Fidelity Bank Plc has announced the appointment of Alhaji Abdullahi Sarki Mohammed as Independent Non-Executive Director; Ms. Obiaku Augusta Okam as Non-Executive Director; and Mr. Sufiyanu Ibrahim Garba as Executive Director, North Directorate with effect from January 14, 2025.
The appointments have been approved by the Central Bank of Nigeria and notice of same communicated to the Securities and Exchange Commission, Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation and Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria.
The Board looks forward to working closely with the new Directors to achieve the Bank’s strategic objectives in the next phase of its growth trajectory.
Alhaji Abdullahi Sarki Mohammed (Independent Non-Executive Director):
Alhaji Abdullahi Sarki Mohammed joins the Board of Fidelity Bank Plc with over thirty-six (36) years’ experience in the financial services industry spanning Retail, Corporate, Consumer and Commercial Banking; Treasury; Pension Fund Administration; Business and Financial Advisory; Human Resources Development; as well as Public Administration.
He has held key leadership and management positions at notable financial institutions and most recently served as Executive Director Abuja and Northern Directorate (covering the Federal Capital Territory and eighteen (18) States) of Polaris Bank Limited from September 2018 to June 2023, before his retirement.
Prior to joining Polaris Bank Limited, Alhaji Mohammed was Executive Director Abuja and Northern Directorate of Skye Bank Plc from July 2016 to July 2018. He also served as a Non-Executive Director of Trustfund Pensions Limited and Skye Bank Limited, Guinea where he chaired the Board Credit Committee and Board Audit & Risk Management Committee.
Before joining Skye Bank Plc, he had held key leadership positions at First Bank of Nigeria Plc from October 2003 to July 2016, where he was responsible for business development activities across Corporate, Commercial, and Retail Banking; and Kakawa Discount House Limited from August 1995 to October 2003, where he served as Abuja Area Oce Manager, overseeing the company’s business in nineteen Northern States and the Federal Capital Territory.
Whilst at Kakawa Discount House Limited, he took a leave of absence to honour a call to public service by serving as the Commissioner for Works, Housing, and Transport of Kano State from February to May 1999. During this period, he also briefly acted as Relief Commissioner at the Ministries of Health and Water Resources, Kano State.
Alhaji Mohammed began his career at the Cement Company of Northern Nigeria as a Sta‑ Development and Training Instructor in November 1987 and rose to the position of Senior Instructor in January 1991, before joining Century Merchant Bank Limited in February 1991 as the Liaison Ocer responsible for branch establishment in Abuja. He rose to the position of Head of Treasury Department for the Kano Area office in July 1995, before joining Kakawa Discount House Limited.
He holds Ordinary and Higher National Diplomas in Electrical Engineering from Kaduna Polytechnic as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Education and Technology, and Master’s degree in Career and Technical Education from Bowling Green State University, Ohio, USA.
Alhaji Mohammed has attended leadership and executive development programmes at world class business schools including INSEAD; London Business School; Cornell University, USA; and Strathmore Business School, Kenya.
He is a member of the 37th Senior Management Programme (SMP) of the Lagos Business School and an Honourary Senior Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, Nigeria. He is an avid golfer and member of the IBB Golf and Country Club.
Obiaku Augusta Okam (Non-Executive Director):
Ms. Obiaku Augusta Okam has over thirty (30) years of cumulative experience in the Banking, Financial Services, Real Estate and Retail Sectors and currently serves as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Ocer of Skycurve Nigeria Limited, a company engaged in the development and sale of residential properties.
Her professional background encompasses corporate and retail/consumer banking, capital market, importation, wholesale and retail marketing of fast-moving consumer goods, as well as development and sale of real estate.
