The yuletide season comes to life in Lagos as Zenith Bank Plc lights up Ajose Adeogun Street with the theme “LET THERE BE LIGHT”
This year marks the 14th year since the traditional Light up Ceremony at the Ajose Adeogun roundabout came to be. The official lighting was done by Mr. Ebenezer Onyeagwu the GMD/CEO, Zenith Bank Plc supported by Executive management, staff and customers in attendance.
Speaking during the Light up Ceremony, the GMD/CEO said “Ajose Adeogun Street has come to be recognized by not only Lagosians, but Nigerians in general as an iconic place and tourist attraction because of the beautiful decorations adorning its length and breadth during the yuletide season. In fact, people from all walks of life visit with their friends and families to take pictures of this wonderful spectacle, especially at night and enjoy the ambience of the street and season.”
The light up ceremony came shortly after the ‘Zenith Bank Aspire Music Festival’, which took place in September and is part of the Bank’s line up of events ushering in the yuletide season and end of the year festivities. Others include ‘The Zenith Bank Tech Fair, Style by Zenith 2.0 and Zenith Bank Christmas Youth Parade. These events are in line with the Bank’s retail business drive and continued commitment to customers as they are guaranteed opportunities to network and enjoy discounts on products displayed at these events.
Heritage Bank Plc, Nigeria’s Most Innovative Banking Service Provider celebrated International Men’s Day 2019 themed: “Making a difference for Men and Boys”, with event held at every Experience Centres- ECs (branches) of the bank across the country.
The financial institution leveraged on this theme and coined a personal theme, which is “Break the Ice; Inspire another Man”.
To help chart a path that will champion gender parity in grand style, the male staff had engaging activities which include a men’s bonding/mentorship session with various appealing subject of discussions in the ECs, where the senior colleagues initiated the talks alongside other male staff contributed freely to break into the parity ice; pry into how to excel in their homes, career, mental health, politics, family, education, sports and other endeavours of life. Also, as part of the activities are a themed dressing for the men (Club Jerseys or Polo Shirts on Jeans or Beige Chinos) and a celebration of the men by their female colleagues.
Commemorating the International Men’s Day celebrated annually in various countries around the world, the MD/CEO of Heritage Bank Plc, Ifie Sekibo emphasized that its serves as an opportunity to highlight the issues affecting the male gender and to also appreciate the men around us.
“At the core of our services, we recognise the need for gender equality. As we know that International Women’s Day is observed on 8 March globally. In the same way, there is a day for Men’s on 19th Novembers, which is also observed worldwide. This day highlight the positive difference that men bring to the world, communities and to their families. It also raises awareness about men’s well-being and issues that men face on a global scale,” he explained.
Addressing the Management and staff of the institution, Sekibo who recognised the immense contributions of the male counterparts, noted, “we are proud to affirm that having you men in different capacities working to imbed a difference in this organization have proved you worthy to be celebrated.
“Strong yet supportive, tough yet so kind…You sacrifice all your life for the family to bring a smile on their faces…You toil in the office just to support your colleagues and the organization.”
He, however, assured the staff, “we also understand that having a family and a career can be a balancing act and strive to support all our staff to ensure that each person is able to reach their full career potential while maintaining a good work-life balance. Maintaining a fulfilled workforce is important to us, whilst we conversely ensure that all our clients have the best possible experience.
“So, here’s a special thank you to all our male brilliant staff who are helping to create a more gender-inclusive world.”
Heritage bank did not fail to celebrate its loyal male customers with the bank helmsman, Sekibo via deploying special messages acknowledged their positive contributions to society, community, family, marriage, childcare and to the environment.
As part of sustained efforts to promote ethical values and professionalism within the bank, Fidelity Bank Plc, weekend disclosed plans to participate in this year edition of the Corporate Compliance and Ethics Week. Commencing on November 3 and running up until Friday, November 08, the bank has organised series engagement initiatives that are part of the annual activities around the celebration.
Corporate Compliance and Ethics Week, organised annually by the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics (SCCE) provides organisations with the ideal occasion to demonstrate their extensive and comprehensive compliance and ethics programmes in a manner that strengthens its ideals while educating employees.
