In his usual manner, Bright was sitting in a green area behind the building. He returned from a business trip few hours earlier. He removed his shirt, having only singlets on as he held a newspaper he bought while on his way home. The weather is cool. The breeze was conducive. The dogs are in their cage backing while the birds are gathering in their numbers on the trees surrounding his compound. He was intermittently sipping his class of juice.
His point of call was the business page of the newspaper. He has interest in real estate and banking.
"This is really a hard time for the economy globally, the stock market is in decline. It really requires a lot of brain work to remain on top of the chart now." Bright was thinking of all of these when his daughter, Joy opened the gate and sighted his father at his usual spot.
"Dad!" Joy shouted as she rushed to hug her father.
Joy, the first among three children is in year 3 in the University. She was studying Economics. She has two younger brothers. She is tall, beautiful and sharing much semblance with her father.
How was your trip? She asked her father.
My trip was very successful. There is a big challenge in global economy presently. There is inflation and this is having a big toll on purchasing power of the people. The country is going through a hard time. I spoke on the role of shareholders in sustainability of the banking sector. The government also has an important role to play. Ease of doing business is important for the rate of investment in the country which also dictates the financial strength of the people to invest and save. Participants from many business interests spoke and I believe that there is a better future for us in this country and globally.
Bright spent further couple of minutes briefing his daughter about the investment conference he went for.
Aftermath of the successful conference, couple with his status as the leading investor in banking in the country, his next day in office was greeted with media representatives waiting to interview him on the prospect of the economy and the resolution reached in the conference.
Clad in a black suit with a blue tie to match, he welcomed the journalists to his office. The question and answer session began shortly after and at a point one of the journalist asked a question a bit outside the economic issue. He said;
"What are you doing about continuity? You may soon talk of retirement, what are your plans?"
In his response, he gave insight on what the investors and entire public should expect.
My daughter is being groomed to take over from me. She's already my personal assistant while she is rounding up her degree in the University. I am confident that she will take the business to a lofty heights when the time comes for me to hang the boot and rest."
The following day, several sensational captions like "My daughter is taking over from me - Bright group CEO" took the front page of many national dailies. It was blown out of proportion because of the societal belief that a girl child is not fit to inherit her father's business or properties. A boy is taken as the one with such rights and privileges. Bright believed on equal right for the male and female child.
To hold on to his conviction and to prepare Joy to take over when the time comes, he started attending both local and international conferences with her. Joy was fast learning on such business exposures.
Immediately Joy finished her degree, she was deployed by her father to a branch of his banks as a staff to have more experience before taking up any leadership position. He was working directly with the branch manager.
Barely six months into the deployment, she brought some changes to the branch to the point that the customer figure grew by over 10%, the first of it's kind.
In one of the father's official visits, he was impressed at the level of the loyalty of the entire staff to the organisation through the innovations of Joy.
Addressing the gathering of the staff, bright poured out encomiums on Joy and the entire staff of the bank. Right there, Bright announced some shakeups in the leadership echelon. He posted the manager of the branch to head a new branch while he made Joy the manager to fill his place.
Joy held the position for five years before Bright retired and made Joy the CEO of the company.
Five years of Joy as CEO recorded a milestone in the history of the company. In one of such landmark achievements, she invited her father to give a speech in the opening ceremony of the bank in the fourth country since taking over.
Today, I am fulfilled. I am not just happy because of the achievement but also because you vindicated me that gender doesn't matter in delivering results. Decades ago when I hinted the media that you were going to take over from me, many people reached out to me and majority questioned my resolve. Most of them argued that when you get married, everything would be disrupted and I should, as a result of such fear, let my first son - your junior brother - take over from me. I said to myself that I won't deprive you of such privilege because you are a girl child. I thank God that today, your brothers are proud of you. Your husband is proud of you. I am proud of you.
In response, the gathering shouted;
We are proud of you
The country's headquarters was opened successfully and Bright was able to disabuse the mind of people especially in Africa from relegating female to second class because of their gender.