Tucked in the quiet contours of Ilorin, a city in Nigeria’s North Central, the University of Ilorin (Unilorin) has stood for half a century as an academic beacon. Now, with the rise of remote work and a new generation of talents, it’s becoming something more—a launchpad for global ambition. No, it has become a place where deserving students, regardless of their backgrounds, nourish their wildest dreams to work in the best global financial companies.
The university’s merit-based system rewards the best-performing students, whom they call “Scholars,” creating an ecosystem where excellence isn’t just encouraged but expected. At the heart of this culture is The Investment Society (TIS), a student-led organisation existing across different universities that grooms young Nigerians for careers in global finance.
One such student was Grace Abikoye, who now works full-time at a leading global investment bank and seconded on a global sustainability initiative in the UK.
“For context, if I were to compare my job to a role at a top Nigerian financial institution, I’d say I work somewhere in strategy,” said Abikoye. “My role involves more of strategy and project management. While I was briefly exposed to the trading floor during my internship before transitioning to a full-time role, I’ve mainly worked in business support, interfacing with regulations, strategy, and executive coverage.”
Beyond her day-to-day role in strategy and project management, where she’s managing relationships and projects, developing strategies, and travelling rather infrequently—but necessarily—she’s stood for years as an inspiration for many students after her.
But her story isn’t the typical high-flying finance trajectory—it’s one of audacity, a calculated risk to abandon the familiar and dive into a world that, for many Nigerians, seems impossibly distant.
A win for TIS, a win for Unilorin
Abikoye’s path to securing a full-time role at a prestigious global investment bank was not straightforward. She’s had to persevere, position strategically, and commit to learning from scratch, she said.
As an Agricultural Economics undergrad, her introduction to the financial sector began during her time at Unilorin, where she actively sought out opportunities beyond the lecture room. She had joined societies like TIS and attended networking events.
The turning point came when she applied for an internship at a top global investment bank. She’d applied and failed to secure a spot multiple times before she landed one early in 2021. The internship, a rigorous ten-week programme, exposed her to global markets, where she rotated on the linear rates trading and FX sales desks.
“I struggled a bit with the core financial concepts at first,” she admitted. “But I realised I had a strong ability in relationship management and strategic thinking. I leaned into those strengths.”
Her resilience paid off. Despite the challenges, she made an impression on her managers and was offered a full-time position while still an undergrad at Unilorin—a fully sponsored opportunity.
After her internship, she participated in programmes such as the BCG Aspire Programme and the CFA Research Challenge which strengthened her understanding of sustainability and finance — two areas that would later prove instrumental in the role she specialises in today.
Beyond her core responsibilities, she has found immense value in exposure to leadership at the bank and initiative.
“I support executives with key stakeholder meetings. It gives me the opportunity to understand industry policies, innovation, and the thought processes of leaders,” she said.
She also attends major global industry events, which have expanded her perspective on finance, sustainability, and Africa’s development.
“Recently, I attended the International Energy Week Conference, and it was amazing to see how different leaders think about energy transitions and challenges,” she said. “I always try to relate what I learn back to Africa: how can it be implemented? How can Africa’s economy grow?”
This forward-thinking mindset has become a defining trait of her career—always questioning, always strategising, and looking for ways to bridge global insights with local impact.
Her success wasn’t just hers—it was a victory for TIS, for the University of Ilorin, and for every Nigerian student who dared to believe that a different future was within reach.
Pushing past every ‘no’
One to lead and allow others to follow, success for Abikoye is more than personal achievement—it’s about creating impact.
From the moment she stepped into the corporate world, she has embraced challenges as opportunities to grow.
“What I’ve sacrificed the most is time,” she reflected. “I’ve always been intentional about what I commit my time to, knowing that every moment spent learning and growing would eventually pay off.”
Yet, she genuinely loves her job; anyone can tell from how electric she sounds when explaining why the world needs more actions towards sustainability.
“The job challenges me to think critically, to be strategic. I get to meet C-suite executives, be part of major discussions, and see firsthand how global strategies are shaped,” she said.
Every conference she attends, every policy discussion she listens to, deepens her conviction that change is possible—if the right strategies are in place.
Perhaps the most defining trait of her success is her resilience, which she says is what young professionals need to compete at elite financial institutions.
“I’ve received so many ‘no’s in my life. But I always keep trying,” she said. “If you’re passionate about something, you have to keep pushing for it. Even if you fail, understand what went wrong, adjust, and keep moving forward.”
Making room for others
Abikoye’s success didn’t just open doors for herself—it flung them wide open for others. One of those people is Wisdom Odusanya, another University of Ilorin graduate who now works as an infrastructure finance analyst, a coveted role, at a top UK investment bank.
“For every transaction we go through, we are either advisors or lenders,” said Odusanya. “And there’s always a deal team for this; the deal team will consist of an MD, a director, a VP, an associate, and an analyst. As an analyst, my role is to review the financial model, and carry out due diligence to test cash flow sensitivities and get our team and the bank comfortable with any project we undertake.”
As I’m not fluent in finance-speak, I tried to get Odusanya to un-confuse me. His job is like working at a venture capital (VC) firm where you’re leading due diligence analysis efforts on startups and markets, and then recommending deals with potential greater returns for your firm to pursue, he affirmed as I drew analogies.
“Except that we deal with infrastructure assets, and at times these are with sovereigns,” he said with a chuckle.
When we spoke, Odusanya seemed like he had clearly mapped out a career in global finance from a young age. Yet, he says the role Abikoye played in his confidence is far too great to overlook.
And there are others like him; since Abikoye made the jump from Unilorin to global finance, four others have followed in her footsteps, securing roles at top global investment banks in the UK.
“Grace Abikoye showed us that it wasn’t impossible. Before her, we only admired these big firms from afar. She made it tangible for us,” Odusanya said.
“It wasn’t even until I got to the UK that I realised that there were others before Grace who secured top roles at global banks,” Odusanya added. “But Grace was the most visible. She was the president of TIS Unilorin at a time when the society was just taking off.”
Like Abikoye, Odusanya was part of TIS, where he served as the director of research when Abikoye was president. He became the president shortly after, succeeding Abikoye in the role.
Unlike Abikoye, Odusanya had a finance background. He studied Accounting and graduated as one of Unilorin’s Scholars. He, too, secured an internship that took him to a global UK bank.
Abikoye wasn’t at all surprised that others from her school have followed in her footsteps. Before she began her journey into global finance, she knew what her win would mean for others. She knew the visibility mattered—that seeing someone with a shared background rise to the top could be the spark others needed to believe they could do the same.
“Nigerians can compete with graduates from target schools,” she said. “They just need to develop the right skills, position themselves, and stay relentless.”
* Editor’s note: At the request of the individuals featured, the names of the global banks they work for have been omitted.
