Dauda Lawal, MSc
Executive Vice President, Public Sector North

Dauda Lawal currently Executive Vice President, Public Sector North was formerly Business Development Manager, Maitama Abuja, where his principal remit was growing the bank’s business in the Abuja metropolis. Prior to this, he had worked as Group Head Public Sector II with the responsibility for deposit mobilization from government ministries and parastatals.

Dauda holds both the Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Political Science from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. His banking career spans over 7 years with a civil service career of over 8 years. He joined First Bank in 2003 after having worked as Chief Protocol Officer with Embassy of Nigeria in Washington DC.

Some of his other recent management positions in FirstBank include Business Development Manager Abuja, Relationship Team Leader Abuja Area Office, and Relationship Manager Commercial Banking.
 

Dauda has attended many professional development courses including Financial Services at the Havard Business School, Boston, Massachusetts. He is an avid reader and author of seminal papers on national and international issues.

Stephen Olabisi Onasanya, FCA
Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer (GMD/CEO)

Stephen Olabisi Onasanya has over 23 years post qualification experience and until his appointment as GMD/CEO was Executive Director, Banking Operations & Services. Prior to joining the Board of FirstBank he was the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of First Pension Custodian Nigeria Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of First Bank of Nigeria Plc. Bisi started his banking career as Senior Accountant with Wema Bank in 1985. He joined FirstBank in 1994 as a Senior Manager and held several positions. He was Deputy General Manager and Group Head, Finance and Performance Management Department, as well as Coordinator, Century 2 Enterprise Transformation Project, before his appointment as MD/CEO of First Pension Custodian in 2005. He holds an HND Upper Credit in Accountancy from Lagos State College of Science & Technology and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria and an Associate Member of the Nigeria Institute of Taxation. He is also a Director of FBN Bank (UK) Limited and FBN Insurance Brokers Limited.

Bernadine A. Okeke, MBA
Executive Vice President and Head of Private Banking

Mrs. Bernadine Okeke until her appointment as Executive Vice President and Head of Private Banking was Business Development Manager (BDM), Lekki. Prior to this, she was Deputy General Manager and Head, Human Capital Management & Development where she led major service initiatives such as the Service Quality and Change Management Initiatives, which helped improve the overall service standard of the bank.

Bernie Okeke holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Hampton University, Virginia USA and MBA Finance from Suffolk University Boston Massachusetts, USA. A seasoned banker with over 21 years of diverse management and operational experience, Bernie is a highly respected and focused executive who has established a reputation at FirstBank for high impact service.

Bernie commenced her banking career as officer with Nigerian-American Merchant Bank Limited Bank in 1989. She joined FirstBank in 2001 and held several positions, including Head, Cash and Clearing Unit of Domestic Banking Operations. As Head of Client Services Management, she developed service standards and service level agreements between departments as the first step toward a customer focused service delivery mindset strategy for the bank. She led the development of the debit card concept and deployment for the bank and the country in general when she was at the forefront of the bank’s ATM project which saw the planning, development and implementation of the bank’s ATM network.
Bernie has attended various management courses both locally and overseas including Harvard and Wharton’s Executive Management Programmes. She is married with children.

 

Gbenga Francis Shobo, ACA
Executive Vice President (Retail South)

Mr. Gbenga Francis Shobo until his appointment as Executive Vice President (Retail South) was General Manager in charge of Products and Channel deployment in the Bank. Prior to that, he was the Business Development Manager, Port Harcourt where his main charge was to superintend FirstBank’s business in Rivers and Bayelsa States.
 

Gbenga holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from the University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University. A chartered accountant, Gbenga’s outstanding career in banking spans over 20 years and he was a recipient of the Bank’s Most Outstanding Business Development Manager Award at the 2007 CEO Annual Merit Award ceremony.
 

Some of his other recent management positions include DGM/Business Development Manager, FirstBank Lagos Mainland; Group Head, National Corporates, FirstBank; General Manager, Corporate/Commercial Banking, FBN (Merchant Bankers) Limited; and Divisional Head, Corporate Banking Division and Institutional Banking Group respectively, at MBC International Bank Limited.
 

Gbenga has attended many professional development courses across the globe. He is an avid tennis and golf player.
 

Adebayo Adeleke, MBA
Executive Vice President (Institutional Banking)

Mr. Adebayo Adeleke (Bayo) until his appointment as Executive Vice President (Institutional Banking) was the pioneer Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of FBN Capital Limited where he led the firm’s strategic formulation and execution. Prior to that, he was Managing Director and Chief Executive of FBN (Merchant Bankers) Ltd., transforming the bank from loss making to profitability and improved shareholder value.

