Vice President Kashim Shettima has felicitated with renowned banker, entrepreneur and philanthropist, Dr Jim Ovia, on his 75th birthday.
In a statement on Thursday, Shettima described Ovia as “one of the quiet architects of modern Nigerian enterprise.”
He said Ovia’s greatest achievement was not the wealth he created, but the institutions, opportunities and people he raised along the way.
The vice president reflected on his longstanding friendship with the founder of Zenith Bank Plc, Ovia.
He said “there comes a point in a successful life when achievement is measured less by accumulation and more by what remains useful to others.
”At 75, Jim Ovia has reached that enviable season of life where the evidence of success is everywhere, yet its most important dimensions cannot be captured on a balance sheet.
”A bank can be valued. Buildings can be priced. Investments can be counted, but how does one put a figure on the confidence given to a young entrepreneur, the education made possible for a child, or an institution built strongly enough to continue without its founder?.”
The vice president observed that Ovia’s remarkable journey offers an important lesson about the nature of enduring success.
Shettima noted that while many people build businesses, only a few succeed in building institutions capable of surviving their own immediate presence.
”Jim understood quite early that enterprise is ultimately an act of faith in the future.
”When he founded Zenith Bank, he was not merely opening another bank; he was making a wager on Nigerian talent, technology and possibility.
”The institution that emerged from that conviction has become part of the architecture of our economy, but what I admire even more is that his imagination did not end with banking, he carried the same belief in human possibility into education and philanthropy.”
The vice president prayed for continued health, wisdom and fulfilment for the banker, adding that “the nation still has much to gain from the experience and perspective of accomplished Nigerians such as Ovia.
”On behalf of my family, I celebrate my dear friend, Dr Jim Ovia, at 75.
”May the years ahead bring him the quiet satisfaction that comes from seeing seeds planted over a lifetime become shade for generations one may never meet.
”I wish him good health, abiding peace and many more years of purposeful service to Nigeria and humanity. Happy birthday, Jim.”