a few who are aware of Pitan’s antecedents in Nigeria’s banking and finance sector are really bothered. Ten months after, the top banking chieftain is back in the spotlight. This time around, not in any banking boardroom but as a shepherd of an elite parish of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, City of David, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Pitan’s appointment was ratified by the governing council of the church during its just-concluded convention at the Redemption Camp. His promotion and appointment put a closure to the reign of Pastor Idowu Iluyomade at City of David Parish. Before now, Pitan was the pastor-in-charge of the Tabernacle of David of Region 51 and was also the regional pastor. Spotlight learnt Pitan was chosen to lead that elite parish because of his pedigree in the corporate world. It is expected that he would be able to manage the Trinity Tower project very well as well as the church.
Pitan, who had his graduate studies in the United States, came back to Nigeria about 37 years ago and worked in CitiBank from where he resigned to set up a Finance House. Pitan later lost over $3 million after the finance house collapsed in 1993. That experience led him to be more committed to Christ. He gave his life to Christ at Rev. Tunde Joda’s Christ Chapel International Churches in Lagos but later switched to RCCG where he has spent 27 years. He has risen through the ranks in the church before he was appointed by the church to head one of the flagship parishes: the City of David.