Zenith Bank Plc has announced the retirement of its Founder and Group Chairman, Jim Ovia, following the expiration of his tenure in line with regulatory requirements.
The bank disclosed this in a corporate notice issued in
Lagos on May 5, 2026.
Ovia completed the mandatory 12-year tenure permitted under
corporate governance guidelines for financial holding companies, non-interest
banks, and payment service banks in Nigeria.
As the founder of Zenith Bank, he has been a central figure
in its growth trajectory and was credited by the Board for providing strong
leadership, strategic direction, and effective oversight throughout his time as
chairman.
The Board noted that his commitment to governance standards
and stakeholder value creation significantly enhanced the Group’s positioning
and reputation in the financial services sector.
Until he was appointed Chairman, Bello was a non-executive
director in the bank.
Engr. Mustafa Bello graduated with B.Engr. (Civil
Engineering), from the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, in 1978 with
Second Class Upper Division, and won the Shell prize for best project and
thesis for Faculty of Engineering in 1978.
He served in the Directorate of Quartering and Engineering
Service (Nigerian Army) between 1978 and 1979. He later joined the Niger State
Housing Corporation between 1980 and 1983 as a Senior Civil Engineer.
He served as a cabinet Minister of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria as the Federal Minister of Commerce between 1999 and 2002. He was
subsequently appointed Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of the
Nigerian Investments Promotion Commission (NIPC) between November 2003 and
February 2014.
He is currently the Chairman of Invest-in-Northern Nig.
Limited, a special purpose vehicle for the economic and social transformation
of the Northern Nigerian Economy.
He has been involved in several projects in Nigeria,
including the CAC online project in 2002, developing a WTO-consistent Trade
Policy for the Federal Republic of Nigeria, etc.
He has attended several conferences, missions, and meetings
and represented the Federal Government of Nigeria.
.jpeg)
0 Comments
DISCLAIMER
The views and opinions expressed on this platform as comments were freely made by each person under his or her own volition or responsibility and were neither suggested nor dictated by the owners of News PLATFORM or any of their contracted staff. So we take no liability whatsoever for such comments.
Please take note!