Commenting on the celebration, Fidelity Bank’s Managing Director/CEO, Nnamdi Okonkwo pointed out that the bank remains committed to the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in its dealings with customers.
“Guided by the Fidelity Code of Business Conduct & Ethical Policy, we expect our employees to uphold its tenets always, and act in a way that reflects the bank’s principles. We have instituted an Ethics Committee to drive this agenda and intervene in guiding staff when necessary”, he stated.
Okonkwo also promised to put the best interest of its teeming customers first, adding that strict adherence to proper ethical values has helped sustain the bank’s standing as a socially responsible organisation and good corporate citizen.
As part of the Compliance & Ethics Week, the bank will conduct a host of engaging staff activities including trivia contest, quiz and lectures. “The focus is to remind ourselves of the need to imbibe ethical values within the organisation even as we strive to build an enduring institution”, concluded Okonkwo.
Fidelity Bank is a full-fledged commercial bank operating in Nigeria with over 5 million customers who are serviced across its 250 business offices and various digital banking channels. The bank remains focused on select niche corporate banking sectors as well as Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and its currently driving its retail banking businesses through its robust digital banking channels.
Nigeria’s premier and leading financial services provider, First Bank of Nigeria Limited has announced that the FirstBank Lagos Amateur Golf Championship scheduled to Tee-Off on Friday, 15 November 2019 is now listed amongst the golf tournaments in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR). The WAGR isoffered by the R&A and the United States Golf Association as a global service to golf. Through incorporation and assessment worldwide of both amateur and professional events, WAGR™ encourages the international development of the competitive game.
Since 1894, FirstBank has continued to promote the growth and development of sports in Nigeria. Apart from the Lagos Amateur Golf Championship which the Bank has supported for 57 years, the Bank has sponsored the Georgian Cup of the Kaduna Polo Tournament for 100 years. Other sports supported by the Bank include; the Dala Hardcourt Tennis, Kano for 32 years and for over a combined 30 years, the Bank has sponsored and owned the popular Elephant Girls Basketball club – which has remained a dominant force in the Nigerian Women Basketball league for many years – and the Elephant boys football club. The highpoint of these is the 2019 100th unbroken years of sponsoring the Kaduna Polo Tournament, widely attributed as the longest running sports sponsorship in the world and a Guinness Book of Records potential.
The 56-hole golf tournament, to be played over three days would be rounded off with a grand finale and awards ceremony on Sunday, 17 November 2019. Other activities to be held in the course of the tournament are the “Professional Coaching Clinic” to nurture the skills of young and upcoming talents and “Beat the Pro Skills competition”. The 2018 edition which had over 260 golfers in attendance was won by Sam Njoroge from Kenyan.
Speaking on the Bank’s sponsorship of the tournament, Dr. Adesola Adeduntan, Chief Executive Officer, First Bank of Nigeria Limited said; “We are excited at the giant strides achieved with the FirstBank Lagos Amateur Open Golf Championship. The championship is now one of the international golf events where all amateur golfers worldwide can now participate and amass points to aid their WAGR rankings.”
“FirstBank has been in the business of supporting sports in Nigeria throughout its 125 years of existence. We have partnered with individuals and institutions to provide support, not only in the sports arena, but also in Education, the Arts and Small and Medium Enterprises”, he concluded.
Heritage Bank Plc, Nigeria’s most innovative banking service provider, disclosed that Nigeria’s Gold market is worth £4 billion Pounds with high prospects of profitability for all players in the subsector.
The MD/CEO, Ifie Sekibo, who stated this at the Nigeria-Canada Investment Summit, held in Abuja, yesterday also disclosed that the enormous potential of the industry was one of the reasons why Heritage Bank delved into the mining sector despite enormous risks.
According to him, the bank has Dukia Gold as its partner that would facilitate access to local miners and artisans to get value for their commodity at international market price after being registered with Dukia Gold.
Sekibo, who was represented by the Team Lead, Agric Finance and Export, Adelana Ogunjirin, explained that prior to now, local miners of Gold found it difficult to trade their commodities favourably but with the involvement of Dukia and its partner, Heritage Bank, a Quality-and-Quantity test will be conducted based on the arrangement they made with Dukia Gold and that will lead to additional value to the small holder miners. He explained that this will leverage the small miners the opportunity to also trade their commodities at international market price.