Bayo holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from the University of Ibadan and an MBA from the American Graduate School of International Management (THUNDERBIRD), USA. He is also an alumnus of Harvard Business School, USA and INSEAD, Fontainebleau, France. A consummate professional, with diverse financial services experience Bayo’s impressive career in banking spans over 22 years.

He commenced his banking career as Assistant Manager, Commercial & Consumer Banking with Nigerian International Bank (Citibank) in 1988 and rose to Assistant General Manager position after having worked for American International Group (AIG) in the USA. He joined FirstBank from the United Bank for Africa (UBA) in 2003 as Deputy General Manager /Group Head, Commercial Banking.

Bayo has undertaken many professional development courses across the globe. His interests are tennis, gym workout, globalization and new technology.
 

Adebayo Adekola Adelabu, ACA
Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

Mr. Adebayo Adekola Adelabu until his appointment as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) was the Financial Controller of the bank. Prior to that, he was General Manager and the West African Regional Head of Finance and Strategy (Consumer Banking Business) for Standard Chartered Bank from where he was head-hunted in 2009. Bayo holds a first class degree in Accounting from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife and is an associate member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria. Bayo has a combined 18years professional experience in Banking, Audit and Management consulting.

He had his professional training with PriceWaterhouse (now PricewaterhouseCoopers), an international firm of chartered accountants and management consultants where he worked for seven years. While in the firm, he led and managed various audit and consultancy engagements for large banks and non-bank financial institutions within and outside Nigeria. He was also on secondment to the Central Bank of Nigeria for one year (in 1999) when he led the Finance team on the famous CBN re-engineering and corporate renewal project tagged “Project EAGLES”. He left the firm in year 2000 as an Audit Manager and Senior Consultant to join First Atlantic Bank as the Financial Controller and Group Head of Risk Management and Controls. He also held various other positions while in First Atlantic Bank including the Chief Inspector of the bank (2002) and Group Head of National Public Sector Business (2003).

He joined First Bank in August 2003 as a Senior Manager and Head of MIS and Reporting Unit in the then Finance and Performance Management department of the Bank. He was promoted Principal Manager in 2005 and became the pioneer Head of the Budget and Performance Management dept. (BPM) in January 2006. He left First Bank temporarily in September 2007 to join Standard Chartered Bank as a General Manager and Regional Head of Business Finance of the bank for West Africa covering six countries.
He rejoined First Bank in November 2009 as the Financial Controller, a position he held till his new appointment. In his 10 months of handling the affairs of Financial Controls department, Bayo made significant positive structural and process changes that have impacted the output and productivity of the department.

He has attended various local and International trainings, seminars and conferences including the famous University of London School of Management Development and the United States Institute of Internal Auditors in Orlando, Florida.

Kehinde Lawanson
Executive Director (Corporate Banking)

Kehinde Lawanson was until his appointment to the Board, Deputy General Manager and Group Head, National Corporates in the Bank’s Corporate Banking Directorate. His portfolio included overseeing the Bank’s retail/commercial banking activities in the Lagos & West region of the country, coordinating consumer banking product delivery as well as development of alternative delivery channels. Recently, he managed the Publicity and Marketing sub-committee on the Bank’s N100 billion rights issue and public offer.

Lawanson holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Estate Management (1981) from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Finance from the University of Lagos. A chartered surveyor, he has a rich working experience in banking, spanning over 17 years, with exposure in investment and commercial banking.

He started his banking career in International Merchant Bank (IMB) from where he was seconded to the defunct Intercity Bank Plc as Assistant General Manager (AGM). Thereafter, he held several executive positions in various banks before joining the erstwhile Gateway Bank as General Manager in 2001. He was elevated Executive Director and later moved over to FirstBank in May 2004 as Deputy General Manager (DGM) in the erstwhile Commercial Banking SBU of the Bank.

A thoroughbred professional, Lawanson has attended various courses and programmes in top rated business schools including Stanford University, University of Manchester, INSEAD and Lagos Business Schools. He is an alumnus of the United Nations University, Amman, Jordan and the World Bank Institute Washington.

He is married with children.

