THOMAS IMONIKHE
08051000465
There is no iota of doubt that the Group Managing Director (GMD) of United Bank for Africa Plc and Chairman Body of Banks’ CEOs, Oliver Chukwudum Alawuba, an astute banker and one of Nigeria’s top corporate business leaders, who clocks three scores Saturday June 20, has made tremendous impact in the nation’s financial services sector and becomes an exemplary role model to African youth earnestly determined to excel in their chosen careers.
Though not ‘’born great’’ or has ‘’greatness thrust upon’’ him, Mr. Alawuba belongs to the category of those who attained greatness through hard work, determination, and a clear focus on his ambition to become a very successful banker, an enigma and rise to the pinnacle of his chosen profession.
After a first degree in Food Technology from Abia State University, Uturu, and a stint in the academia, many would have expected that banking would rank very low in the career choice of the now versatile banker going by the industrious pedigree of his kinsmen.
But this was not to be as Oliver soon developed passion for banking and proceeded to acquire an M.Sc. from the University of Ibadan also in Food Technology and an MBA in Banking & Finance from Olabisi Onabanjo University. This was in addition to imbibing such essential qualities as integrity, attention to detail, strong communication skills, numerical aptitude, and adaptability, apparently in readiness for the envisaged future challenges and to navigate complex financial tasks.
So, his desire for excellence and determination to positively impact the banking and finance industry in particular and the society at large motivated him to join the Standard Trust Bank (STB) as a pioneer staff in 1997 before its merger with the UBA where he has risen through the ranks.
Within the UBA Group, Alawuba has served diligently and honestly as country CEO for Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire, Regional CEO for Anglophone, Executive Director, East Bank (Nigeria) and Group Deputy Managing Director/CEO, covering Nigeria and other subsidiaries in the Rest of Africa.
It will be recalled too, that banker, philanthropist and chairman of UBA, Mr. Tony Elumelu founded STB in 1997 when he led a group of young and shrewd investors to acquire and turn around the dwindling fortune of Crystal Bank which was renamed STB.
It is on record also that under Elumelu’s leadership, the new bank experienced accelerated growth and robust liquidity before proceeding to acquire the older and larger UBA in a historic merger deal in 2005 which redefined Nigeria’s financial services sector at the time.
Therefore, as one of the pioneer employees, certainly Alawuba, alongside other eggheads led by Elumelu played tremendous roles in the transformation trajectory and steady expansion of STB and later UBA which has become one of the largest employers in the financial sector not only in the country but on the African continent, with 25,000 workers group-wide and serving over 45 million customers globally, operating in twenty African countries, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, France and the United Arab Emirates. The bank among others provides retail, commercial and institutional banking services, leading financial inclusion and implementing cutting-edge technology.
Significantly and based on the foregoing, Alawuba’s meritorious rise to the pinnacle of the banking profession didn’t come easy and not by happenchance but well-deserved based on his tireless and impeccable stewardship in the financial institution.
Besides, it isn’t surprising that the UBA GMD currently sits as chairman Body of Banks’ CEOs whose dedication to economic growth, financial inclusion, and institutional development continues to shape the landscape of the sector just as his contributions no doubt serve as inspiration to many within and beyond the industry.
A banker par excellence, with tremendous wisdom and leadership traits, the CEO has never hidden his passion for qualitative education, described as ‘’the foundation of both individual empowerment and societal progress’’, and the urgent need for government and the private sector to spare no effort in investing heavily in learning and skills acquisition for the youth. This, has been underscored in one of his famous quotes that: ‘’If we want to see Africa flourish, if we want to create industries that compete on the global stage, and if we want to develop leaders who inspire transformation, then education must be our strongest currency’’.
Simply put, his advocacy for adequate financial allocations by government to the funding of primary, secondary and tertiary education is one sure step of ensuring that the products of these institutions can stand a chance of acquiring the requisite knowledge and skills needed to be employable, compete both at the continental level and global stage.
This conviction perhaps informed the UBA’s commendable decision to continuously intervene in providing modern learning infrastructures and other facilities in tertiary institutions nationwide as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR).
The latest of such gestures under Alawuba’s leadership was the recent inauguration of an innovation hub and business office at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Akoka, as part of deliberate measures to deepen the bank’s longstanding relationship with the academic community as well as reaffirming its commitment to innovation, youth empowerment, and nation-building.
A peace advocate, the Champion Newspapers’ one time Man of the Year, while delivering a goodwill remark at the South-East Vision 2050 Regional Stakeholders Forum held in February this year, implored leaders and key stakeholders in the South-East geo-political zone to prioritise security and peace, infrastructure development and the delivery of bankable, investment-ready projects, stressing that such is critical if the region is to unlock its long-term development agenda under the South-East Vision 2050 (S8V2050) even as he identified peace and security as the most urgent requirement for attracting investment into the region.
“The first thing the South-East needs is peace. It is an established fact, world over, that investments flow in the direction of safety,” Alawuba stated, calling on the state governments and regional leaders to sustain coordinated efforts to secure lives, assets and infrastructure.
It is also worthy of note that UBA under the CEO’s stewardship, continues to pay high dividends to shareholders and win continental laurels, including the 2026 Banker Technology Award for AI Innovation. He also led the financial institution to a successful N500billion minimum re capitalization ordered by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.
The Africa’s global bank, was also named the winner of the African category at the 2026 Banker Technology Awards, for its innovations in digital payments, e-business, and the use of artificial intelligence to drive seamless cross-border banking across more than 20 African markets. In its assessment of UBA’s winning entry, The Banker noted that “the bank has cemented its status as a leading digital operator by placing technology at the centre of its growth strategy across more than 20 countries, with this approach most visible in its work on cross-border transfers, spanning digital payments, AI-driven engagement, and e-business”.
A seasoned banking professional with almost three decades 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, Oliver has over the years, demonstrated a knack for excellence and result-oriented leadership capabilities.
He is an alumnus of the AMP and SEP programmes of the prestigious INSEAD Business School, France and London Business School, respectively; a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM) and an Honourary Senior Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN).
For his hard work and dedication to attaining the bank’s vision and mission, Alawuba was appointed as Group Deputy Managing Director/CE O, UBA Africa then covering Subsidiaries in 19 African Countries in 2020. It is on record too, that as DMD/CEO, UBA Africa in 2021, the financial institution won the Banker’s award for African Bank of the Year award for the year in 13 countries before his elevation to the Group Managing Director of UBA in August 2022, following the retirement of Kennedy Uzoka.
The Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria conferred Alawuba with the fellowship of the CIBN, the highest honour for bankers, during the institute’s 2023 investiture ceremony. The CEO was also named an ambassador of the University of Ibadan following the commemoration of its 75th anniversary. He is married to Prof. Nkeiruka Oly-Alawuba and the marriage is blessed with children.
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