Bimbo Roberts-Folayan is a Nigerian IT professional whose career has spanned through banking and telecommunication sectors. He had his first degree from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), and later bagged his master’s degree in Information Systems and Computing from Greenwich University, United Kingdom. Folayan holds the British Computer Society (MBCS) Chartered IT professional (CITP) status with several other qualifications.
Folayan has worked with The Guardian newspapers as a publisher of UK based tabloid called ‘The Main Issue’. He has poised himself as an African man with a rare social conscience who has initiated and participated in the execution of various activities, and partners with others with the lingering aim of promoting democracy, good governance and the development of the Diaspora community.
He was a pioneer staff of the ‘People’s bank of Nigeria and became an associate with its Chairman and Managing Director Pa Tai Solarin and Mrs. Maria Sokenu respectively in disbursing small-scale loans to Nigeria in the 1990s. Also as the program manager of the bank, Folayan was saddled with the responsibility of setting up bank branches, centre and the disbursement of micro business credit for local communities in some parts of Nigeria between 1989 and 1991.
Folayan has since been able to accrue tremendous expertise cutting through public and private sectors both in Nigeria and in the United Kingdom.
His IT consultancy in the UK has availed him the opportunity to participate in several bank and telecommunication merger projects across the UK and parts of Europe. Some of his clientele include Ulster bank IBM, Tesco, Sainsbury’s marks $ Spencer, Royal Bank of Scotland, Nat West Bank Halifax Bank and Bank of England amongst several others. He was part of the team that completed the harmonization and re-branding of NTL, Telewest, and Virgin Telecoms (Virgin Media), and also the merger of Nat west Bank with other financial institutions with the Royal Bank of Scotland brand. He is the senior partner of ABN based in UK in the UK.
At the home front, Folayan was the chairman of the Ekiti Economic and Investment Forum (EEIF), an Economic and Development think tank, President of the Association of Nigerian IT professionals in the UK (ANITP), member of the National Think Tank in Nigeria/ Diaspora UK nominee to the Nigeria vision 2020 board. He is the past chairman of the Central Association of Nigerians in the United Kingdom, (CANUK). CANUK is the umbrella organization of the hundreds of Nigerian professional, cultural, states, welfare based and social organizations in the head of the entire Nigeria community in the UK. Folayan is the founder and CEO of Nigerian Diaspora Direct Investment Summit (NDDIS).
The UK based IT professional is currently working as an independent IT special in Europe.
Folayan has been widely recognized for his contribution to development and nation building. They are; Appreciation award, Nigeria sociological and anthropological association, university of Lagos 2002; Career achievers award, Greenwich university London, 2005; Patron, association of Nigeria students, Luton University, London, 2005; Serikin Yakin (King of War) of Kkagara town, Niger state; Garkin Knowanpada (member of emirs palace) of Kotangora town, Niger state.
