The excellence of man starts from the first step he takes forward. He levitates ideas and pitches them in a new premise of human understanding. That is what Black men across the globe are known for. They are personas of honor, success, and change. Every Black man in the world means more with his resourcefulness in being the change the world wants to see. A Black man is known to be stereotyped at some time of his life, but regardless of this racial contempt for being Black, their resolve has not been weakened to break through hurds and be the best in their what they do.
In this edition of Duke of the Month, we will be celebrating two men who have carved their crafts and curated an indelible imprint in their respective niches.
Osi Umenyiora
At 16, he was offered an athletic scholarship by Troy University in Alabama to the university team as a nose guard but ended up playing at the defensive end. By the end of his final year in college, he became one of the best players on the team. In the 2002 season, he finished with 15 sacks, which happens to be the second-best score in the ‘NCAA Division I.’ Later, in 2014, he was inducted into the ‘Troy University Sports Hall of Fame.’
With his growing skills, Osi was drafted by the New York Giants in the second round of drafting in 2003. In the first year, he earned the ‘All-Pro’ honor and a trip to the ‘Pro Bowl.’ During his first year with the ‘Giants,’ he earned a good reputation as a premier pass rusher. His amazing performance made him an ‘All-Pro.’ During his first year, he finished with 70 tackles and 14.5 sacks. With that, he was the second-best ‘NFL’ player after Derrick Burgess of the ‘Oakland Raiders.
Following his retirement from the field in 2015, he joined ‘BBC Sport’ as a ‘National Football League’ (NFL) specialist. Since then, he has won many awards for his work as an ace sports presenter.
Daniel Addo
In his office as the CEO of Consolidated Bank Ghana, his leadership of strategic insights and execution have delivered exceptional business growth to create value for customers and shareholders, throughout CBG’s 114 branches. With this feat, Daniel won the 2020 Ghana Industry CEOs Awards as the Most Respected Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of state-owned banks.
Daniel holds an MBA in Finance from the Manchester Business School, UK, and has extensive banking experience having worked in several roles in Standard Chartered Bank, United Bank for Africa (UBA), and First Atlantic Bank Limited.
At different times he was Deputy Managing Director of UBA Ghana, Managing Director of UBA Tanzania, and Executive Director of First Atlantic Bank.
