UBA GMD/CEO, Alawuba Receives CIBN Highest Honour

By Emmanuel Adeoye

The Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the United Bank for Africa (UBA), Mr. Oliver Alawuba has received the highest honour of the Fellowship of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria.

Alawuba was conferred with the highest honour for bankers during the Institute’s 2023 investiture ceremony held in Lagos at the weekend, recording the award alongside other 20 distinguished Nigerians across banking, finance and aviation.

This prestigious honour is bestowed upon individual who have demonstrated exceptional leadership, expertise and contributions to the field of banking and finance.

“Alawuba’s achievements in the banking sector are a testament to his unwavering commitment to excellence, innovation, and financial inclusion .With a career spanning over 30 years, he has played a pivotal role in shaping the banking landscape in Nigeria and beyond. His leadership, visionary approach, and dedication have had a profound impact on the growth and development of the banking industry in the region,” going by  the citation read at the event by the Institute’s Registrar, Akin Morakinyo.

“Alawuba’s dedication to the highest standards of professionalism, financial innovation, and inclusion makes him a deserving recipient of this prestigious title,” Morakinyo noted.

Speaking during the ceremony, the President/Chairman of Council of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, Dr. Ken Opara praised Mr. Alawuba along other awardees for their outstanding contributions and unwavering commitment to the highest ethical and professional standards in banking. 

He noted that their accomplishments have set a benchmark for future leaders in the industry and have significantly advanced the CIBN’s mission to promote professionalism and ethics in banking.

Mr. Alawuba expressed his gratitude for the honour, stating, “I am truly humbled to receive this prestigious title from the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria. It is a testament to the collective efforts of all the teams and individuals I have had the privilege of working with throughout my career. I remain committed to the ideals and values of the CIBN, and I look forward to continued collaboration with the Institute in promoting excellence and ethics in the banking sector.”

Mr Alawuba is a seasoned banking professional with over 3 decades of work experience in a broad range of strategic and well-grounded experience in Corporate and Institutional Banking, Consumer Banking, Public Sector, Retail and Commercial Banking, Project Management, Corporate Governance, and overall bank management 

Prior to his appointment as the Group Managing Director/CEO of UBA Group, overseeing the group’s banking operations across its 20 subsidiaries in Africa and globally in the United Kingdom, the United States of America, France, and the United Arab Emirates, Mr Alawuba was at various times country CEO and Regional CEO of UBA’s Rest of Africa operations.

Alawuba holds Bachelor and Master degrees in Food Science and Technology and an MBA in Banking and Finance. He is an alumnus of the AMP and SEP programmes of the prestigious INSEAD Business School, France and the London Business School respectively. He is also a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM).