Professional and Working Career
Kikelomo had her NYSC with the Nigeria Industrial Development Bank (NIDB) on Broad Street, Lagos in 1988/89. Through hardwork, diligence (even as a Youth Corper), she was recommended as a young Accountant to Avon Cosmetics at Ilupeju Industrial Estate, Lagos. She assumed the role with infectious enthusiasm, displaying diligence, effectiveness and comps in her assigned work schedule. Whenever she represented her boss at the Management and/or Board Meetings, she displayed unusual preparedness, organization, uncanny mastery of numbers and aura of calmness that endeared her to the Chairman of the Board, Dr Kole Abayomi (then Director General of the Nigeria Law School). He wondered how she was able to combine such beauty with brain whilst from faraway “bush” Ekiti. He practically adopted her as a “daughter and mentee” from that moment. Dr Kole Abayomi recommended her to be interviewed for the position of an accountant at the newly formed Ibile Holdings Limited (the investment company of Lagos State). She was engaged as a pioneer accountant in the Finance & Accounts Department. Her diligence and strength of character (trust, integrity, honesty, dignity, transparency) shone brightly to all and sundries and she became the favourite and most valued staff of the company during her working life with the Ibile Holdings Ltd. Kike worked for 23 uninterrupted years with Ibile Holdings and progressed to hold the positions of Senior Accountant, Head of Finance & Accounts, Head of Admin & Personnel, Managing Director, Lasbulk Nigeria Ltd (a subsidiary of Ibile Holdings) and Group Management Controller (GMC) of Ibile Holdings Ltd. As GMC, she was practically the engine room as well as the gate keeper, safeguarding the resources and assets of the company. At Lasbulk Nig. Ltd, Kikelomo displayed admirable resilience, dexterity and resourcefulness in bringing a moribund company back to life, developing and introducing products that became renown within a short period in Lagos. Whilst her posting to Lasbulk was to enable the power that ‘freedom of the park’ at the Head Office, she turned Lasbulk into a honey pot within a period of three years through creativity, innovation and self-belief. In no time, Lasbulk became a beautiful bride that all wanted to manage. She was returned to the Head Office and Lasbulk was given to one of the anointed to manage and the rest is history. Kike was regularly saddled with seemingly intractable challenges
and always delivered to the best of her ability. For example, she was the project lead in Ibile Holdings that delivered the Lagos State Plate Number equipment and its installation. She led the team that identified sand dredging as a lucrative business and led the inspection to New Orleans, USA and eventual procurement of a dredger and commissioning, and opened a new line of business for the Company. Kike voluntarily retired in 2013 after meritorious and unblemished service to Ibile Holdings Limited. She established and started Blue Ribbon Events & Hall to provide hall rental services for events, meetings and worship centre. With the proliferation of halls around her location, she quickly realized that she had to offer much more than hall rentals. She adapted and diversified the business to include decoration materials rentals and outright full decoration services. She poured herself into the business with full focus and resources that within a short period, BlueRibbon became a vibrant brand and a reference point for quality and latest decoration materials and distinct and personalized decoration works. Kike enjoyed the smile of satisfaction and contentment on the faces of her clients when a decoration brief was delivered even at a loss to her company or even if she had to subsidize the project from her purse. She always claimed that success is better measured in the satisfaction of clients who will sell the company to others where good gains could be made. As a credit to womanhood, industry, dedication and unblemished self belief, Kike grew BlueRibbon from a modest gratuity of #10m and a family loan of #50m, to a business worth over #750m in 10years at the last valuation in 2023.. Her greatest source of joy in the business is the army of young ladies and girls she trained, mentored and supported in the industry to start, grow and stand on their own. They are everywhere today, making waves and mentoring others to greatness. They were responsible for the decoration of the hall where the service of songs was held during her funeral rights to honour her memory. Of course, she had significant challenges and setbacks in the business, enough to pack up and give up, ranging from staff diverting businesses to themselves, convincing clients to pay into their personal accounts, conniving with customers to defraud, using BlueRibbon materials to execute for themselves briefs that was meant for the company, outright stealing of materials, sabotage, etc, but she soldiered on, unwavering in the pursuit of her dreams and goals.
what kike represents
Christianah was dedicated to her family. As a daughter, loving spouse, devoted mother, and friend who treated everyone like family, she poured her heart into every role she played. Her love knew no bounds. Her family was her foundation—the source of her strength and the place where her deepest joys resided. It is impossible not to imagine more occasions she would have celebrated with them – the moments that would have filled her heart with pride. Taken too soon, she left us wondering what could have been.