NIGERIA – Fidelity Bank Nigeria Plc, one of Nigeria’s leading commercial banks, has announced the appointments of Eng. Henry Ikem Obih as the Independent Non-Executive Director, and Dr. Kenneth Onyewuchi Opara as the Executive Director of the Bank.
According to a statement from the Bank, the two appointments have been approved by the Central Bank of Nigeria and will take at different times.
Eng. Obih’s appointment became effective on late September this year while that of Kenneth Opara will become effective on January 1, 2021 respectively.
According to the statement Dr. Opara’s appointment is in furtherance of the Bank’s succession plan for Executives.
Fidelity Bank had earlier appointed Mrs. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe (who currently serves as the Executive Director, Lagos & South West Directorate), as the succeeding MD/ CEO of the Bank, with effect from January 1, 2021.
Her appointment which has also been approved by the Central bank of Nigeria would ensure smooth running of the bank’s operation upon the retirement of the incumbent MD/CEO, Mr. Nnamdi Okonkwo on December 31, 2020.
Dr. Opara is a seasoned banker with over 29 years of experience serving at various financial institutions, including Legacy Omega Bank Plc, Equatorial Trust Bank Plc, and Manny Bank Plc.
His areas of expertise are; Credit, Treasury, Retail, Consumer and Commercial Banking, International Operations, and Corporate Banking.
Dr. Opara is currently the General Manager/Regional Bank Head, Ikeja Regional Bank of Fidelity Bank Plc.
He is an alumnus of University of Nigeria, where he obtained a B.Sc. in finance and MBA and International University of Panama, where he obtained a Ph.D. in Credit Management.
Dr. Opara is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) and an active member of the Institute’s Governing Council, where he currently serves as 1st Vice President.
Eng. Obih, on the other hand, was the GED/COO, Downstream, NNPC until his retirement in 2019, and was subsequently appointed to the Board of Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG) in July 2020.
Engr. Obih is an alumnus of University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) and University of Bradford, Yorkshire, England, where he obtained a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA in Financial Management respectively.
He joins the Board of Fidelity Bank Plc with over thirty years of experience in cross-functional tasks across different continents including Africa, Europe, Asia, and in America.
Fidelity Bank is a full-fledged commercial bank operating in Nigeria, with over 5 million customers who are serviced across its 250 business offices and various other digital banking channels.
Quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Fidelity Bank Plc began operations in 1988 as a Merchant Bank. In 1999, it converted to Commercial Banking and then became a Universal Bank in February 2001.
The current enlarged Fidelity Bank is a result of the merger with the former FSB International Bank Plc and Manny Bank Plc in 2005.
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