She is quick to reject any accounting or audit assignment/project brought before her, especially if she suspects the books have been cooked to meet the client’s expectation, even if the prize for the job is a whopping one billion naira.
For Mrs. Fola Ogunsola, a thorough-bred professional, who has practically excelled in the male-dominated world of accounting, it is unethical for a client to dictate how she should do her job.
Some areas of my profession can be very challenging, especially where I am, because corruption has crept into professionalism such that people compromise a lot.
Often times, I have found myself in the midst of people who want to compromise; a lot of our colleagues out there compromise
She believes as a professional, she must stand her ground, state things as they and recommend what should be done. And this she sees as a major challenge in her career.
Ogunsola says, “Most times we are about signing up a project, and they come up with dictating to you, in such instances, I back off because I cannot compromise and this is a major challenge I have in my job.
Moreover, it is disheartening to find out that it is the men in the profession that have always compromised in the accounting profession; it is such a shame.
“When you come across those who want to do the right thing, they come to me confidently because they know I don’t compromise.”
This is the world of Ogunsola, a Fellow of the institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of
Taxation of Nigeria, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Finesse Consults, Lekki, Nigeria and Houston, Texas, USA and Founder, Fola Ogunsola Foundation, which has been providing micro finances to aid Nigerians in their quest for skill acquisition. She has also handled the audit and account books of Federal parastatals and agencies.
She takes pride in being a self-motivated, hardworking and result-oriented
person.
Ogunsola says, “I work in an audit firm, having trained as an accountant. I have a degree in Accountancy. I am into management consulting. I major in the consulting part of accounting. I train, set up accounting systems, set up internal control, ensure compliance, do financial reporting and, of course, I do more of investigation.
“Coping in that profession requires a lot of energy because we can be numbered. We have very few women in my field. You need to be very determined that you will succeed in it, otherwise, everything points to the fact that you may be forced to quit or give up. But then, you need to face
it.
“One thing that stands out for me is my finishing skills, because I believe in putting finishing touches to whatever I do in my proposals, presentations , delivery and I believe to stand out, you have to keep competing. As a professional, you need to deliver on time and make sure it is high quality work or
service.”
Speaking further about her profession, she explains, “Some areas of my profession can be very challenging, especially where I am, because corruption has crept into professionalism such that people compromise a lot. If you set up an internal control and you are to do a review and evaluation, you need to be very objective and not biased and often times, I have found myself in the midst of people who want to compromise; a lot of our colleagues out there
compromise.”
However, maintaining the balance between her marriage and her profession has remained another major challenge she’s still grappling with, as she has to go to bed late due to her being busy with some household chores and wake up early for the office the
next day.
Ogunsola explains, “Most times when I get home from work in the evening, I just go straight into the kitchen, start cooking while still fully dressed in my corporate suit. Once the cooking is ongoing, then I go to pull my dress because I know if I do that before going to the kitchen, I may find it too tiring to cook for that day. I try to actually manage my time well despite the fact that I live a
stressful life.
“Though it is now a lot better because my kids are grown. My last child is 21 years old and also, I have been able to narrow down some activities because I feel I don’t need to do them anymore. But then, I must say that has been helpful for me in balancing marriage and professional career and also being able to do some kind of socialisation.
But with good time management, I achieve a lot. My 10am is 10am, my 2pm is 2pm.
If I give you an appointment and you cannot meet up, you need to let me know. It is always productive to be a stickler for time management.”
In her assessment of the country’s financial sector, the financial/management consultant says, “It was really bad before, but things are getting better, because now government and the private sector are focusing more on documentation and, of course, the fact that we are into so much of Internally Generated Revenue, which calls for more of our
work.
“So, professionals are now busier as things are getting better and, of course, we now have a lot of resources to work with; competition is higher these days as we now have a lot of people coming into it. We have new people, the old hands who are
saying this is the way things should be done. We have a lot of resources and a lot of regulations to provide more jobs for more people in the profession. So, the market is getting wider and
wider.”
Ogunsola, however, advises the youths to have positive attitude towards everything in life to enable them to achieve their
goals.
“And also, youths must learn to take their time. There is no shortcut to success, so far you have a positive attitude to whatever you do and consistent
with it. Then, they will achieve success,”
she says.
