Yes, nobody forgets the first time they meet Princess Lami Samira Adeyemi. In fact, no one moves close to her without coming out a better person. There is a sphinx-like quality to her. Her genius burns with an intensity that no earthly contrivance can tame. Oyin’s humanity is universal and it is without religious, tribal or any other primordial boundaries. Such is her altruistic traits that honours have not ceased being bestowed upon her from numerous organisations, clans and kingdoms.
She projects that shrewd, indefatigable spirit that shepherds the greatest of men to most enviable heights. Wealthy and connected, yet, modest and obliging, the Harvard-trained Oyin Adeyemi exudes the savvy of the ancients, the type of spunk that spurred medieval Amazons to dare and surpass exploits that were the exclusive preserve of men. Some women are like sapphire, they glow as the brilliant blue gem thus colouring the world with their craft. Some are sassy as teens and cute as amber studs. Some are like coral clasps-pretty, yet disposable. But beneath the glamour and amidst the glitter, Oyinda is an emerald cut.
Curiously, however, her story, therefore, pulsates with pleasurable lore of labour, perseverance, reinvention and accomplishment. Effortlessly, she personifies a classic success story of the woman who grew to be a titan under the heavy weight of daunting odds, along the torturous path to acclaim.
Princess Adeyemi, the Group Managing Director of Still Earth Group, did not cut corners on her way up the ladder of success; she paid her dues by working at various times in some top Nigerian banks. She then tried her hands in the retail fashion business, travelling to England to bring quality products; and later, as a realtor assisting clients in different aspects of the real estate business including rentals, sales and purchase. Thereafter, she found her life’s ultimate purpose in the construction industry when she established Still Earth Group with a vision to develop the country’s infrastructural base by responsibly executing every project it is entrusted with while creating real benefits for the communities it serves by adopting a principled and uncompromising approach to its professional and value standards.
The company also aims to be an international market leader, preferred general construction contractor that is globally recognized while achieving consistency and proficiency in the delivery of outstanding services and adding value for clients through professionalism, pro-activity, creativity, transparency, timeliness and qualitative performance.
In the past decade, the company’s clientele base has become an eloquent testimony of how prolific and professional it has been. Still Earth has a portfolio of completed projects and satisfied clients that are in both the public and private sectors including Julius Berger Nigeria, Dangote Refinery, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd, Oyo State Government, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Lagos State Government, Ekiti State Government, Akwa Ibom State Government, Delta State Government, Federal Ministry of Transport, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, Niger Delta Power Holding Company Limited and many others in the public and private and sectors.
A patriotic yet realistic believer in Nigeria and her people and potentials, Ms Adeyemi could just as well sit back and be satisfied with her multi-billion naira construction company but her matchless, can-do spirit has seen her continually ideating and innovating. She has recently diversified into the finance sector with the establishment of Still Earth Capital Finance, a multi-faceted financial services company offering tailored financial services and solutions to individuals, companies and the public sector.
The Victoria-Island, Lagos-based company provides a diversified range of financial services including Consumer Finance, Commercial and SME Finance, Corporate Finance and Financial Advisory and Wealth Management Services. Its mission statement is to provide outstanding services to its clients through the use of technology and leverage its principal officers’ significant experience and track record covering investment banking, commercial banking, project and infrastructure finance, business strategy and transformation in meeting its wide range of clients’ needs.
She is also is the Chairperson of a Leadership Advancement initiative called the Green Renaissance, which is partly useful in complementing her desire and drive for leadership and excellence in leadership in her organisation.
One major area that Still Earth has also thrived in is its workforce. Ms Adeyemi has marshalled her team well by activating and directing the positive energy of her people to achieve excellent results. She has continued to invest in qualified talents and thus leads a workforce of trained and tested individuals helping to achieve her different companies’ objectives, one of which is, “To work together as a team to achieve success on every project for our clients, through the professionalism, diligence and hard work that we profess and promote.” Regular training of personnel in new methods and technology is the sine qua non of the corporate ethos of the Still Earth companies and this originates right from the leadership by Ms Adeyemi and radiates and permeates right through to the lowliest employee of the company.
Born to a Yoruba father from Owo, Ondo State and a Hausa/Fulani mum from Gombe State, a racial diversity that has proved advantageous in an ethnocentric society as Nigeria’s, Ms Adeyemi possesses a Bachelor’s in Political Science and a Master’s in Political Economy & Governance from the University of Abuja. A well-rounded project management professional with an Owner/President Management (OPM) degree from the prestigious Harvard Business School; Ms Adeyemi is the winner of the African Leader of Integrity Merit Award – Excellence in Corporate Governance & Service Delivery from Accra, Ghana, among other coveted honours and recognitions across Nigeria and beyond.
Her multilingual, multi-ethnic upbringing has made her a bridge-builder which enables her to feel free at home in the Northern or South Western part of Nigeria. Fluent in both Hausa and Yoruba, Ms Adeyemi has built a solid reputation as one of the few entrepreneurs without an ethnic bias, which makes her such a distinctive and appealing business leader. Though classy and fashionable, she is not the kind of executive you meet at every occasion; highly intellectual, she prefers negotiating complex deals and explaining the intricate genius of construction to spending time at social events. She is, indeed, a respectable business amazon that is worthy of emulation.
