Erastus Akingbola, OON

Frontline banker and one of Nigeria’s leading technocrats, Dr. Erastus Akingbola has emerged the Champion Banker of the Year 2008.
Dr. Akingbola, the Group Chief Executive, Intercontinental Bank and President, Nigerian Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), was among distinguished Nigerians honoured by one of the country’s oldest privately owned newspaper, Champion Newspapers Limited, to commemorate its 20th anniversary.Presenting the award, the founder of the newspaper, and foremost politician, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, said the organisation decided to confer the award of excellence on Dr. Akingbola because of his “drive, commitment and enormous contributions to the growth and development of the nation’s financial sector and most importantly the astronomical growth and transformation of Intercontinental bank”

For a man who has put in, uninterruptedly, 39 of his 58 years on earth into the banking practice, winning honours and awards now appears a pastime. This year alone, the seasoned banker and administrator, has received several coveted awards from across the country. Early in February, the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO) honoured him with the honorary Doctor of Management Technology. This was followed by the Award of Sardauna Outstanding CEO Award of the Year by the Sardauna Magazine in April.
The award which honours exceptional Nigerians, who have contributed in no small measure towards nation building and national integration, was instituted in 2006 by the The Sarduana, a fast rising publishing outfit in the North to immortalise the life and times of the Sardauna of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello, one of Nigeria’s most respected statesmen.

In the same April Dr. Akingbola was named Financial Standard Man of The Year 2007 for successfully steering Intercontinental Bank to become the first Nigerian bank to be listed among the world’s top 500 banks and the first to cross the $1billion capital base.
Dr Akingbola has successfully steered the Intercontinental Bank from its humble background in 1989 as a merchant bank to become one of the largest, most capitalised and diversified financial services institutions in Nigeria today, with thriving interests in banking, insurance, finance, discount house operations and real estate.

Dr Akingbola has employed his vast wealth of knowledge and experience to contribute to spheres of Nigeria’s socio-economic development. His numerous and incisive commentaries on the banking industry and other national economic issues, have won him commendations and awards from leading institutions and professional groups in the public and private sectors including, the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Nigeria Institute of Public Relations, University of Lagos, Institute of Directors, Lagos Business School (LBS) and the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

His remarkable leadership skills have also been brought to bear on the Lagos Business School Alumni Association (LBSAA) where he served as President and the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria, where he also served as president.

In 2001, Dr Akingbola was honoured with the National Merit Award of the Member of The Order of the Niger (MON) by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as a testimony to his invaluable contributions to the advancement of the Banking profession in the country.

The highly respected banker has been repeatedly honoured by many Universities in the Country. Among such well-deserved laurels are the Honorary Doctor of Science (D.Sc) in Banking and Finance from the University of Calabar (2002); Honorary Doctor of Science (D.Sc) of the University of Benin (2006); Honorary Doctor of Letters (D.Litt) of the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba (2007); plus a Distinguished Alumnus Award of the University of Lagos.

Other positive recognitions garnered by Dr. Akingbola include his choice for the Excellence Award of the Institute of Directors (1998), Merit Award of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (1999), Diamond Award of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (Ondo State Chapter) (2000); Zik Prize (of the PPRAC) for Leadership in the Banking Industry (2004); Kwame Nkrumah African Leadership Award (2004) and Banker of the Year Award of the Chartered Institute of Bankers (Akure Chapter) (2006).