He further stated that a metric tonne of Gold is currently valued at $30million adding that it is worth investing in the industry, especially as gold is a kind of commodity that does not easily lose its value.
He said: “Mining sector is an area which has not been fully tapped in terms of the potentials around it, as there are quite a lot of opportunities around that sector. Recently we secured $1 billion funding line with our funding partner AfreximBank, which also is to support areas like solid minerals.
“Now with respect to this we have looked at the value chain of this space and we have looked at the opportunities that are there. A lot of fund providers have not really delved into this and it is because of the lack of understanding of the market.
“In terms of value, gold is an area where you can enhance the value. You hardly see Gold losing value and you see that in different exchanges you even trade those commodities.
“Looking at it in terms of trend, you see that gold is something that will appreciate definitely. So in terms of the profitability of this business, we have looked at it, the crunch, the numbers we see that is a space that the Bank will definitely earn a lot of income.”
He also expressed optimism that other banks would like to come into the Nigerian mining sector, but may be studying to understand the sector properly.
“Definitely other banks will come into the sector. For us we are leading, but the truth is they need to play in an area and space that they understand, as not everybody would be able to play in that space.
“Heritage Bank has already carved a niche for itself in agribusiness space, just like the Gold commodity, this would be exported. So, in terms of export proceeds too, there are opportunities to be explored. Generally, looking at the Nigerian outlook, on the long run, this will also enhance the country’s external reserves. There are multiplier effects of what we are doing today and that is why we are also moving in this direction,” the MD noted.
Also speaking, Managing Director, Nigeria Export-Import Bank, NEXIM, Abba Bello, revealed that the bank had gone into high level discussions with heavy equipment manufacturers and suppliers that would lease equipment to miners for exploration and processing, adding that this was expected to make the equipment accessible and affordable.
Bello said, “For equipment supplier or outright purchase of equipment, we have gone into discussions with Bluecare and now Mantrac for the supply of heavy equipment for gold processing or exploration on lease basis and, it is something that does not exist currently within the industry.
“Barrick Gold and Bullion Mart is something that happen in the mining world. You don’t have to own the equipment, but there are vendors who supply the equipment for explorers to hire.
“Discussions have gone very far with the equipment suppliers and very soon we will announce the programme.”
Meanwhile, the Country Manager, ITM, Nigeria, Habibah Waziri, raised concerns on human resources development that would sustain the sector.
Waziri also said there is need to formalize the sector and also invest in human capital in the sector for growth and development.
R-L: Team Lead, Agric Finance and Export Heritage Bank, Mr Adelana Ogunjirin; Dr. Hadiza Gado; Managing Director /Chief Executive of Nigeria Export -Import Bank (NEXIM ) Mr Abba Bello; Managing Director Dukia Gold, Bose Owolabi and Mr Tunde Fagbemi during NCIS Summit 2019 – Mining Master Class held at Transcorp Hotel AbujaR-L: Managing Director /Chief Executive of Nigeria Export -Import Bank (NEXIM ) Mr Abba Bello; Chief Executive of Bullion Mart, Mr Moniruz Zaman; Team Lead, Agric Finance and Export Heritage Bank, Mr Adelana Ogunjirin; Minister of State for Mine and Steel Development, Dr. Uchechukwu Ogah and Dr. Hadiza Gado, during NCIS Summit 2019 – Mining Master Class held at Transcorp Hotel Abuja
Top global designers and brands will storm Lagos for the “Style by Zenith 2.0” Fair, the second edition of Zenith Bank’s highly anticipated Lifestyle Fair, which holds from Friday, November 29 to Sunday, December 1, 2019 at the Eko Energy City, Eko Atlantic, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Some of the top designers billed to feature at the fair include Tom Ford, Dolce and Gabbana, Tokyo James, Eyola, Mai Atafo, Okunnoren Twins, Ejiro Amos-Tafiri, Telvin Nwafor, Fikirte Addis, House of Kaya, Gozen Green, Trish O, Chulaap, Agatha Moreno, Sunny Rose, Nonnistics, Caesar Couture, Yartel, Orapeleng Mdutle, Mustapha Hassanali and the Fabric Hub, amongst others.
