Godwin Emefiele is the incumbent governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). He assumed this position on June 3, 2014. Prior to this, Godwin served in different capacities at the Zenith Bank Plc. He is an icon in the Nigerian banking and finance sector. Summarily, Emefiele has over 26 years of experience in the banking industry.
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Godwin Emefiele Education
Godwin, born on August 4, 1961 in Lagos, Nigeria, hail from Ika South LGA, Delta state, Nigeria. He attended Government Primary School, Victoria Island, earning a Primary school leaving certificate in 1973. His secondary education was at Maryland Comprehensive Secondary School, Maryland, Lagos, Nigeria, and he graduated in June, 1978.
Subsequently, Godwin attended University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and bagged a degree in Banking and Finance in June 1984. In addition, he obtained a Masters degree in Finance at the same University, in 1986. Godwin Emefiele attended Stanford, Harvard, and Wharton Graduate School of Business where he took courses in Negotiation, Service Excellence, Critical Thinking and Leading Change.
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Godwin Emefiele Personal Life
Godwin is married to Margaret Emefiele. They are blessed with two children.
Godwin Emefiele Career
Before Godwin Emefiele got into the banking sector, he was a lecturer. He taught Finance, Bank Management and Insurance at the University of Nigeria Nsukka, and University of Port-Harcourt respectively. Additionally, he served as the Director of ACCION Microfinance Bank Limited.
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Godwin Emefiele At Zenith Bank
Godwin Emefiele has 26 years experience in banking. He has been on the management team of Zenith since inception. In other words, he served as the Bank’s Executive Director, Deputy Managing Director, and the Group Managing Director.
Firstly, when Godwin was the Executive Director, he was in charge of corporate banking, treasury, financial control and strategic planning. Subsequently, he was appointed the Deputy Managing Director in 2001. This time, he was responsible for Zenith Bank local subsidiaries, treasury, correspondent banking, multilateral, conglomerates and private banking. In addition, Godwin has responsibilities for direct supervision of the major bank branches in Lagos and Northern Nigeria.
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While Godwin led Zenith Bank Plc, the company strengthened its position to be a leading financial institution in Africa. Zenith bank got endorsed both at home and abroad for its key performances. The bank was endorsed in areas like corporate governance, service delivery, and deployment of cutting-edge ICT. His impact was felt in numerous spheres of the bank’s operation.
For example, in 2012, Zenith bank under his leadership was regarded as the Best in Corporate Governance, Best Commercial Bank in Africa, and the Emerging Global Super Brand. These acclaims came from World Finance, CFI and FTSE Global Markets respectively.
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Godwin Emefiele Leadership In CBN
Central Bank of Nigeria, is the apex monetary bank established by the CBN Act of 1958. The apex bank began operation on July 1, 1959.
Firstly, Godwin was appointed by President Goodluck Jonathan on June 3, 2014 as the 11th CBN Chief and the 10th indigenous governor of CBN. Godwin succeeded Mallam Sanusi Lamido Aminu Sanusi.
Secondly, he was reappointed by President Muhammadu Buhari in May 2019. Luckily, the Senate confirmed his appointment the following day.
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Godwin Emefiele Awards
- Best Graduating Student Award (MBA), University of Nigeria, 1986
- Honorary Fellowship of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), 2014
- National Honours Award of the Commander of the Order of Nigeria (CON) by President Goodluck Jonathan, 2014
- Lifetime Award in Banking, Finance and National Development, Institute for Service, Excellence and Good Governance, 2016
- Public Service Award, The Sun, 2017
- Best of Africa Innovative Banking Award, Forbes Magazine, 2017
- Man of the Year Special Achievement Award, Silverbird Communication, 2017
- Most Distinguished CBN Governor of the decade, Coalition of Civil Societies and Media Executive for Good Governance in Nigeria COCMEGG, 2017
- Financial Policy Strategist of the Year Award, Blueprint Impact Series, 2018
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Entrepreneurial Lessons From Godwin Emefiele
From the life of Gov. Emefiele, we can deduce that while serving at different capacities at Zenith Bank, he had a vision. So, he worked hard in actualising his vision for the bank. As entrepreneurs, you have to be focused and determined.
Godwin was never a mediocre, he strived for excellence. This is also what is expected from entrepreneurs. We should always strive for excellence and should never be comfortable with the status quo.
Mr. Emefiele also knows his craft; he studied finance and also went for graduate courses that enhanced his leadership at Zenith and as the CBN chief. As we run our businesses, there is always room for continuous improvement. Learn something knew periodically and be the best at what you do.
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