Mr. Urum Kalu (UK) Eke Executive Director (Public Sector South)

Mr. Urum Kalu (UK) Eke was until his present appointment, Executive Director, Regional Businesses, Lagos & West, Diamond Bank Plc. His work experience spans over 26 years in banking, auditing, consulting, taxation, process engineering, investment banking, commercial financial advisory services, and capital market operations. UK holds a degree in Political Science from the University of Lagos and an MBA (Project Management Technology) from Federal University of Technology, Owerri. He has attended various Executive Management Programmes in top rated business schools including Harvard, Stanford, Lagos Business School as well as IESE Spain and Oxford University.
 

Bello Mohammed Maccido
Executive Director (Retail North)

Bello Maccido holds a Bachelor of Laws from Ahmadu Bello University and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1985. He also holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA) from Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan USA, with specialization in Managerial Finance, and is a Chartered Stockbroker.

Bello has over twenty (20) years hands on experience across the Nigerian financial services industry, covering such areas as corporate and investment banking at such notable institutions as Ecobank Nigeria Plc and FSB International Bank. While at FSB, Bello rose to become Acting Managing Director of the bank. Prior to joining FirstBank, he was the pioneer Managing Director and Chief Executive of, Legacy Pension Managers, a Pension Fund Administrator (PFA). In recognition of his pioneering efforts in the pension industry, he was elected Chairman, Pension Funds Operators Association of Nigeria, a body comprising Chief Executives of the 36 licensed pension operators.

He has attended a number of high profile Executive Development Programmes at Harvard Business School, The Wharton School in University of Pennsylvania, as well as IMD in Lausanne, Switzerland. Bello sits on the Council of The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), is a member of the Presidential Monitoring Committee on NDDC.

Remilekun A. Odunlami
Chief Risk Officer

Remi holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from the University of Warwick, Coventry, England (1982) and is a Fellow of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants (1995). She was until her appointment Executive Director and Country Risk Manager at Citibank Nigeria Limited with responsibility for the Bank’s risk portfolio and process.

She started her career with Price Waterhouse, now PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in 1986 as a member of the National Youth Service Corps. She was retained in the firm after her service year and spent the next 2 years in the Audit department gaining audit, tax and financial consultancy experience rising to the position of Audit Senior before she left in December 1989.

She moved into the financial sector, spending 6 months with a pioneer leasing company – VT Leasing Limited - setting up the Finance and Administration department. In July 1990, she joined Nigeria International Bank Limited (now Citibank Nigeria Limited) as an Assistant Manager with the Financial Institutions Unit. In her 17 years with NIB she performed various roles including relationship manager for multinational, energy and local corporate clients; remedial manager for delinquent obligors and risk manager responsible for various aspects of the bank’s portfolio. She also at various times had responsibility for the Market Risk, Credit Administration and Internal Control functions. She was also involved in the business side with a 12 month stint as Head of the Commercial Banking Unit which encompassed the smaller corporate and individual customers.

She was the first Sub Saharan African female and first Nigerian appointed to the level of Senior Credit Officer within Citigroup. She also participated in general management and was a member of various committees within the bank; ALCO, Management Committee, Country Senior Human Resources Committee and Business Risk & Control Committee amongst others.

At NIB she participated in training programmes both as trainee and trainer extending in some instances to staff in other African countries. She also participated in (and in some cases led) risk reviews in various countries within Africa, and participated in reviews in Poland, India and South Africa. Remi has a strong interest in the delivery of quality service to customers and was at various points part of task forces and committees set up to drive quality and process improvement initiatives.

Tijjani Mohammed Borodo
Executive Vice President (Company Secretary)

Tijjani Borodo was a Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) with the Ministry of Justice, Kano by 1986 before joining the services of FirstBank in 1988. Until this elevation as Executive Vice President, he was a General Manager and the Company Secretary of the Bank. His professional career in banking career spans 23 years and he has occupied various managerial positions within the Bank. He is currently in charge of running the Bank’s Secretariat, as well as Secretary to the Board of Directors and Annual General Meeting of FirstBank. Borodo holds an LLB (Hons) from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 1979, a BL(Barrister at Law) from the Nigerian Law School in 1980 and an LLM from the University of Essex, United Kingdom in 1985.

He has attended courses and programmes in various topflight business and management schools including Manchester Business School: Wharton School of University of Pennsylvania, U.S.A; Kellogg School of Management of the Northwestern University, U.S.A, London Management Centre, Lagos Business School and Harvard Business School, Boston, U.S.A. He is a Member, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), International Bar Association (IBA), The Chartered Institute of Bankers Nigeria (CIBN) and a Fellow, Institute of Directors (IoD).
 

He is married with children.