President Bola Tinubu on Friday appointed new management for the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The new management is led by Dr. Olayemi Michael Cardoso as the new Governor, while four others are to serve as Deputy Governors.
Cardoso is an alumnus of Aston University in the United Kingdom, where he earned a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree in managerial and administrative studies, he also has Master’s degree in public administration from Harvard Kennedy School.
He has over 30 years work experience in the financial services sector. His joined public service in 1999 when he was appointed the Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget for Lagos State when President Tinubu was the Governor of Lagos State
The new Deputy Governors are, Mrs. Emem Nnana Usoro, Mr. Muhammad Sani Abdullahi Dattijo, Mr. Philip Ikeazor and Dr. Bala M. Bello.
In a statement published by the spokesman of the President, Ajuri Ngelale, “In line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda, the President expects the above-listed nominees to successfully implement critical reforms at the Central Bank of Nigeria, which will enhance the confidence of Nigerians and international partners in the restructuring of the Nigerian economy towards sustainable growth and prosperity for all.”
It is expected that the appointments of the new apex bank management will be confirmed by the Senate when they resume on October 26.
The appointment of the new management according to Ngelale was strictly in conformity with extant laws on the CBN, “This directive is in conformity with Section 8 (1) of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007, which vests in the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the authority to appoint the Governor and four Deputy Governors for the Central Bank of Nigeria, subject to confirmation by the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The New Team
Mrs. Emem Nnan Usoro is an alumna of Harvard and Lagos Business Schools.
Mrs. Usoro has over 20years experience in the Nigeria banking industry. Her expertise are in Operations, Credit and Marketing, Branch Management, Relationship Management, Corporate and Commercial Banking.
Until her new appointment, she was the Group General Manager and the Strategic Business Group (SBG) Head, in Abuja at the United Bank for Africa (UBA).
Mr. Philip Ikeazor holds a BSc. Economics from the University of Buckingham UK. Also an Alumnus of Wharton-CEIBS-IESE Business School Global CEO Programme and attended executive programmes at Harvard Business School and Wharton School of Business
He has held various board positions notably as the CEO of Keystone Bank Limited, CEO of Ecobank Kenya Limited, Executive Director, Union Bank Nigeria, Director of Union Bank UK PLC, and Director of the Orient Bank Uganda. Philip also served as a member of the governing board of ICRISAT –International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, India (a member of the World Bank-led Consultative Group on International Agric. Research).
- Dr. Bala Bello
A native of Taraba State, Dr. Bala Mohammed Bello is an industry leader, whose career has spanned Banking, Capital Markets, and Pension Fund Management:
Bello is a well-respected public official and a renowned accountant. In April 2017, Bello was appointed by former President Muhammadu Buhari as the Executive Director of Corporate Services at the Nigerian Export-Import Bank
Bello has an excellent performance record brimming with excellence. He is well known for surpassing his competition to achieve the greatest level of success in his field.
- Muhammad Sani Abdullahi
Abdullahi is an international development expert who served as a policy adviser at the Executive Office of United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon in New York and also as Commissioner for Budget and Planning in Kaduna State.
He obtained his Master’s degree in Development Economics and Policy from the University of Manchester and obtained a second Master’s from Ahmadu Bello University where he studied International Affairs and Diplomacy. He obtained certificates including in Public Finance at the London School of Economics; Sustainable Development at Columbia University and Advanced Project Management at Oxford University.