Personality in Focus
Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe: Undisputed Amazon of Banking
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By Eric Elezuo
The reward for hardwork has always been hardwork, and so it was when the Fidelity Bank group rewarded its indefatigable Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mrs Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, with an extension of her employment contract. No doubt, Mrs Onyeali-Ikpe, reputed as a solid amazon in the finance sector, and a go-getter, has seen and conquered the banking arena, and is honoured among veterans as a solid foundation in Nigeria’s money business.
Born on July 28, 1964, and on the verge of hitting the diamond age, Nneka, as beloved and close family members, friends and colleagues fondly call her, is a force to reckon with, and has in a space of 32 years and counting, of career banking, brought to bear all the stops that make for great banking and financial experience, climbing to the topmost echelon of investment banking and related areas.
It was not surprising therefore that Fidelity Bank Plc has announced its decision after a thorough Board of Directors’ meeting to extend the employment contract of the ebullient achiever from 2024 to 2026.
The announcement, which was taken on February 12, 2024, and contained in the company’s notice to the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX), and signed by Ezinwa Unuigboje, the Company Secretary noted that the extension is in furtherance of the Bank’s strategic objectives and premised on Dr. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe’s sterling performance since the assumption of office on January 1, 2021.
The statement reads:
“Fidelity Bank Plc (the Bank) is pleased to announce its Board of Directors’ decision to extend the employment contract of its GMD/CEO, Dr. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, from 2024 to 2026.
“The decision was taken at the Board meeting on February 12, 2024. The extension is in furtherance of the Bank’s strategic objectives and premised on Dr. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe’s sterling performance since assumption of office on January 1, 2021,”
The Board noted, and without equivocation, that it is confident that the Bank’s performance will continue its upward trajectory under Dr. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe’s leadership, and looks forward to working closely with her and the Executive Management Team on execution of various strategic initiatives including international expansion.
Before attaining the enviable GMD with Fidelity Bank, Onyeali-Ikpe had out of dint of hardwork, paid her dues from lesser positions.
She began her career in 1990, when she was employed as a legal officer for the now-defunct African Continental Bank. She later worked as a treasury officer for the First African Trust Bank, and thereafter joined Zenith Bank, and subsequently the Standard Chartered Bank. Her experience in the course of her sojourn are combined to make her a toast of the banking industry today.
Having cut her teeth, and garnered a lot of experience and good, she was in 2011, absorbed by Enterprise Bank as an Executive director of the bank’s operations in Lagos and other locations in the South-Western region in Nigeria. She wasted no time in turning around the fortunes of the bank.
In January, 2015, Onyeali-Ikpe joined Fidelity Bank as an Executive Director, and rose through the ranks until she was announced the Managing Director in December, 2020. Following her appointment, Nneka became the first female MD/CEO in the history of the bank.
Presently, Dr Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, with the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) is the Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Fidelity Bank Plc, a foremost financial institution with a client base of about nine million customers.
Apart from her Law degrees, from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and Kings College, Onyeali-Ikpe has also attended executive training programs at Harvard Business School, The Wharton School University of Pennsylvania, INSEAD School of Business, Chicago Booth School of Business, London Business School and IMD amongst others.
It is worthy of note that she recently completed a Diploma programme in Organizational Leadership at Said Business School, Oxford University, UK and received an honorary doctorate degree in Business Administration at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN). She is also the recipient of the national award of the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) which was awarded to her by the Federal Government of Nigeria in 2023.
With close to 34 years of rewarding banking experience through Enterprise Bank, Citizens International Bank, Zenith Bank and Standard Chartered Bank among others, the woman is surely a force to reckon with.
A woman of many parts, Onyeali-Ikpe has also been involved in the structuring of complex transactions in Oil and Gas, Manufacturing, Aviation, Real Estate and Export among many others.
She is, without an iota of doubt, widely regarded as one of Africa’s leading female CEOs with a reputation for authentic leadership and proven people skills in identifying talents, opportunities and executing complex business deals. She has extensive business development experience with proficiency in retail, corporate and commercial banking and treasury management among others.
LANDMARK ACHIEVEMENTS IN FIDELITY BANK
Under Nneka’s watch, the Bank grew its PBT from N25.22bn in FY 2021 to N122bn in FY 2023. Nneka has now set her horizon on leveraging the opportunities in select high growth international markets where the Bank has a competitive advantage. She most recently guided the bank to obtain the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria to expand its operations to the United Kingdom with the acquisition of the former Union Bank UK, now Fidelity Bank UK Limited.
Passionate about innovation and embracing technology, Nneka has pioneered several innovative and pacesetting products such as the PayGate Plus, an online platform that enables businesses make and receive payments.
