Dr. Tunde Lemo, former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has reflected on the difficult circumstances of his early years, revealing that he spent his entire primary school education walking barefoot because his family could not afford shoes.
Speaking during an interview on The Legacy Series on Thursday, 23 July, 2026, Lemo recounted how financial challenges defined his upbringing and explained that owning footwear did not become a reality until he entered secondary school in 1972. He said attending secondary school came with a compulsory dress code that required him to wear canvas shoes for the first time.
Recalling those years, Lemo said, “We had it very rough at the beginning. We trekked all through my primary school, I had no shoes. We were walking barefoot to the school it was when I got to secondary school that it became compulsory that I had to wear a canvas. That was in January 1972.”
The former CBN deputy governor’s account highlights the difficult realities faced by many Nigerian children in previous decades, particularly those from low-income families who struggled to access basic necessities while pursuing education. Despite the challenges, Lemo eventually rose through the ranks of Nigeria’s financial sector, serving in one of the country’s highest banking positions.
