CHIEF AKINWUMI RICKETTS
CHIEF AKINWUMI RICKETTS
Chief Akinwumi Anderson A. Ricketts was born on the 1st of August 1964 to Engineer Stephen Abiodun and Mrs. Victoria Ricketts, the third child amongst six siblings but first son of his parents. He was born in Aba, Abia State but his father being a renowned Bailey bridge and piling specialist engineer of his time, moved his family around the South East/South South zones of Nigeria, where he built many Bailey bridges in various communities. The family finally settled in Port Harcourt, Rivers State in the early 1970s and that is where Chief Ricketts spent his early formative years and later settled back to, as a young married man.
He holds a Diploma in Public Relations, a BSc. in Public Administration and has recently started a Master’s programme in Business Administration.
He has had a rich and illustrious career spanning over 25 years in construction, oil & gas, public relations & farming, which all began abroad with Inter Source UK, a logistics and procurement company, where he served as the Line Manager in charge of all Nigerian centred procurements.
He came back to Nigeria in the 1990s and set up his first company – David & Anderson Ltd, a Port Harcourt based company with interests in logistics and procurement for the oil and gas sector (Mobil, NNPC, etc.), as well as road construction. As the Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director of the company, he has expanded the procurement focus of the company to also include technical and service delivery to these sectors.
He also served as an Executive Director of ASC Nigeria Limited, which is affiliated to ASC International, a global manpower company, reputably known and used extensively in the Oil and Gas industry for all staffing concerns, especially expatriate manpower.
After his success at ASC, he was sought out and made an Executive Director at Kuehne & Nagel Nigeria Limited. The Dutch parent company, Kuehne & Nagel International, is the third largest logistics operator world-wide, located in over 100 countries and quoted in the New York Stock Exchange. He was the only Nigerian shareholder of Kuehne & Nagel Nigeria.
Chief Ricketts holds the traditional chieftaincy title of Obol Nkama 1 of Ugep, which was bestowed on him over 21 years ago by the Obol Lopon of Ugep, His Royal Highness, Obol Ubi Ujong Inah, the then Paramount Ruler of Yakurr LGA. in Cross River State. He was and remains the youngest person to have ever received this honour in the region.
He fulfilled his long time ambition of being a farmer when he acquired over 100 hectares of farmland in Cross Rivers State which now produces and processes palms, as well as the farming of various cash crops.
Chief Akinwumi Ricketts has also served as Commissioner for Information in Cross River State, under His Excellency, Senator Liyel Imoke, C.O.N, former Governor of Cross River State.
He is a chartered member of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) and he also presently serves as the Council member representing Cross Rivers State.
He is a committed financial member of the All Progressive Congress (APC), under which he contested for the Central Senatorial Seat of Cross Rivers State, in the 2019 elections.
He is an Honorary Rotarian of the Rotary Club of Port Harcourt.
He enjoys swimming, watching boxing/wrestling matches, playing table tennis and horseback riding. He has been a member of the Polo Club, Port Harcourt for over 20 years. He is also a motorcycle enthusiast and an avid biker since his youth. For the past five years, he has been at the forefront of the organization of the Calabar Bikers’ Festival, an offshoot of the famous Calabar Carnival. He is the President of the Metallic Knights Motorcycle Club.
He is happily married and blessed with children.
Mohammed Bello Koko
Mohammed Bello-Koko was born on the 25th March 1969 in Koko-Besse Local Government area of Kebbi State. He attended the Federal Government College, Sokoto for his Secondary education in 1986 before proceeding to the University of Sokoto for his first degree in Management Studies (B.Sc) in 1992. Mohammed continued at the Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto for his Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) in 1995.
Mohammed Bello-Koko started his career with FSB International Bank Plc, Port Harcourt from 1996 to 2004 as Executive Trainee-Banking Operations. He rose to several positions amongst which are Banking Officer-Credit and later Senior Banking Officer-Senior Treasury Officer, Senior Banking Officer-Energy Sector (ENSEC) in charge of managing various oil & gas related multinational accounts and sub-contractors. He was Assistant Manager (Credit & Marketing) where he was Head, branch credit risk analyst, and later became Deputy Manager-Branch Manager/Marketing in charge of initiating, processing and monitoring of good quality risk assets, management of existing accounts and providing leadership Training.
He then joined Zenith Bank Plc in 2005 as a Manager-Team Head, Public Sector and Large Corporate. There again he rose to the positions of:-
- Senior Manager- Head Public sector Group, where he supervised all the public sector teams in order to grow public sector business in the Rivers State.
- Assistant General Manager/Zonal Head where he was Group Head for Public Sector and Zonal head in-charge of Branches under one of Rivers/Bayelsa Zones.
- Deputy General Manager and Zonal Head which made him a member of the Bank’s Executive Management team, a position he held since 2013 until he proceeded on leave of absence in 2015 before his appointment as Executive Director Finance of the Nigerian Ports Authority.