Aside showcasing their designs during the runway modelling sessions at the fair, they will also be participating in the various Lifestyle masterclasses, offering expert opinions on recent trends and designs in the global fashion industry.
Launched in 2018, the “Style by Zenith” initiative was created with the objective of supporting and creating value for customers by focusing on various aspects of their lifestyle.
“Style by Zenith 2.0” caps a year of all-encompassing customer lifestyle engagements by Zenith Bank through events such as the Aspire Music Festival, a musical concert for millennials held in Lagos in September and the Aba SME Fair organised for SMEs in the Aba Fashion Market, Abia State last month. This is in addition to the Light-Up Ceremony of the yuletide decorations on Ajose Adeogun Street, Victoria Island coming up by the second week of this month.
The three-day fair has an interesting line up of activities including runway modelling by leading Nigerian and international models accessorized by top global and Nigerian designers, modelling masterclasses, exhibition of lifestyle, beauty, health & fitness products, food and drinks, games arcade for both children and adults as well as musical concert featuring Nigeria’s biggest artistes.
Fashion One, the leading global fashion and lifestyle channel will once again be working with Zenith Bank on the “Style by Zenith 2.0” initiative.
Registration for the event, which is free for everyone, can be done by visiting www.zenithbank.com/style.
Zenith Bank Plc is recognized as one of the most innovative financial institutions in Nigeria and was voted the most customer-focused bank in Nigeria for the Retail and SME segments in the 2018 KPMG Annual Banking Industry Customer Satisfaction Survey (BICSS). Most recently, the bank won the Best Bank in Retail Banking and the Bank of the Year at the 2019 BusinessDay Banks and Other Financial Institutions (BOFI) Awards, and was ranked as the Best Digital Bank in Nigeria 2019 by Agusto & Co.
The International Women’s Entrepreneurial Challenge Foundation (IWEC) has announced the appointment of Ibukun Awosika to their Board of Directors as its New President. Awosika is the Chairman of First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Nigeria’s Premier and Leading financial services provider.
Mrs. Awosika was elected to replace Miguel Valls, former president of the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce and president of the IWEC Foundation, who passed away last month. “The Foundation is very excited to announce the appointment of our new president,” stated Ruth A. Davis, IWEC Chairwoman and distinguished former U.S. Ambassador. “Ibukun Awosika has been a solid, steady presence at IWEC since its inception, and she is also a past IWEC awardee. Ibukun has not missed one IWEC Conference since 2008 and has lent her voice and experience not only to our conferences, but to our meetings after joining our Board in 2017. We are delighted that our Board of Directors voted on her appointment, and we’ll introduce her as our president at our upcoming 12th Annual IWEC Foundation Conference in New Delhi, on November 10th.”
The Foundation’s 2019 Conference will focus on “Connecting Women Businesses Globally: Leading the Way to Innovation and Integration”. The event would be hosted locally by the FICCI Ladies Organization (FLO) of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), which represents over 5000 women entrepreneurs and professionals across India. This year, IWEC welcomes 39 awardees from 18 countries, with a combined revenue of over US$5.7 billion among all awardees to date.
IWEC Foundation Vice Chair, Carmen Castillo, CEO of SDI International, adds: “Ibukun has demonstrated a significant commitment to IWEC over the years. Her breadth of knowledge extends from being an entrepreneur running SOKOA Chair Centre Limited, to overseeing the board of directors for the renowned First Bank of Nigeria Limited. We are looking forward to her wise counsel and to continuously drive IWEC globally as a source of support, connection and impact for women business owners all over the world.”
Ibukun Awosika heads Nigeria’s premier bank, and she is also the founder and CEO of the Chair Centre Group, an association of large companies in the manufacturing, retail, and financial security services. Mrs. Awosika further holds seats in the corporate boards of Cadbury Nigeria, Digital Jewel Limited and the Convention on Business Integrity, and she is a former chair of several other enterprise boards.
Ibukun is a graduate of Chemistry from University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), Nigeria, an alumna of the Chief Executive Program of Lagos Business School, the Global Executive MBA of IESE Business School, Wharton’s Global CEO Program, and the IESE and China European International Business School (CEIBS). Ibukun is a multiple award-winning entrepreneur and the first Nigerian recipient of the prestigious International Women Entrepreneurial Challenge (IWEC) Award as a nominee of the US Department of State in 2008. Ibukun is also a best-selling author and motivational speaker.