Dr. Onyeali-Ikpe has also radically repositioned the bank as the go-to financial institution for Small and Medium Enterprises. Understanding the crucial role of small businesses in the sustenance of economic growth and development, she led the bank to create the Fidelity International Trade & Creative Connect (FITCC) which is aimed at providing a global platform for exporters, regulators, subject matter experts and foreign markets to connect.
The FITCC 2022 edition was attended by representatives of both the UK & the Nigerian Governments, Nigerian exporters, investors, regulators from the United Kingdom and Nigeria, the business community and other practitioners. The pipeline deals from the event was in excess of $200m. Over 2,000 people registered to attend the event and daily foot-fall was about 1,000.
The second edition of FITCC, which was hosted in Houston, Texas, United States of America in October 2023, was even bigger with projected pipeline deals of over $250m and more than 160 businesses in participation. Tagged, FITCC Houston, the success of the event is signposted by the designation of 25 October 2023 as the “Fidelity International Trade and Creative Connect Day” by Mr. Sylvester Turner, Mayor of Houston.
HER CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY EFFORTS
In her bid to give back to the communities the Bank serves and as part of her efforts to combat the twin issues of poverty and hunger, Dr. Onyeali-Ikpe recently launched a National Corporate Social Responsibility initiative tagged The Fidelity Food Bank which provides free food bags to people across Nigeria monthly.
In recognition of her leadership and outstanding performance, she received commendation from AMCON as a member of the Management Team that restructured and turned around the fortunes of the erstwhile Enterprise Bank. She also received several board commendations from the Managing Directors of Standard Chartered Bank and Citizens International Bank for outstanding performance at various times.
FIDELITY AWARDS UNDER ONYEALI-IKPE’S WATCH
With Onyeali-Ikpe as the Chief Executive Officer, Fidelity Bank has been the recipient of several awards within and outside Nigeria some of which are:
1. Best Commercial Banking Brand in Nigeria by the Global Brands Magazine Awards
2. Best Private Bank in Nigeria by The Financial Times in association with The Banker Magazine
3. Trade Ambassador Award by the Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce (NACC)
4. Global Finance’s World’s Best Private Banks 2023 awards for Best Private Bank in Nigeria
5. The Best Payment Solution Provider Nigeria 2023 in the 2023 Global Banking & Finance Awards
6. Export Finance Bank of the Year at the BusinessDay and Other Financial Institutions’ (BAFI) Awards 2023.
7. The “Fastest Growing Bank” and “MSME & Entrepreneurship Financing Bank of the Year” at the 2021 BusinessDay Banks and Other Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards.
PERSONAL RECOGNITIONS AND AWARDS
On her own part, Dr. Onyeali-Ikpe has been recognized by numerous local and international bodies for her sterling achievements. These include:
1. The national award of the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) by the Federal Government of Nigeria in 2023.
2. The Banker of the Year 2022 at the 14th Leadership Annual Conference and Awards and
3. The Best Banking CEO Nigeria 2023 in the 2023 Global Banking & Finance Awards.
4. 2023 Top 25 CEOs in Nigeria at the BusinessDay Awards
5. The Banker of the Year 2022 at the Champion Newspapers’ Awards of the Year 2022.
Considering her versatility, industry knowledge and vast network, she also serves on the following Committees and organizations:
1. Chairperson, Financial Literacy and Public Enlightenment Sub-Committee of the CBN Bankers Committee.
2. Chairperson, Funds and Grants Committee of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria
3. Member, Audit Committee of FMDQ Group PLC
4. Member of the Board, Shared Agent Network Expansion Facilities (SANEF)
5. Member of the Board, Unified Payment Services Limited
PERSONAL LIFE
Onyeali-Ikpe is married to Dr. Ken Onyeali Ikpe, PhD, a visionary leader with strong business acumen and respected for his demonstrated knowledge in Marketing, Branding and Consumer Consulting and Business acceleration.
She is a celebrated wife and mother, who has combined home duties with professional endeavours with allowing any to suffer.
Veteran Nollywood actor, Pete Edochie has declared Chinua Achebe’s 1958 novel ‘Things Fall Apart’ as the greatest African book of all-time.
Speaking in a recent interview with TV3, Edochie explained that ‘Things Fall Apart’ is the greatest African book ever written because it tells the African story.
He stated that the book wouldn’t have been as popular as it is if it were telling the story of the colonisers.
He pointed out that many other African authors have also made efforts in telling African stories since ‘Things Fall Apart’ but none is as “strong” as it.
“The reason why ‘Things Fall Apart’ is the greatest book ever written on the African continent is because it is telling our own story.
