Aishah Ndanusa Ahmad (born 26 October 1976)[1] is a Nigerian accountant and finance professional. She is a former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria having been appointed on 6 October 2017, replacing Sarah Alade, who retired in March 2017.[2][3][4] She was confirmed by the Nigerian Senate on 22 March 2018.[5] On 6 December 2022, Ahmad was reappointed deputy governor for a second five-year term[6] and subsequently confirmed by the Senate on 14 December 2022.[7] However, on 15 September 2023, she was removed from office by President Bola Tinubu alongside three other deputy governors for alleged corporate governance failures at the Central Bank of Nigeria.[8][9]
Aishah Ahmad | |
|---|---|
 Ahmad in 2022 | |
| Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (Financial System Stability) | |
| In office 23 March 2018 – 13 September 2023 | |
| Governor | Godwin Emefiele Folashodun Shonubi (Acting) |
| Preceded by | Sarah Alade |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 26 October 1976 Lagos, Nigeria |
| Citizenship | Nigeria |
| Spouse | Abdallah A. Ahmad |
| Alma mater | |
Background and education
editAhmad was born in Lagos, to a Nupe Muslim family from Bida, on 26 October 1976.[10][1] She attended St. Catherine's Primary School, Surulere Lagos, and Zarumai Primary School, Minna Niger State, before proceeding to Federal Government Girls’ College, Bida, for her secondary education. Ahmad graduated with a BSc degree in Accounting from the University of Abuja[11] and went on to obtain an MBA in Finance from the University of Lagos and an MSc in Finance and Management from the Cranfield School of Management.[12] She is an INSEAD Certified Board Director and a recipient of the Economic Development Certificate from the Harvard Kennedy School. She is also a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) and a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder.[13]
Career
editPrior to her appointment at the Central Bank of Nigeria in 2018, Ahmad was an accomplished banker, investment manager, financial expert and corporate executive, having served as Executive Director of Retail Banking at Diamond Bank Plc.[2]
Ahmad started out in the private sector as an auditor at Z.O. Ososanya & Company, and then as Chief Financial Officer at Manstructs Group Ltd.[14]
Her banking career started in 2001 at First Interstate Bank (Nigeria) Plc., where she was recruited as Executive Assistant, Treasury Group,[13] after which she proceeded to NAL Bank Plc as Head of Private Banking where she worked till 2005. Later, she was Head of Retail Banking (Energy Group) and Group Head (Asset Management Business Development) at Zenith Bank Group. From 2009 until 2014, she served in various capacities at Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc including as Head, Private Clients/High Net Worth Individuals,[13] before leaving for Diamond Bank to lead its retail business. She retired as Executive Director of Retail Banking at Diamond Bank Plc following her appointment to the CBN.[15] Other assignments in the past have included stints at the Bank of New York Mellon and at Synesix Financial Limited.
Ahmad served as Chairperson of the Board for SOS Children's Villages, an independent, non-governmental, nonprofit international development organization she has volunteered for since 2017.[16] She also served as the chairperson of the executive council of Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ), a Nigerian non-profit organization where she was part of the establishment in 2001.[12][17][18]
Ahmad was the Deputy Governor for Financial System Stability at the Central Bank of Nigeria.[2] She was a member of the CBN Governing Board, Monetary Policy Committee, Financial System Stability Committee and the Committee of Governors.[2][19][20] She also served as Chairperson of the boards of Nigeria Interbank Settlement System (NIBS), the Nigeria Commodity Exchange (NCX) and the Financial Institutions Training Centre (FITC).[21][22][23]
Polaris Bank sale
editIn December 2022, the Peoples Gazette claimed that Ahmad helped facilitate the sale of Polaris Bank at a favorable price in order to be considered for the position of Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).[24] The CBN denied these allegations and asserted that the sale of Polaris Bank was an institutional decision supervised by a committee of senior representatives of Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) and the CBN. The divestment was also coordinated with outside legal and financial advisers and approved by the leadership and boards of Polaris Bank and the purchaser, Strategic Capital Investment Limited. The CBN stated that no other party made a higher purchase offer as alleged by the Peoples Gazette.[25][26] On 10 September 2023, newspapers widely reported that Ahmad was arrested by Nigeria's secret police for her role in the Polaris Bank sale.[27][28] However, some other newspapers reported that she was not under arrest.[29][30] On 15 September 2023, few days after the arrest claims and rebuttals, Ahmad and her co-Deputy Governors, Edward Adamu, Kingsley Obiora and Folashodun Shonubi were removed from office.[31]
Personal life
editAhmad is married to Abdallah A. Ahmad, a retired Brigadier General in the Nigerian Army and they have two children.[1][10]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c Bella Naija) (6 October 2017). "Buhari nominates Aisha Ahmad as Central Bank Deputy Governor". Lagos: BellNaija.com (Bella Naija). Retrieved 12 October 2017.
