The banking hall provides room for exciting mental engagements, a percentage of bankers especially in the marketing sector find this thrill and the following adrenalin rush to meet monthly and quarterly targets.
The ability to fight through challenges resulting in a task accomplishment is a thrill for most and they wouldn’t give up the white suit, tie and corporate life for anything.
This was the case of Hon. Melie Onyejepu whose banking career is better described as a game of chess, he knew when to move his puns and when to drive with his queen to become one of the most successful bankers of his time. It was at the peak of his career, that the governor sent for him to come to Anambra State to render his service.
Civil service from a general point of view is a laid back job, for some, it does not come with mentally challenging tasks, it is supposedly peaceful, serene and non-compete with bottle neck bureaucracy and redundant overbearing bosses.
Hon. Onyejepu was said to share a fraction of the same believe but according to him, Gov. Obiano told him something that made him drop his 17 year banking career for civil service- “Let us build Anambra State together, i have visions for the state, you are one of the smart young men I would want to join me”
Hon Sir Melie Onyejepu
Melie said he thought deep about it and realised that in all his banking journey, one thing has remained nagging at the back of his mind the need to serve the people of Anambra state, creating a better society for the state where he was born and bred and spent majority of his early years. He has been an ardent follower of the political sector and often imagined if he had the power to make changes, what changes he would make.
Governor Obiano presented him an opportunity to do the one thing he has been yearning for, he made up his mind that regardless what comes out of it, serving his people is paramount. Being a banker for years afforded him the ability to move with the paradigm shift, at every point life presents a twist, he came ready.
Appointed as the special assistant to the governor, he realised that just like the banking hall, civil service in his cadre required smart people, diverse thinking persons who have fertile grounds to groom development, just like banking required turning branches around, so did civil service.
As a man who has always loved challenges and doing new things, he saw a flair of same in the civil service sector, a different world from what he was used to, he put on his thinking cap to the system to see what he could do differently to turn it around, he saw it as an opportunity to produce result without seeing failure as an option.
Narrating what it felt like he described his experience with the workers, he saw them as tools to drive development with potentials they could only imagine.
He has never been a proponent of sacking a poor performing staff. He would rather train, redirect, or caution even discipline accordingly; one thing is certain, he will bring out the best in any given staff without threat to sack.
He reiterated that what was needed in the civil service was simply a paradigm shift, the people there are highly experienced professionals who have spent years of study in their given sector.
He built in them the consciousness that if they put in their best, it is for their own benefit because if the state made more money, had better output, the state would be willing to increase their salaries, pay minimum wage, promotions, allowances and other benefits.
He also said he never experienced redundancy in himself, he kept learning and growing. Moving from the banking hall to civil service was not a day’s decision but it definitely was worth it. His career journey as a civil servant in Anambra state was a hill and a storm, this will be covered on www.anaedoonline.ng stay tuned.
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