A change of baton has taken place in Nigeria’s premier financial institution, First Bank of Nigeria Plc, as Dr. Oba Otudeko, an erstwhile non-executive director, was elected on Tuesday by the bank’s Board of Directors to take over from Alhaji (Dr.) Umaru Mutallab as chairman.
Otudeko’s appointment, which is still subject to formal approval by the regulatory bodies, comes in the wake of Alhaji Mutallab’s retirement from the Board after a 13-year stint, the last 10 of which he served as chairman. The latter was appointed director on March 8, 1996 and became chairman of the Board on March 18, 1999.
The appointment of Dr. Oba Otudeko is in sync with FirstBank’s strong corporate governance credentials and best practice, ensuring that there is seamless business continuity and stability amongst all stakeholders. This corporate governance posture has won the Bank much respect and recognition both locally and internationally.
Alhaji Mutallab is retiring at the peak of an outstanding career, which witnessed a plethora of laudable achievements – a record-making and highly successful hybrid offer, the growth of the FirstBank group to nine local subsidiaries, a full-fledged bank in the United Kingdom (FBN Bank (UK) Limited), a branch in Paris through FBN Bank (UK), as well as representative offices in South Africa and China.
The incoming chairman, Dr. Otudeko, a seasoned banker and administrator, was appointed to the Board of FirstBank on May 18, 1997, where he served in various capacities. A foremost investor and major shareholder in many publicly-quoted companies, he was until recently the President of The Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE), elected the 16th President of the NSE in September 2006. His tenure witnessed unprecedented growth in the market, wherein the NSE All-Share Index hit an historical high in May 2008. Despite subsequent market convulsions caused by global economic turbulence, Dr. Otudeko handed over a more liberalised, revitalised and cohesive Stock Exchange to the new Council in August, 2009.
Oba, as he is fondly called, is a highly respected and personable executive who has established a reputation for solid performance and sound judgment in all the disciplines. In recognition of his many contributions to the economic and social development of Nigeria, he has variously been conferred with many awards and honours. Among these are: Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR) in 2000 from the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which was upgraded to the Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) in 2003; Honorary Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) from Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye; the ZIK Foundation for Leadership Award; Sardauna Magazine National Excellence and Leadership Lifetime Achiever Award; Nigerian Investment Promotion Achiever of the Year Award; the Paul Harris Fellow Award of Rotary International; Honorary Citizen of Dallas Texas, USA; and recently, Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the ThisDay Awards 2009, amongst other awards.
Beyond his entrepreneurial track, Dr. Otudeko is also a public-spirited leader. At various times, he has been entrusted with high profile national and international assignments. He was Chairman of the National Maritime Authority; Director, Central Bank of Nigeria (1990 – 1997); Council member, West African Bankers’ Association; Member, Nigerian Banks Employers’ Association; Member, Constituent Assembly responsible for drafting a new Constitution, 1988 to 1989, Council member, Manufacturers’ Association of Nigeria; Co-Chairman, Committee on Investment Climate, Nigerian Economic Summit Group; and currently a member of the Nigeria/South Africa Bi-National Commission. Outside Nigeria, he was appointed the Honorary Consul General of the Republic of Liberia to the Federal Republic of Nigeria between 2003 and 2005. Presently, he is the Chancellor, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye in Nigeria.
A diligent and prolific boardroom player, Otudeko is Chairman of the Boards of Honeywell Group Limited, FBN Bank (UK) Limited, First Trustees Nigeria Limited, Fan Milk of Nigeria Plc., and the Nigeria-South Africa Chamber of Commerce. He was the founding Chairman of Econet Wireless Nigeria Limited and remains a Director of Zain Nigeria Limited, the successor company. Furthermore, he is a Director of First Bank of Nigeria Plc., Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI), Khalil & Dibbo (Haulage) Limited, and Lagos Sheraton Hotel. He was formerly a director of Guinness Nigeria Plc, British-American Tobacco Company Limited, and Franco-Nigeria Chamber of Commerce.
He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, UK; Fellow of the Institute of Chartered and Corporate Accountants, UK; Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Nigeria and Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria.