UBA Appoints Joe Keshi As Chairman

United Bank for Africa Plc has announced the appointment of Ambassador Joe Keshi as the Chairman of the bank’s Board of Directors.

According to a statement by the bank, Keshi was appointed to the Board of UBA in 2010 and was made vice-chairman on January 1, 2011.

He has over 35 years working experience at the highest levels of government as a career diplomat, serving as the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Permanent Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, The Presidency; Charge d’Affaires, Embassy of Nigeria, The Hague, Netherlands and Consul-General of Nigeria, Atlanta, Georgia.

The bank said Keshi’s appointment followed the retirement of Chief Israel Ogbue, a member of the UBA board since 2005 and chairman since January 1, 2011.

The statement quoted Ogbue as saying, “It has been a pleasure serving the bank. I have worked with a group of men and women who have been responsible for forging an extraordinary transformation in Nigerian and African banking. Ambassador Keshi is an admirable choice to lead the bank in its next growth phase.”

The statement said the board also appointed Mrs. Rose Ada Okwechime as the vice-chairman.

Okwechime is the Managing Director of the Abbey Building Society Plc and has played a leading role in financial services for over 20 years, including the time spent with the Bank of England.

The statement said both appointments were effective from November 21, 2013.

It quoted Keshi as saying, “I am touched that my fellow board members have asked me to chair the board. Chief Ogbue has raised the bar in governance, transparency and business growth. We will sustain the strong governance and risk management structures in place and maintain the momentum of our pan-African growth strategy.”

The Tide’s investigation reveals that Ambassador Keshi is also the chairman of BRACED Commission, a socio-economic development agency of the South-South states of Nigeria.