Ex-CBN Deputy Governor Appointed Fidelity Bank Chairman

• Ex-CBN Deputy Governor Appointed Fidelity Bank Chairman

A former Deputy Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Ernest Ebi, has been appointed as the Chairman-Designate of Fidelity Bank Plc.

              Mr. Ernest Ebi

Ebi was the Deputy Governor, Policy and Corporate Services, CBN, for about 10 years from 1999 to 2009.

The lender, in a statement on Tuesday, said the development followed the retirement of the Chairman of the bank, Christopher Ezeh.

Eze, the lender said, had attained the retirement age for non-executive directors in line with the bank’s policy, having served the bank for 11 years.

Prior to working at the CBN, Ebi was the Deputy Managing Director/Chief Operating Officer of Diamond Bank Plc in 1998, having also served as Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of New Nigeria Bank Plc.

Also a former Executive Director, African Continental Bank, Ebi had held executive positions in various departments of International Merchant Bank, Nigeria between 1981 and 1993.

A fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, he has participated in several management development courses both locally and overseas in the areas of strategic planning, financial and risk management, among others.

The bank said that the chairman-designate had also received executive education at leading international institutions including IMD Switzerland, Harvard Business School in the United States and Oxford-Said Business School in the United Kingdom.

The chairman-designate, the statement added, started his career in the US as an account technician with the National Association of Counties, Washington DC in 1976; and later worked at the Federal Savings & Loans Association Washington DC where he served as the assistant vice-president community, Federal Savings & loans Association.

The statement also said the board had approved the appointment of Mr. Charles Umolu and Mr. Kings C. Akuma as non- executive directors of the bank.

According to the lender, the appointments are subject to the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Akuma is currently the Managing Director of Hammakopp Consortium Limited (an affiliate of Nestoil Group Plc).

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting (1984) from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and an MBA from the University of Lagos.

Akuma, who is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria, has hands-on extensive managerial experience in the oil and gas services operations, relationships, security and community management spanning over 10 years, according to the statement.