Adigwe Sebastian; Banker, also a member of the Steering Committee of the Business Support Group, BSG for the Federal Government’s Vision 2020, and member, Technical Working Group of Delta State for Vision 2020. Adigwe stood trial alongside others over alleged abuse of office, banking malpractices and money laundering to the tune of N55 billion[i]. While pursuing his Higher School Certificate, HSC, at the CMS Grammar School, Bariga, a distance of about a kilometer from the University of Lagos in Akoka he developed a liking for the citadel to where he would be admitted to study Accounting in 1983. As a member of the Ecobank Group’s technical staff that undertook business risk reviews of each of the affiliates within the group, he was availed access into the sub-regional banking markets of Cote D’Voir, Ghana, Togo, Benin Republic, Senegal and Mali.
Career
Adigwe began his career in 1986 as an analyst in the credit and marketing department of the latter defunct Chase Merchant Bank. From Continental Merchant Bank, Adigwe joined Ecobank as Assistant General Manager and rose to become a Deputy General Manager in 1998. However, he crossed over to Citizens International Bank in 2000 as Executive Director and acted as Managing Director from 2002 to 2003 before moving as substantive Managing Director of IMB International Bank Plc. It was from here that he moved to Afribank in 2005 as Executive Director, the position he held before his elevation as Group Managing Director / CEO in 2006[ii]. In 1990, Adigwe had joined Ecobank Nigeria Plc. where he co-pioneered the credit and marketing group. He later rose to become head of several units which included leasing, conglomerates and multinationals, corporate banking, commercial and retail banking. Due to his ample experience in marketing, he was asked to develop a core risk management group for the bank under a new organisational structure. Between 1998 and 2001, he was the country risk manager as deputy general manager, reporting to Ecobank Group’s head office in Lome, Togo.
Adigwe joined the Citizens International Bank in April 2001 as an Executive Director. In September 2002, he became the acting Managing Director of the bank, a position he held till July 2003, when he was invited to lead a new management team in revamping and refocusing the bank. Afterwards, he joined the Afribank.[iii]
[i] Channels TV April 22, 2012
[ii] The News October 22, 2007
[iii] Westerner September 14, 2009
