A lodestar for his peers… Tokunbo Abiru wins The Capital’s Public Servant of the Year
Abiru’s legacy is one of transformation. His brilliance first unfurled like a banner in the banking sector, where he proved himself as the architect of resurrection for failing financial institutions
Tokunbo Abiru stands as a rare, towering exemplar of transformative leadership. In an age where integrity oscillates like a weather vane, Abiru’s consistency is a breath of fresh air. Unswayed by transient winds, his compass is fixed on the North Star of service.
This consistency and unswerving dedication to the public good, has made him a lodestar for his peers. While others court chaos, Abiru courts clarity. His narrative of public service plays like a melody—each note, a deliberate act of governance; each crescendo, a victory for the people.
Like tempered steel forged in the receptacle of service, Abiru has evolved not merely as a public servant but as a statesman, a beacon inextinguishable by the capricious winds of politics. His name is revered in the corridors of power, not out of blind loyalty but from an undeniable recognition of his merit.
His life’s work is not merely a sequence of accomplishments but a masterstroke of diligence and devotion. From the gleaming boardrooms of Polaris Bank to the intricate chambers of the Senate, he has wielded his brilliance with a finesse that commands both admiration and awe. His ascent was not a product of serendipity or the hand of fate alone—it was the relentless climb of a man who turned every obstacle into a stepping stone, every challenge into a clarion call for excellence.
For these reasons, and a hundred more etched in the annals of public governance, Tokunbo Abiru is crowned The Capital’s Public Servant of the Year.
Abiru’s legacy is one of transformation. His brilliance first unfurled like a banner in the banking sector, where he proved himself as the architect of resurrection for failing financial institutions. Appointed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to rescue the floundering Skye Bank, he took the helm with the quiet confidence of a man who knew that true power subsists not in noise but in action. Skye Bank became Polaris Bank—reborn, revitalized, and resilient under his stewardship.
As Managing Director and CEO of Polaris Bank, he took the reins of a collapsing behemoth and steered it toward unprecedented stability. He understood that a leader’s duty is not just to mend cracks but to rebuild foundations—and rebuild he did, with the precision of a master craftsman.
Yet, the tides of destiny were not content to confine Abiru’s genius to the vaults of finance. He was called to higher service, to the arena where laws are crafted and futures are sealed. In the Senate, representing Lagos East, his maturity and sophistication distinguished him as a legislator who did not merely occupy space but reshaped it. Where others fumbled in the thickets of political intrigue, Abiru navigated with the calm of a seasoned mariner, charting courses toward economic reform, financial transparency, and social welfare.
Greatness, they say, has a gravitational pull. So magnetic was Abiru’s prowess that whispers of higher callings began to swirl around his name. Political circles, smitten by his daring and deft handling of sensitive governance matters, considered him for roles of monumental influence. When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was poised to select a Finance Minister, Abiru’s name rose, resplendent and undeniable, to the summit of the shortlist. Though fate’s pendulum swung another way, the consideration itself was a testament to Abiru’s towering competence.
His detractors, blinded by envy, murmured of favoritism—but such cynicism withers in the face of Abiru’s proven brilliance. The world, after all, does not reward mediocrity with such honors. It rewards those whose swords are sharp and whose hearts are stout. Abiru’s heart is a citadel, and his sword is unerring judgment honed by decades of service.
To chronicle Tokunbo Abiru’s journey is to recount the tale of a man who mastered not just industries but ideals. As Lagos State’s Commissioner for Finance under Governor Babatunde Fashola, he engineered the successful floatation of an N80 billion bond—a feat that drew international accolades and solidified Lagos as a beacon of fiscal innovation. He overhauled tax collection systems, bringing efficiency and transparency to processes long shrouded in opacity.
When the thunderstorm of challenges blew his path, Abiru did not flinch; he was the lighthouse that cut through the storm.
Even now, as he strides into his sixties, Abiru’s vigor is undimmed. His maturity is not a weight but a wing, lifting him to new heights of achievement. Those who once doubted now watch with bated breath, recognizing that in Abiru, Lagos—and indeed, Nigeria—has a steward who embodies both the steel of resolve and the gold of integrity.
Abiru’s crowning as The Capital’s Public Servant of the Year is not merely an accolade; it is the people’s verdict. It is a recognition that amidst the noise, one man’s actions have spoken louder than words. He has rewritten the narrative of public service, proving that politics need not be a cesspool but can be a crucible for greatness.
His story is still being written, each chapter richer than the last. If the whispers are true and he ascends to the governorship of Lagos, one can only expect the state to flourish under the hands of a man who knows that true leadership is not about power but about purpose.
In Tokunbo Abiru, we find a paragon—a man who wears the crown not as a decoration but as a duty. And in this duty, he has given us all a reason to believe once more in the majesty of service.
For brilliance unparalleled, for service untainted, for leadership unyielding—Tokunbo Abiru, The Capital salutes you.
(c) The Capital NG