Ibukun was just honoured last month with the International Friendship Award presented at the IESE Business School by the Queen of Spain.
With a view to enhance financial inclusion across the country, First Bank of Nigeria Limited has announced its drive to get up to 500,000 operators on board its agent banking platform. This was disclosed at the opening ceremony of the 12th Annual Conference of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) by FirstBank’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Adesola Adeduntan, who also served as the Chairman of the CIBN 2019 Conference Consultative Committee. The event was held in Abuja on 24 – 25 September 2019.
The CIBN conference themed: “the future of the Nigerian banking industry – 360o” had Professor Yemi Osinbajo, Vice President, Federal Republic of Nigeria as the Special Guest of Honour.
In his remarks, the Bank’s CEO said FirstBank would support all efforts to ensure effective financial inclusion in Nigeria.
According to Adeduntan “we have a very ambitious plan to appoint about 500,000 agents across the nook and cranny of our country and to ensure that banking facilities and services are made available to all Nigerians.”
He noted that the banking sector in Nigeria remained the primary partner to the government with regards to economic growth and development in the country. “If we do not utilise those opportunities and mainstream them properly, the country and the entire economy will be left behind,” Adeduntan stated.
In 2017, FirstBank launched its agent banking network; ‘Firstmonie Agent’, described as its ‘Human ATM’. The Firstmonie Agents are empowered to extend access to finance to all Nigerians, regardless of where they may be across the country. The Firstmonie Agents complement the Bank’s effort at reducing the unbanked in the country, whilst providing a handful of the Bank’s bespoke financial services, including; account opening; cash deposit; airtime purchase; bills payment; withdrawals and money transfer.
According to the Bank, FirstMonie Agents are usually owners of small businesses within communities with limited or no banking penetration. The Bank has an Agent Banking strength of over 31,000 Agents, spread across 98% of the country’s 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs).
Professor Yemi Osinbajo, Vice President, Federal Republic of Nigeria (middle); Dr. Adesola Adeduntan, Chief Executive Officer, First Bank of Nigeria Limited (right); Dr Uche Olowu, President, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (second right); Otunba Debola Osibogun, Non-Executive Director, FBN Holdings Plc and former President, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (third left); Mr. Abdullahi Ibrahim, Executive Director, Public Sector, First Bank of Nigeria Limited (second left); and Folake Ani-Mumuney, Group Head, Marketing & Corporate Communications, First Bank of Nigeria Limited (left) at the CIBN 12th Annual Banking and Finance Conference held in Abuja.
It is the general declaration that human life is priceless and it is expected to be treated as such in every condition. This believe was also at the fore-front of governments’ order to both private and public hospitals that every effort must be put into use should anybody needs urgent treatment to preserve their lives. It is however sad that some supposedly big brands in the country are acting as if the life of some members of their staffs count for nothing.
This discussion was raise in Mushin axis of Lagos State recently and some traders and residents of the town pointed fingers of guilt at one of the leading banks in the country the Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB).
In their argument they claimed that years back, a vehicle belonging to the GTBank allegedly suffer break failure while in motion and in an effort to steer the car away from running into the pedestrians and the roadside traders along the ever busy Mushin/Oshodi road, the car ran into the median demarcating the road and in the process knocked down a pedestrian who was standing to cross to the other side killing the young man in the process.
They continued in their narrations that even while the driver who suffered broken leg and some other degree of injury that sees to him not being able to fend for himself and his family was still struggling to get out the money approved for him to pay for his medical expenses, the bank had made sure their car involved in the accident has been cleared and fixed for use.
Though going after such is not the main issue the speed at which they go about it according to the people was so fast and it seems they put so much value on the car even more than the driver whose condition they said cannot be ascertained as at that period. That incident has been years back now and the bank presently are not employing drivers on their own as such has been outsourced.
If one thinks that the story will be different now that the bank is not directly involved with their drivers now one may have to have a rethink.
The story now is like the Yoruba proverbial witch who had an all girl children, the condition of service of their drivers is suicidal. We were reliably informed that drivers attached to the bank are treated like they are expendable wares some drivers in the pool of the bank narrates how the nonchalant attitude of those in their transport department toward fixing the cars wherever it is faulty is generally responsible for nearly all incident of accidents involving GTBank drivers.
