Two Directors Join Fidelity Bank Board After CBN Approval

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

The board of Fidelity Bank Plc has been expanded following the addition of two directors; Mr Henry Ikem Obih and Mr Kenneth Onyewuchi Opara.

A statement issued by the financial institution disclosed that while Mr Obih is joining the board as an independent non-executive director effective September 21, 2020, Mr Opara is coming as an executive director from January 1, 2021.

“Both appointments have been approved by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN),” the statement dated Sunday, October 4, 2020, and signed by the company secretary, Ezinwa Unuigboje, disclosed.

Mr Obih joins the board of Fidelity Bank with significant cross-functional work experience and exposure spanning over three decades across different climes including Africa, Europe, Asia and the Americas.

He has extensive experience in project and performance management, manufacturing and operations management, sales and marketing, strategy and business.

Mr Obih who retired from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in 2019 as the Group Executive Director/Chief Operating Officer (GED/COO), Downstream, holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) and an MBA in Financial Management from the University of Bradford, Yorkshire, England.

In July 2020, he was appointed to the Board of Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG).

On the part of Mr Opara, he has over 29 years’ experience in banking and worked at various financial institutions including legacy Omega Bank Plc, Equatorial Trust Bank Plc and Manny Bank Plc, before joining Fidelity Bank Plc in 2006, following its merger with Manny Bank Plc.

His appointment to the bank’s board is in furtherance of the succession plan for executives and the CBN’s earlier approval of the appointment of Mrs Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe (who currently serves as the executive director, Lagos and South-West Directorate), as the succeeding Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the lender, with effect from January 1, 2021, upon the retirement of the incumbent MD/CEO, Mr Nnamdi Okonkwo, on December 31, 2020.

Mr Opara holds a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree in Finance and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from UNN and a PhD in Credit Management from the International University of Panama.