Umar-Sadiq Becomes New NSIA MD/CEO as Orji Leaves

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

Mr Aminu Umar-Sadiq has been appointed as the new Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA).

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Mr Umar-Sadiq, a statement from Mr Yunusa Tanko Abdullahi, the Special Adviser on Media and Communications to the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, confirmed on Tuesday, October 4, 2022.

Also appointed are two new executive directors for the agency, Mr Kolawole Owodunni and Mrs Bisi Makoju. They are all expected to help steer and transform the investment and infrastructure industry and propel the sector to a high pedestal.

Mr Umar-Sadiq was chosen to head the organisation following the expiration of the tenure of Mr Uche Orji on September 30, 2022. He was first appointed to the position on October 2, 2012. He served two terms of five years each.

Before becoming MD/CEO of NSIA, Mr Umar-Sadiq was an executive director and Head of Infrastructure. He obtained a Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Engineering Sciences from the University of Oxford (Saint John’s College), Oxford, United Kingdom (UK). He is Archbishop Tutu Leadership Fellow (ATLF) and Mandela Washington Fellowship (MWF).

Mr Umar-Sadiq commenced his professional career in Mergers and Acquisitions M&A) focused on Infrastructure and Energy at Morgan Stanley Investment Bank, proceeding to Infrastructure-focused private equity at Denham Capital Management, all in the UK.

He has worked on several projects, including the Presidential Fertiliser Initiative, an import substitution program for delivering one million high-quality, lower-cost to farmers at lower cost metric tons of fertilizer.

He was also a part of the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund, an investment fund focused on actualising five strategic nationwide projects in the transportation and power sectors. He has a vast experience in the investment and infrastructure industry.

On her part, Mrs Makoju is a financial expert with vast experience in financial risk management, while Mr Owodunni is a professional of 18 years standing in the financial services sector with an emphasis in investment management, risk management and treasury.