- ^ a b c d "Mrs. Aishah N Ahmad". Central Bank of Nigeria. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
- ^ "As Sarah Alade bows out". This day. 6 April 2017. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
- ^ Busari, Kemi (22 March 2018). "Senate confirms two CBN deputy governors". Premium Times. Abuja. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
- ^ "Buhari re-appoints Ahmad, Adamu as CBN deputy governors - Daily Trust". dailytrust.com. 6 December 2022. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
- ^ "Senate confirms Aishah Ahmad, Adamu's reappointment as CBN deputy governors". dailytrust.com. 14 December 2022. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
- ^ Itsibor, Mark; Bello, Olushola (16 September 2023). "Tinubu Finally Sacks Emefiele, All Deputy Governors". Retrieved 28 November 2023.
- ^ "If Emefiele was bad for the CBN, so were his deputies". Businessday NG. 15 August 2023. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
- ^ a b Jaafar, Jaafar (5 October 2017). "Profile of Aishah Ahmad, Buhari's nominee for CBN deputy governor". Daily Nigerian.
- ^ "Buhari nominates Aisha Ahmad as Central Bank Deputy Governor". BellaNaija. 6 October 2017. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
- ^ a b "Exclusive Profile of Aisha Ahmad Nee Ndanusa, The New CBN Deputy Governor". NTA. 6 October 2017. Archived from the original on 21 March 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
- ^ a b c Omololu Ogunmade, and Obinna Chima (6 October 2017). "Nigeria: President Taps Aishah Ahmad As CBN Deputy Governor Nominee". This Day via AllAfrica.com. Lagos. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
- ^ "Meet CBN's New Deputy Governor, Aishah Ahmad," This Day Live, retrieved November 14, 2022.
- ^ "'Women Themselves Must Be Inspired To Take Their Place in Leadership'- Aishah Ahmed, CBN’s Newly Appointed Deputy Governor," Hermaze, retrieved November 20, 2022.
- ^ "International Senate," SOS Children's Village, retrieved December 15, 2022.
- ^ "Team Detail Home / Aishah Ahmad". wimbiz. Archived from the original on 21 March 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
- ^ tchikay (6 October 2017). "Aishah Ahmad Biography: Facts About The New Central Bank Deputy-Governor". BuzzNigeria - Famous People, Celebrity Bios, Updates and Trendy News. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
- ^ "Monetary Policy Committees". Central Bank of Nigeria. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
- ^ "About CBN". Central Bank of Nigeria. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
- ^ "About NIBSS". Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System Plc. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
- ^ Collins Olayinka, Abuja (7 January 2022). "Nigeria Commodity Exchange gets new board, management". The Guardian.
- ^ Musa, Waliat (1 November 2022). "FITC links cybercrime uptick to digitisation of banking services". The Guardian.
- ^ Chukwuemeka, Ayomide; Akintade, Adefemola (31 December 2022). "EXCLUSIVE: In plot to be CBN governor, Aishah Ahmad rejects N1 trillion bid for Polaris; sells bank N50 billion to Mamman Daura, Tunde Sabiu, Auwal Gombe". Peoples Gazette. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
- ^ Nwanisobi, Osita (4 January 2023). "Sale of Polaris Bank: CBN Sets Record Straigh" (PDF). CBN. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
- ^ Adegboyega, Ayodeji (4 January 2023). "Sale of Polaris Bank followed due process – CBN". Premium Times. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
- ^ "SSS arrests CBN Deputy Governor - Report". Premium Times. 10 September 2023. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
- ^ Ariemu, Ogaga (10 September 2023). "DSS reportedly arrests CBN Deputy Gov, Ahmad over alleged fraud". Daily Post. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
- ^ Olisah, Chike (10 September 2023). "Deputy Governor of CBN, Aishah Ahmad, is not under arrest". Nairametrics. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
- ^ "Deputy Governor of CBN, Aishah Ahmad, is not under arrest". The Guardian. 10 September 2023. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
- ^ Itsibor, Mark; Bello, Olushola (16 September 2023). "Tinubu Finally Sacks Emefiele, All Deputy Governors". Leadership. Retrieved 28 November 2023.