Suji Mustapha grew up against humble beginnings in south-western Nigeria and through sheer hard work, managed to get a university degree in insurance. He started working for Swinton Insurance, a British broker that opened a Nigeria office, where his boss Lorraine Alexandria took a fancy to him.

After a whirlwind affair, Lorraine and Suji got married and moved to Britain together at the end of her contract. Their marriage, however, could not stand the rigours of the UK and very shortly after arriving in London, they split up, leaving Suji penniless and homeless.

Despite all the odds stacked against him, however, Suji laboured on, studied, worked hard and became the first African-born director of a merchant bank in the City of London. Battling against formidable obstacles all the way, like a laser-guided missile, Suji remained focused on his objective and stayed the course until he reached the very summit.

Black Ladder is a novel penned by Ayo Akinfe whose previous works include “Fuelling The Delta Fires”. Ayo, a prolific writer and journalist, is the online editor of Nigerian Watch newspaper. He is also a socio-political analyst and community activist. The novel will be launched in the UK soon.