Nigeria, June 26 -- The United Bank for Africa (UBA) Chairman, Tony Elumelu, has reflected on the intense scepticism he faced early in his career, specifically regarding his acquisition of Crystal Bank in 1997.

Speaking in an interview with the US-based media platform, The School of Hard Knocks, the 63-year-old recounted how industry critics dismissed the move at the time, labelling him a "joker" for his bold investment.

Mr Elumelu, who rebranded the struggling financial institution as Standard Trust Bank (STB), later led a historic 2005 merger to acquire the larger, more established UBA. Addressing the criticism he faced, he remarked, "You know, when you do extraordinary things, people think you're stupid. I said to my team then, even ...