By Ebuka Onyekwelu, Ph.D
Southeast Nigeria’s Anambra State-born Ceejay Iyizoba, today marks his 40th birthday. With so many footprints at such a young age, Ceejay deserves nothing but to be celebrated, because people like him are modeling a viable future for younger people.
A graduate of Accounting from Madonna University, topping it up with a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of South Wales, United Kingdom, Ceejay Iyizoba, set forth at dawn. From the age of 20 years, an unfortunate incident that led to the hospitalization of his father forced him to ‘jump’ into his father’s business unprepared. But he quickly learned to strike a balance between his studies and his father’s business, which he managed for an extended time. In retrospect, that period was a remarkable foundation that built the man Ceejay turned out to be. That early experience not only shaped him but also prepared him to play big with that same focus and a sense of balance acquired ahead of time.
Launched into banking in his early career after his graduation, Mr. Iyizoba spent only the amount of time he considered sufficient in banking before moving on from the banking sector to be the man he always wanted to be. A proficient investment banker, he also worked in the oil and gas department of a new generation bank in Nigeria’s commercial capital, Lagos, before he resigned and focused on building his own businesses with a loan he secured from the bank.
Down the line, Ceejay, as popularly called by friends and associates, stands tall as a beacon of hope for young men who dream and a catalyst for Nigerian youths with vision. Through the years, he has carefully carved a niche for himself in real estate, construction, oil and gas, and foreign exchange. So elegant are his accomplishments in his entire sphere of business interests that anyone who plays in major Nigerian markets can attest to the weight of excellence and value that drive his businesses. But, beyond his personal accomplishments, Ceejay is someone driven by a higher value than personal enrichment. For him, “success is not enough.” Instead, “shift to a mindset of impacting lives…is the real deal,” Ceejay said. This, I suspect, captured his guiding principle, which led him into the world of philanthropy, where he has heavily impacted lives, without making a show about it. Ceejay is not just a friend of many because of his success, his heart of service, and humility easily endear him to friends of all ages; people of diverse social, economic, and political persuasions. In Nimo, his community, he is a respected stakeholder and community leader, whose numerous interventions and support speak for themselves.
At 40 years, Ceejay has just stepped into the next phase of his already eventful and exceptionally impactful life.
Happy birthday, Ceejay!
