Billionaire businessman and Chairman of United Bank for Africa (UBA), Tony Elumelu, has shared that hard work, intelligence and determination alone do not always guarantee success.

Speaking during an appearance on the Korty EO podcast, Elumelu said luck played an important role in his own journey, even though he remained prepared to take advantage of opportunities when they came.

He explained that after graduating from Ambrose Alli University with a Second Class Lower (2:2) degree in Economics, he did not meet the minimum requirement of a 2:1 needed for a position at Allstates Trust Bank.

Instead of giving up, he wrote a personal letter to the bank's owner, insisting that he could outperform candidates with better grades if given the opportunity.By chance, the letter reached the CEO, who invited him for an interview and eventually offered him the job.Elumelu described this moment as a turning point in his life.

He later became a branch manager at the age of 26 and went on to lead the acquisition and transformation of Crystal Bank into Standard Trust Bank before overseeing its merger with UBA in 2005.

According to him and members of his team, this experience inspired the creation of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, which aims to create opportunities for young African entrepreneurs by giving them access to training, mentorship and seed funding.The foundation has trained more than 2.5 million entrepreneurs across 54 African countries and awarded non-refundable seed grants of 5,000 US dollars to over 24,000 businesses.

His comments have generated debate online, with many people agreeing that success often comes from a combination of preparation, bold decisions and favourable opportunities rather than talent alone.