One of the two companies handling recruitment of drivers was given as Ademakinwa Ademiluyi & Co, though information available said FedEx Express has been added but that cannot be confirmed as at the moment we are writing this story. Insider revealed that Ninety-five percent (95%) of the drivers in the bank’s driver’s pool were employed through outsourcing and were prohibited from Union activities as this will contravene the contract signed by their respective employers with the bank.
We further gathered that there is also no provision for health insurance while all the cars they are driving are given premium insurance even though their fixed take home is Forty-Five Thousand naira (N45,000) with no pension plan or any form of gratuity not minding the years spent working for the bank.
It is even worse as the source also stated how faulty vehicles are after it has been reported are forced on the drivers without it being fixed, in a situation our source explained that a vehicle with bad break after it was reported was left unrectified for 4 months with the driver being forced to run errand with it all these while till it got involved in a crash.
With the condition of service which runs through 7 days a week, no pension plan, no health insurance scheme, no chance of becoming a permanent staff, abolishing of trade union activities among the drivers and many other deliberate shortcomings in the treatment of the drivers while all the cars they are driving are given premium insurance is invariably saying the cars to the bank holds more value than the human driving it and this may be the reason faults like that of the car breaking system are scarcely attended whenever such was reported to those in charge of that department in the bank.
One of the financial institutions in the country today, Keystone Bank has one of their top managers enmeshed in financial mess as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Lagos office, has arrested their AGM, Rowly Isioro and his wife Ovuomarhoni Naomi Isioro, a businesswoman, for their alleged involvement in Business Email Compromise, BEC, and money laundering.
A statement released by the commission on Monday, November 4th, says the couple were alleged to have laundered the total sum of One Million and Forty-nine Thousand Dollars ($1.49m) or N0.5 billion which was allegedly transferred to Ovuomarhoni Naomi’s bank account in Nigeria. Their arrest followed a petition received by the Commission from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, through the office of their Legal Attache, United States Consulate Victoria Island Lagos, about their alleged involvement in computer related fraud, stealing and money laundering.
The EFCC in its usual fashion had withheld the name of the bank involved in the story, however checks by The Herald NG showed that Rowly has been under the employ of Keystone bank for 11 years and 3 months. His professional profile on social media show he is still an employee of the bank as the Head of the South Directorate. According to his profile, he is responsible for all business segments (Commercial, Retail, Corporate, Public Sector) in 11 (eleven) states in Nigeria – Rivers, Bayelsa, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Edo, Anambra, Imo, Enugu, Abia and Ebonyi.
His professional profile also reads, “Rowly is a Chartered Banker and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) with over 20 years of banking experience. As a trade and transaction banking specialist with working knowledge in 15 African countries, he has played an important role in growing trade in various African markets and attracting foreign investments into Africa. He has held senior management positions in leading banks in Nigeria and has presented several papers internationally and locally.
“He is currently the Head of South Directorate at Keystone Bank Limited with responsibility for all business segments. Prior to now, he was the Divisional Head, International Banking with specific mandate for delivering trade and transaction banking solutions in the 5 countries where the bank is physically present – Nigeria, Uganda, Liberia, Sierra Leone and The Gambia. He had worked at United Bank for Africa (UBA) as the Head of Global Financial Institutions with responsibility for selling and delivering treasury, cash and trade products across Africa as well as developing and managing correspondent banking relationships between UBA New York and local banks in 15 African countries. He was also responsible for relationships with Export Credit Agencies (ECAs), and Development Finance Institutions (DFIs).
He started his banking career at FBN (Merchant Bankers) Ltd and later worked at FSB International Bank Plc, New Nigeria Bank Plc, and Access Bank Plc. His exposure also includes Commercial Banking/Branch Management, Domestic/Treasury Operations, International Operations, Internal Control and Audit. He holds a B.Sc Degree in Accountancy (Second Class Upper Division) from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and has attended various international courses, seminars, conferences and workshops on Structured Trade & Commodity Finance, Risk Management, Trade Sales, Transaction Banking, Personal Development, Team Building and Leadership. He is married and blessed with three children.