… it’s a celebration of square pegs – Board Chairman
… their contributions to our growth was very impactful
Retiring and new directors of Julius Berger Nigeria Plc shone like a thousand stars a fortnight ago when the Board, management and staff honoured them with a befitting Farewell cum Welcome party that had all the trappings of an industry-wide event in Abuja recently.
In the occasion which had the creme-de-la-creme of the society in attendance, former Executive Director, Administration, Alhaji Zubairu Bayi, and the former Executive Director, Corporate Development, Mr. Tobias Meletschus, were officially sent off from the company while the newly appointed Director of Administration, Doctor Abdulaziz Kaita and his Corporate Development colleague, Mr. Jochen Stolle were formally received into their new offices.
In his short remarks, Chairman of the Board, Mutiu Sunmonu, who described the event as a celebration of square pegs, started by saying that Bayi was one of the great listeners and cerebral executive directors and board members that he has ever worked with.
Reminding the audience that it was a night to celebrate two of the company’s greats, Sunmonu said, Bayi is a very good friend, hard worker and probably one of the longest serving staff of Julius Berger Nigeria Plc.
“When I met him at the time I joined the Board, he was always very willing to help and always making efforts to deliver on any assignment he was given,” he said.
The Chairman further described the former Executive Director, Administration, as always very patient and meticulous at Board meetings
The outgoing Director, Corporate Development, Sunmonu described him as one of the youngest executives to have served at Julius Berger. He said; “I saw him grow into the confident Executive Director that he became.”
The Chairman said it was painful to see him go, adding that “he has left when we have trained him so well adding, his presentations at Board meetings became very powerful.”
He therefore urged Meletschus to take all he had learnt at Julius Berger with him on his future endeavours.
The Managing Director of Julius Berger, Engineer Lars Richter, spoke in similar vein saying that the two retiring directors were epitomes of hard work and success.
On Bayi, the Managing Director said, “the fact that you reached the zenith of your career at Julius Berger underscores your person, persona and diligence. And like the Chairman has just said, you were always willing to help and supportive.
“You were a mediator; you were a guiding light and I hope we can continue to tap from your well of wisdom even in your retirement.”
Adding that Bayi remained an institution on Julius Berger affairs, Richter reeled out a long list of dozens of personal awards and recognitions received by the retiring Executive Director from stakeholders in the industry and beyond to buttress his point.
The Managing Director was not short of words in his encomiums on Meletschus. “He said, like Bayi, your contribution to the growth of Julius Berger was very impactful. It was always relieving to hear you out at meetings and it reflected in the tremendous progress your Team at Corporate Development Department made. We will miss you.”
The outgoing Executive Director, Administration, Bayi said the elaborateness of the milestone event brought out the emotional side in him saying that, I am truly proud to have belonged to the distinguished Julius Berger family.
Recalling his journey through the company in his over 40 years service, Bayi said, “it has been grit and grime as well as thrill and frills. I have run the straight lines, the curved turns, the downhill and uphill fights.
“In all, the great news is that it has been a great sojourn; an experiential odyssey of a fulfilling career and true friendships not only across Nigeria, but indeed across the Atlantic, where I now have a good number of friends across Europe.”
Describing his successor as a brother, Bayi said, Kaita will perform his duties as diligently as required.
In his response, the new Director, Administration, Kaita thanked the Board for his appointment even as he described the Administration department as the backbone of the company.
He continued: “My vision is clear; to foster an environment of transparency, efficiency, and innovation. We will work together to streamline our processes, enhance our systems, and ensure we provide the best possible support to our team and stakeholders.
“Collaboration will be at the heart of everything we do. I believe that by working closely with all departments, we can achieve our collective goals and overcome any obstacles.
Kaita assured members of his team of his leadership support just as he added that, “I look forward to learning from you and with you. Your dedication, skills, and insights are the engine of our department.
“I am here to support you, champion your ideas, and ensure your work environment is both fulfilling and conducive to personal and professional growth.”
Meletschus described his years at Julius Berger as inspiring and instructive.
For his successor, Stolle, his team will be looking forward to continuing the legacy of his predecessor as well as identifying interesting new ventures for Julius Berger and taking us on a growth path on becoming one of the leading diversified companies throughout West Africa.
Acknowledging that there would be challenges ahead, Stolle exuded confidence in declaring that, we are determined to work to strengthen our various units in the Corporate Development Department for the tasks ahead.
“I will look forward to working with us all for the progress and general upliftment of the ideals of Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, even as he said Julius Berger is one of the best companies in the world,” he said.
Valuable gifts were later presented to the two outgoing Executive Directors jointly by the Chairman and Managing Director just as a representative of Julius Berger International presented another gift to the retiring duo, with a photo session by members of the Board and Executive Management following.