She has over twenty-two (22) years’ experience in leading financial institutions and started her banking career at Nigeria International Bank Limited (Citibank) in 1990 during her National Youth Service Corps Programme. She rose to the position of Treasury Operations Ocer at Citibank before leaving in 1996 to pursue further studies at University of Cardi‑, Wales, where she obtained a Master’s Degree in Business Administration and returned to join Zenith Bank Plc in May 1998.
She held various leadership and senior management positions at Zenith Bank Plc and served as Head of Marketing and Branch Head at various branches, before leaving in April 2012 as an Assistant General Manager.
Upon leaving Zenith Bank Plc, Ms. Okam assumed the role of Managing Director and CEO of Enando Nigeria Limited, a company engaged in the importation and wholesale of consumer goods, before joining Skycurve Nigeria Limited in June 2018 as MD/CEO with overall responsibility for development and sale of residential real estate.
In May, 2023, she was appointed to the Board of FSL Securities Limited, a member of the FSL Group, as a Non-Executive Director and served as a member of the Board Audit and Risk Committee until her retirement on December 31, 2024.
Ms. Okam holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Statistics from the University of Benin, Nigeria, and Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Cardi‑, Wales.
She has attended leadership and executive development programmes at notable institutions including the Lagos Business School, Financial Institutions Training Centre, Lagos and Institute of Directors, Nigeria.
Ms. Okam is a fitness enthusiast and enjoys reading, visiting new countries and experiencing di‑erent cultures.
Sufiyanu Ibrahim Garba (Executive Director, North Directorate):
Mr. Sufiyanu Ibrahim Garba joins Fidelity Bank with an impressive background of multifunctional and cross-border experience in leading financial institutions. His career spans general management and business origination across a broad range of segments, including Commercial and Business Banking, Financial Advisory/Consulting, Retail Banking, Public Sector, Corporate Banking, Credit Structuring, Investment Banking, Strategic Financial Planning and Analysis, Data Analytics, Investment Appraisal, Fundraising, and Capital Structuring.
With over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry, Sufiyanu has held key leadership and management positions in both financial and non-financial institutions. His extensive career also includes public service, where he served as Technical Adviser to the Honourable Minister at the National Planning Commission between November 2007 and December 2008.
Sufiyanu began his professional journey in 1995 at Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, following the completion of his National Youth Service at the Central Bank of Nigeria. Between 1998 and 2010, he gained invaluable experience working in the UK and Nigeria across public and private sectors. He held significant roles at Threadneedle Asset Management, UK; Morley Fund Management Company Limited, UK; Asset and Resource Management Company Limited; ARM Pension Managers Limited; and Access Bank, where he served as Group Head of Financial Institutions, Insurance & Asset Management in 2003, and later as Group Head of Commercial Banking (North).
In May 2012, he joined Diamond Bank Plc (now Access Bank Plc) as Divisional Head of the Public Sector Directorate. He subsequently rose to the position of Regional Sales Director, North, where he led and coordinated the bank’s branches across the Northern Directorate.
In May 2019, Sufiyanu took on the role of Head of North Bank and Public Sector at Keystone Bank Limited. During his tenure, which lasted until November 2023, he achieved the rank of General Manager. He then joined Union Bank of Nigeria Plc as Executive Director, overseeing Business Banking across the North, South-South, and South-East regions, as well as the Public Sector, a role he held until January 2024.
Sufiyanu holds a BSc in Economics from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and an MSc in International Banking, Investment, and Securities from Henley Business School, University of Reading, UK. He recently completed a certification in the E‑ective Execution of Organisational Strategy from Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania.
He is a member of the Society of Investment Professionals (UKSIP) and the Securities Futures Authority, London, UK; an Honorary Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers Nigeria (HCIB); an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (ACS); and a Certified Investment Manager.
Sufiyanu has participated in business, leadership, and executive development programs at renowned institutions, including Wharton Business School, Euromoney, Lagos Business School, and Phillips Consulting. A former medal-winning track athlete at King’s College, Lagos, he remains a voracious reader, with a keen interest in current affairs.