Former FIRS Boss Ballama Manu Joins PZ Cussons Board

By Dipo Olowookere

A former executive chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr Ballama Manu, has been appointed to the board of PZ Cussons Plc.

A statement from the organisation disclosed that the former tax chief would serve as an independent non-executive director on the board. His appointment became effective on November 21, 2022.

In 2004, Mr Manu resigned as the chairman of the tax agency and told reporters that he was not forced to leave by the then Minister of Finance as speculated, saying he left to return to his former place of work.

Mr Manu, who is the chairman and chief executive of Sicom Capital Services Limited, graduated from the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria with First Class Honours in Accounting. He proceeded to the London School of Economics and Political Science to secure an MSc in Accounting and Finance.

He also sits on the boards of Union Bank of Nigeria Plc and the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC). He is not new to the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited as he was once the acting president of the defunct Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).

Also, PZ Cussons has announced the appointment of Mrs Oluwatoyin Odutayo as an independent non-executive director of the board with effect from November 21, 2022.

Mrs Odutayo obtained a BSc (Hons) in Computer Science from the University of Lagos and an MSc. with Distinction in Information Systems Engineering from the London South Bank University. She also boasts a Master’s in Business Administration from the Cranfield School of Management.

She is a visionary technology leader with over 30 years of extensive experience in technology strategy and digital transformation and was once on the board of Wakanow.com Limited as the Executive Director in charge of technology, where she developed Nigeria’s foremost technology platform for travel sales.

Mrs Odutayo has been the information technology lead at Virgin Nigeria Limited and Oando Plc, where she developed and implemented IT strategies for growth and efficiency.

She is the founder and Managing Partner at Benchmark IT Services and Applications Limited, where she leads technology initiatives for start-ups and SMEs in various sectors, including travel, financial services and lifestyle.