As a result of his leadership and contributions to the bank, his branches received several awards amongst which are
- a) 2nd most Profitable Branch
- b) Most profitable Branch Bank wide July 2015
- c) The Best Group OGR and Taxes Collection Bank-wide in 2012
d) Best Branch in Deposit Mobilization (South-South) since 2009
e) Best Revenue Generation (South-South) since 2009
At various time between 2009-2015, Mohammed Bello-Koko was also named the Best Staff in Income (Revenue) Deposit Mobilization (S-S) from 2009-2015. Bello-Koko is a member of Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM) and the Institute of Strategic Management, Nigeria (ISMN). He has attended various causes at renowned International Institution and Training Centers
Professor Idris Abubakar
Professor Idris Abubakar was born on the 6th of March, 1969 in Misau, Bauchi State. He started his education at the Central Primary School, Misau, Bauchi State in 1975 and continued his Secondary School in Government Comprehensive Secondary School Misau from 1981 to 1984 and proceeded to Government Science Secondary School, Azare for his GCE in 1986. He further attended the Bauchi College of Arts & Science for the IJMB from 1986-1988. Idris Abubakar continued his education at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State, where he obtained his first degree in Civil Engineering in 1993, his Masters degree in the same field in 1999 and concluded his Ph.D. in 2005.
Professor Idris started his career at the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria in 1995 as an Assistant Lecturer, he continued at the same University as Lecturer II in 1999, Lecturer I in 2004 then became a Senior Lecturer in 2007 and Reader in 2010. He became a Professor in 2013.
During his career at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Professor Idris was Acting Director, Estate Department in 2006. He was Assistant Dean, Faculty of Engineering from 2007 to 2010 and later became the Head of Department of Civil Engineering from 2010 to 2014. He was a member of Presidential Projects’ Assessment Committee from March 2010 to May 2011. He was Director Projects ABUCONS Limited in the Ahmadu Bello University since May, 2016 until his appointment as Executive Director Engineering and Technical Services of the Nigerian Ports Authority.
Professor Idris Abubakar has mentored a lot of people through teaching including the Nigerian Defence Academy during his sabbatical leave from 2014 to 2015 and through direct supervision of Master degree dissertations and Ph.D. theses in his field. He has examined many Masters Dissertations and Ph.D. theses in other Universities, and has been external examiner to many departments of Civil Engineering of Polytechnics and Universities. He has also been reviewing articles for Publications in both local and international reputable Journals.
Professor Idris Abubakar has several Publications and Articles to his name in Peer Reviewed Journals, official Conference Proceedings and Technical Reports.
Professor Idris has received the Nigerian Ports Authority Prize of Best Final Year Civil Engineering Student, Department of Civil Engineering Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 1992/93 session
Hon. Onari Brown
Hon. Onari Brown was born on 13th February 1966, in Obonoma, Akuku-Toru Local Government Area, Rivers State.
He attended Government Secondary School, Ke, Degema Local Government Area, Rivers State where he obtained his West African School Certificate (WASC) in 1983.
He also attended Rivers State University of Science and Technology Port Harcourt from where he got his Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) Management in 1990.
From the same Rivers State University of Science and Technology Port Harcourt, he had his Master of Business Administration (MBA) Management in 2009 and proceeded to obtain Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy (MALD) in 2013.
He is a Fellow, Chartered Institute of Public Diplomacy and Management.
Onari Brown has a summary of twenty three (23) years of Post Qualification working experience in the Banking, Energy Servicing and Politics/Public Service Sectors. He worked with Oceanic Bank International (Nigeria) Limited various branches across the country in Treasury, Marketing and Operations from 1993 to 2000. He worked with Mipet Services Limited Port Harcourt, as the Head, Personnel/Administration from 2000 to 2004.
He was also a Supervisor, Finance, Budget, Economic Planning, Education and Special Duties in Akuku-Toru Local Government Council, Abonnema 2004 to 2006.
On the Political arena, Onari Brown was a Member Representing Akuku-Toru Constituency 1, in the Rivers State House of Assembly from 2007 to 2015. He served as Chairman and or Member of various Committees, some of which were on, Commission and Agencies, Commerce and Industries, Information and Training, Agriculture and Urban Development.
As a Member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) he served on various Committees, key among them were: the All Progressives Congress (APC) 2019 Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) where he was the Director of Administration; All Progressives Congress (APC) State Congress Committee, Edo State; where he was the Chairman and All Progressives Congress (APC) Membership Registration Committee, Edo State; where he was the Secretary.
His Hobbies include Reading, Sports, Nature watching and International Affairs.
His inspiration is Amazing Grace.
Ms Adenrele Susanna Adesina
ADENRELE SUSANNA ADESINA
Adenrele Adesina, FCCA was born in London, England to Mr Kolawole Adesina and Mrs. Olusola Adesina, both natives of Ogun State. She attended Hockerill College, Bishop’s Stortford and Chigwell School, Essex for secondary education before proceeding to the University of Brighton, East Sussex, graduating with BA (Hons) Accounting & Finance in 1995. Immediately after graduation, she began her professional career working in Finance for Woolworths plc, a large UK retail group. She moved into banking in 1997, working with WestLB AG in London, as a Product Accountant, focused on Treasury products, notably government securities and completing her ACCA exams the same year.
In 2000, she began her career in Research and became a credit research analyst, analysing the European corporate bond market, writing research and advising clients. Her initial focus was on the Retail sector, extending her coverage to the Consumer Goods, Oil & Gas and Utilities sectors during the course of her career at WestLB AG and ABN AMRO. She developed a deep understanding of European corporate debt markets as well as corporate strategy, covering a multi-billion Euro bond universe and advising on investment strategy for clients in the US, UK and Continental Europe accordingly.
In 2007, she switched focus to emerging markets and joined the Global Markets team at Standard Bank in London, initially working on the Credit Trading desk as an analyst. She was focused on the Nigerian banking sector, working with Origination and Sales teams to support transactions as well as advising traders. In 2009, she served as part of Stanbic IBTC Bank’s advisory team to the Central Bank of Nigeria during its intervention and reforms amid the Nigerian banking crisis of 2009/10. She became Head of Corporate & Investment Banking Research at Stanbic IBTC Bank, Standard Bank’s Nigerian subsidiary, in May 2010, leading a team of analysts and focusing personally on coverage of the banking sector and then the consumer goods sector. She has extensive experience engaging and advising portfolio investors in debt and equity instruments as well as Foreign Direct Investors into Nigeria from the US, Europe, South Africa and the Middle East.
Adenrele remained at Stanbic IBTC until 29 October 2015 when she took office as Commissioner, Budget & Planning, Ogun State and served until 28 May 2019. As Commissioner, she was responsible for the annual preparation of the state budget of approximately $1bn, and monitoring its execution. She was also responsible for the state’s relationship with development agencies as well as driving the Public Financial Management Reforms of the State Government. She led the Ogun State team that secured $250m of concessionary financing from the World Bank to support its development plan, which was hinged on the Agricultural and Industrial sectors, Skills Development and Governance reforms, fully negotiating the program before leaving office.
Adenrele was appointed as the Independent Non-Executive Director for Rand Merchant Bank Nigeria Stockbrokers in February 2021. She also has a keen interest in Agriculture and organic food production. She enjoys travel, especially in Africa, reading, mentoring young people, exploring African art and craft and is a health and wellness enthusiast.
Mustapha Aminu Dutse mni
ABDULWAHAB ADESHINA
Barrister Abulwahab Bolaji Adeshina hails from Ilorin, Ilorin West Local Government Area of Kwara State. He attended Wesley L. S. B. Primary School in Ilorin between 1966 to 1972; Ilorin Grammar School, Ilorin between 1973 and 1977; Offa Teachers’ College between 1977 to 1979 after which he worked briefly as a Class Teacher between 1979 to 1983 before he proceeded to Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin for his Interim Joint Matriculation Board (IJMB) A/Levels between 1983 to 1985. After his A/Levels, he was admitted into Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria where he studied Law and was called to the Nigerian Bar in April, 2002, and ever since, he has been in private Legal practice.
Ghazali Mohammed
Innocent Gamboro Umar
Innocent Gamboro Umar was born in Wukari in present day Taraba State on 4th June 1964. He attended Township School, Jos, Baptist Primary School Surulere, Lagos for his primary school education. He proceeded to the Baptist High School, Jos for his secondary school and went to College of Preliminary Studies Yola for A’ Levels. He went on to the prestigious Sir Ahmadu Bello University where he read law and graduated In 1987. He attended the Nigerian Law School, Lagos, between 1987 and 1988.
He performed his NYSC with the Nigerian Ports Authority between 1988 and 1989. He was employed by the NPA in August 1989. During his career with NPA, he served as Asst. Port Legal Adviser in the Rivers Port, Port Harcourt from 1990 to 1993, Ag. Port Legal Adviser in Calabar Port, 1993, Port Legal Adviser (PLA) Rivers Port, 1994 and was sent to become the pioneer PLA of the Legal Department in Onne Port Complex from 1994 to 2000.
In year 2000, he was posted to the Tin Can Island Port as PLA till 2002 when he was transferred to Container Terminal Port as PLA from 2002 to 2004. He was then transferred to the premier port, Lagos Port Complex as PLA from 2004 to 2006. He was then recalled to the headquarters to serve as the Directorate Legal Adviser to the Executive Director Marine and Operations.
In 2008, he was transferred to the Newly created Procurement Department to midwife the operation of the 2007 Procurement Act. In 2010 he was appointed the first substantive Assistant General Manager, Monitoring and Compliance to head the newly created Department. In 2014, he was transferred to the Western Zone headquarters to head the Corporate and Strategic Division. In 2017, he was recalled to the Corporate headquarters in Marina to serve as the Assistant General Manager, Board. In July 2019, he was appointed General Manager, Corporate and strategic Planning. He held the post until his appointment as General Manager, Board Secretary/ Legal Adviser in March, 2020.
During his over 30years career with the NPA, Mr Umar attended many courses, locally and abroad. He was also a union activist. He has represented NPA at Sporting events and won Laurels for the NPA. He served as the Vice President of the Senior Staff Cooperative Thrift Association.
He is happily married and blessed with three children.