“If it had been telling the story of the White man, it won’t be that popular. Many others have made efforts since then but not as strong as ‘Things Fall Apart’,” he said.
He urged African writers and creatives to focus on telling African stories, stressing that it would be their unique strength on the global stage.
The movie star, however, lamented that Africans were allowing their talents to be submerged by embracing foreign influences.
“We Africans permitted our talents to be submerged by overseas influences. I remember once upon a time I was being called Elvis Presley and John Wayne.
“I actually enjoyed answering those names but at some point I had to discard them and pick a name that’s culturally relevant to me. Then I went back to the root and started answering Uwadiegwu,” he added.
Source: DailyPost
Canadian poet, essayist and translator Anne Carson has been awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature for her inventive writing and her engagement with the classical tradition. Her work brings together poetry, criticism, translation and narrative, expanding the forms through which contemporary literature can tell stories.
Born in Toronto in 1950, Carson trained as a classicist and has combined writing with university teaching and translation throughout her career. Her interest in the origins and meanings of words informs both her scholarship and her poetry. Ancient texts provide material for her explorations of desire, grief, identity and human relationships.
Her translations include If Not, Winter (2002), a rendering of Sappho’s surviving poetry that preserves the gaps between fragments. She has also translated plays by Sophocles and Euripides, bringing the language and conflicts of Greek tragedy into contemporary expression.
Carson’s writing gained increasing recognition during the 1990s. “The Glass Essay,” published in Glass, Irony, and God (1995), combines the experience of a relationship’s end with reflections on Emily Brontë, family life and solitude. Its movement between personal narrative and literary interpretation demonstrates her freedom in working across genres.
Autobiography of Red: A Novel in Verse (1998) remains among her most celebrated works. Drawing on fragments by the ancient Greek poet Stesichoros, Carson reimagines the winged red monster Geryon as a young person discovering photography, desire and heartbreak. The book places his experiences at the centre of a story traditionally associated with the exploits of Herakles.
Her later publications continue this experimentation. Float (2016) consists of twenty-two chapbooks that readers can approach in any order. Wrong Norma (2024) brings together varied prose pieces, extending her interest in the possibilities of short, loosely connected forms.
Carson has also collaborated with visual artists, choreographers and theatre and opera directors. These projects carry her writing into performance and establish connections between literature and other arts.
The award recognises a career devoted to close attention to language and continual experimentation with form. Through translation, poetry and collaboration, Carson has made classical literature an active part of contemporary writing.
Souce:Classic Books.
Abia State governor, Alex Otti, and Senator representing Abia North, Orji Uzor Kalu, have expressed sadness over the death of Abia-born Squadron Leader Ahamefule Aham Man-Ugwueje, one of the pilots of the Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft, NAF 931, which crashed in Igbokoda, Ondo State, on Monday.
Governor Otti, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma, described Squadron Leader Man-Ugwueje’s death and those of other military personnel aboard the Nigerian Air Force plane as painful and devastating.
“This accident is both painful and devastating, because it has brought untold sorrow and anguish to the victims’ families, their friends and loved ones, the Nigerian Air Force, and the nation at large.”
Governor Otti regretted that Squadron Leader Man-Ugwueje perished in the air disaster barely two weeks after he wedded his beloved wife, Flight Lieutenant Damilola Adekunle, in Abuja, a sad development he said has robbed the couple of the opportunity of spending their lives together as husband and wife.
The governor, on behalf of his family, the government and people of Abia State, commiserated with the families of the victims, the people of Umuahia where Squadron Leader Man-Ugwueje hailed from, the Nigerian Air Force and the Federal Government of Nigeria, and prays for the peaceful repose of their souls in God’s bosom.
In his own message, Senator Kalu commiserated with the Nigerian Air Force over the loss of the Air Force personnel and others in the Ondo plane crash.
The former governor of Abia State, while expressing sadness over the loss, extended his heartfelt sympathy to the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, the entire Nigerian Air Force and the families of those who lost their lives in the tragic incident.Describing the incident as painful and heartbreaking, Kalu said the death of personnel who devoted themselves to the service of the country is a huge loss to the Nigerian Air Force and the nation.
“I extend my heartfelt sympathy to the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke, and the entire Nigerian Air Force over this painful loss.
“My thoughts and prayers are especially with the families who have lost their loved ones. Losing men and women who dedicated themselves to serving and protecting our country is indeed a tragedy for all Nigerians.
“At this difficult moment, I pray that God comforts their families, colleagues and loved ones, and gives them the strength to bear this irreparable loss.
“May the souls of the departed rest in peace,” Kalu said.
He urged the Nigerian Air Force to remain strong in the face of the tragedy, noting that the sacrifices of its personnel in the service of the country would always be remembered.
