Jobs/Appointments
Ecobank Nigeria Appoints Female Board Chairman
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
A woman is now the Chairman of Ecobank Nigeria Limited and she is Mrs Bola Adesola, a banker with over three decades in the banking industry.
She is one of the three females appointed to the board of the lender, according to a statement issued to newsmen on Wednesday. The other non-executive directors selected to join the board are Mrs Titilayo Olujobi and Mrs Bimbola Wright.
Mrs Adesola is leading the board of Ecobank Nigeria following the expiration of the tenure of Mr John Aboh, who has transformed the financial institution since assuming office some years ago.
“I am honoured to be appointed as Chairman of the Board of Ecobank Nigeria. I am familiar with the brand and the proud history that is built on a strong foundation across the African continent and indeed globally,” Mrs Adesola said of her appointment.
Speaking further, she expressed a desire to work closely “with the other members of the board and executive team as we continue our journey to be top in the Nigerian market, by setting the standards in financial services for our customers.”
“I would also like to express my thanks to my predecessor, Mr John Aboh, a consummate and respected banker for a very successful tenure and wish him all the best for the future,” she further stated.
In his remarks, the Managing Director of Ecobank Nigeria, Mr Patrick Akinwuntan, welcomed the new board leader and the two other appointees on behalf of “the entire staff and management of Ecobank Nigeria.”
“We will give them our full support in ensuring the actualization of the Bank’s strategic plans in Nigeria,” he assured, thanking “Mr John Aboh who recently retired from the board after successfully completing his tenure of office.”
According to him, while Mr Aboh was in charge, “the bank made remarkable progress in growing its market share and repositioning Ecobank Nigeria for leadership in the Nigerian financial services sector.”
The new directors, according to the statement, are expected to move the company higher with their “wealth of experience in the financial services industry, their professionalism and integrity, that has earned them international respect.”
Mrs Adesola has commendable leadership qualities and successfully driven expansion initiatives in several banks. She retired from Standard Chartered Bank as the Senior Vice-Chairman, Africa.
Prior to this role, she was the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer for Standard Chartered Nigeria and West Africa for eight years with oversight over the bank’s West African subsidiaries, including Ghana, Cote D’Ivoire, The Gambia, Sierra Leone, and Cameroun.
Mrs Adesola was also the Chairperson of the Board of Standard Chartered Bank Mauritius and a Director at Standard Chartered, Ghana.
She had also served as an Executive Director, Corporate Banking and Executive Director Lagos Directorate at First Bank of Nigeria; Managing Director, Kakawa Discount House, Nigeria.
An alumnus of Harvard Business School and Lagos Business School, she also holds a Law degree from the University of Buckingham, UK and is an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, U.K and Nigeria amongst others.
On her part, Mrs Titilayo Olujobi is a well-rounded and experienced professional with nearly four decades of experience in Public Accounting, Banking, Training Facilitation, Business Consulting and Coaching.
She is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and a Certified Professional Coach of the International Coaching Federation (ICF).
Mrs Olujobi, who is currently Non-Executive Director of IBFCAlliance Limited, started her professional career at Z. O. Ososanya & Co and Coopers and Lybrand (now PriceWaterhouse Coopers) where she led audit assignments and consulted on tax issues.
She was at Nigeria International Bank Limited (now Citibank Nigeria Limited) as a Management Associate and rose through the ranks across multiple positions to become Vice President (Deputy General Manager).
She was Managing Director, IBFCAgusto Training Limited; Executive Director of IBFCAlliance Limited after the merger of IBFCAgusto and Alliance Consulting. She holds a B.Sc. Degree in Economics from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University).
Mrs Bimbola Wright is a transformative and human-centred professional with 33 years of banking experience in top financial institutions, over 20 years of which was at senior leadership levels.
She is currently an Executive Director with Wright & Co Limited, a management consulting firm based in Lagos; Chairperson of the Board of Arami Essentials; member of the Institute of Directors, where she sits on the board of IoD Centre for Corporate Governance; and Fellow of the Nigeria Institute of Management.
Her career commenced with NAL Bank Plc (now part of Sterling Bank), from where she moved to Kakawa Discount House which was later acquired by FBN Holdings Plc to become FBNQuest Merchant Bank; she was an Executive Council member of Women in Management, Business and Public Services (WIMBIZ). Bimbola holds a B.Sc in Human Biology from Surrey University, an M.A. in International Relations from the University of Kent at Canterbury.
By Adedapo Adesanya
President Bola Tinubu has appointed Mr Shamseldeen Babatunde Ogunjimi as the Acting Accountant General of the Federation (AGF).
This was contained in a statement on Tuesday by presidential spokesman, Mr Bayo Onanuga.
“His appointment is effective immediately following the pre-retirement leave of the incumbent AGF, Mrs Oluwatoyin Sakirat Madein,” a part of the statement read.
“In announcing Madein’s successor, President Tinubu ensures a seamless transition in the administration of Nigeria’s treasury and consolidates the implementation of the present administration’s treasury policy reforms,” the statement added.
Mr Onanuga said Mr Ogunjimi brings over 30 years of extensive experience in financial management across the public and private sectors.
He described the appointee as a career civil servant and the most senior director in the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF),
“He has held significant positions, including Director of Funds at the OAGF and Director of Finance and Accounts at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“A chartered accountant, certified fraud examiner, chartered stockbroker, and chartered security and investment specialist, Mr Ogunjimi’s academic qualifications include a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Accountancy and a Master’s in Finance and Accounting,” the statement added.
According to Mr Onanuga, President Tinubu expressed his confidence in his appointment, saying, “The Office of the Accountant General of the Federation is pivotal to our nation’s treasury management operations. Mr Ogunjimi’s wealth of experience and notable competence will ensure the continued effectiveness of this vital institution as we advance our economic reform agenda.”
President Tinubu also commended the outgoing Accountant General of the Federation, Mrs Madein, for her dedication and selfless service to the nation.
After reaching the civil service’s statutory retirement age, Mrs Madein is retiring effective March 7, 2025.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has dismissed claims of forced mass retirement as part of efforts by Governor Yemi Cardoso to restructure the workforce of the organisation.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the Acting Director of Corporate Communications, Mrs Hakama Sidi Ali, clarified that its Early Exit Package (EEP) is entirely voluntary and without any negative repercussions for eligible staff.
According to the statement, the decision to implement the exercise was the outcome of extensive consultations with the bank’s Joint Consultative Council (JCC), a body representing staff interests.
Mrs Sidi Ali explained that the EEP, a longstanding policy previously accorded to the executive cadre, has now been made available to eligible staff at all levels.
“For some time, staff representatives through the JCC had called on management to approve the early exit package for all cadres. Following these discussions, management decided to meet this popular demand,” she said in the statement.
Addressing concerns about potential repercussions for staff who decline the package, Mrs Sidi Ali reaffirmed management’s commitment to supporting employees’ professional growth and well-being, describing the concerns as unfounded.
She further emphasized that the initiative is an internal corporate matter designed to promote career development for staff.
According to wide spread reports, there have been plans to retire approximately 1,000 employees by the end of the year with a payoff estimated to cost over N50 billion.
The mass retirement, which was announced in a circular issued three weeks ago, mandates affected employees to apply for the Early Exit Package (EEP).
The statement allegedly warned employees with less than one year of service or unconfirmed appointments to refrain from applying for the program, noting that the application would remain open until December 7, with an effective exit date of December 31, 2024.
It was reported that the entire EEP was valued at N50 billion.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has approved the appointment of Mr Benson Ogundeji as the chief executive of Greenwich Merchant Bank Limited.
The board of the financial institution for businesses had picked Mr Ogundeji as its substantive CEO but awaited the authorisation of the banking sector regulator.
He brings over three decades of extensive banking experience to this role as a seasoned financial services professional, who previously served as Executive Director at Greenwich Merchant Bank from July 2020, where he played a pivotal role in the bank’s successful transition from the legacy Greenwich Trust Limited to a merchant bank.
In this capacity, he provided oversight for Corporate Banking, Treasury and Global Markets.
Throughout his career, Mr Ogundeji has demonstrated exceptional expertise in business development and operational excellence.
Before joining the firm, he held various senior leadership roles at prominent financial institutions, including Ecobank Nigeria, GTBank, and other notable banks, where he consistently displayed exceptional leadership skills.
His appointment comes at a crucial time as Greenwich Merchant Bank commences the next phase of its growth plans. Having related closely with the new CEO, as an Executive Director and acting CEO in the last four years, the board has expressed confidence about his ability to lead the bank in delivering our strategic goals.
“The board is pleased to announce the appointment of Benson Ogundeji as our Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer,” the chairman of Greenwich Merchant Bank, Mr Kayode Falowo, stated.
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