The Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) has conferred Honorary Fellowship awards on several distinguished figures in Nigeria’s financial sector, including top officials of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and leading industry executives.
Among the honourees are Dr. Bala Bello, Deputy Governor, Corporate Services of the CBN; Mrs. Emem Usoro, CBN Deputy Governor, Operations; Mr. Wale Edun, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy; Mr. Olusegun Alebiosu, Group Managing Director of FirstBank; and Dr. Haruna Musa, Managing Director of Jaiz Bank, among others.
Speaking at the ceremony, Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, praised CIBN for consistently upholding professional and ethical standards in the banking industry. He said Lagos remains at the heart of Nigeria’s financial and digital transformation.
“Lagos is at the centre of growth. We’re dedicated to cybersecurity, digital literacy, and boosting the digital economy. We are working with the CBN to make Nigeria’s financial system globally competitive,” Sanwo-Olu stated.
Also speaking, the Governor of Plateau State, Caleb Mutfwang, urged stronger collaboration between CIBN and CBN to deepen agricultural financing as part of efforts to tackle food inflation and strengthen national food security.
“The time has come to frontally tackle food inflation as it remains a serious national threat,” he said.
In his goodwill message, Chairman of the Body of Bank CEOs and Group Managing Director of UBA, Oliver Alawuba, lauded the banking sector’s resilience and innovation. He noted that banks are increasingly leveraging technologies such as artificial intelligence and blockchain to enhance service delivery.
“Trust must remain key. Great innovation demands ethical use of AI and deeper cybersecurity. The future belongs to ecosystems and collaboration that build efficient, globally competitive services,”
Alawuba said, while commending Governor Sanwo-Olu for always supporting CIBN events and acknowledging recent improvements in Nigeria’s economy.
Delivering the keynote address, CEO of Future Africa, Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, challenged financial institutions to focus on productivity-driven growth.
“We have to move from evaluation of assets to the potential of productivity. The future of finance is production, not profession,” Aboyeji noted, calling for cross-sector collaboration to create jobs and build a stronger economy.
He urged leaders to “bequeath to the next generation a banner without stain.”
The event also saw over 40 new Honorary Fellows and other categories of fellows inducted, reinforcing CIBN’s role in promoting professionalism, ethics, and innovation in Nigeria’s banking industry.
