Engineer, ‘problem solver’, public speaker… five things to know about new deputy governor of CBN

On Thursday, President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Edward Lamektek Adamu as deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Femi Adesina, special adviser to the president on media and publicity, who announced the appointment, said it is subject to the confirmation of the senate.

Adamu joined the apex bank in 1992. Before joining CBN, he had nine years experience in public service. He will be replacing Suleiman Barau, who retired in December 2017.

Here are some things to know about Adamu.

SHARES ALMA MATA WITH HIS PREDECESSOR

Adamu, 57, is a Christian from Kaltungo local government area of Gombe state. He attended the same university with Suleiman Barau, his predecessor; though they studied different courses.

While Adamu graduated from the department of quantity survey in 1981, Barau got his first job with the Nigerian Mining Corporation in that same year.

CAREER-LONG CIVIL SERVANT

Upon graduation from Ahmadu Bello University in 1981, Adamu joined the civil service and worked there for nine years before joining the CBN.

Between 2008 and 2010, he worked with the Gombe state government on recruitment and budget monitoring and implementation.

Here is what he said of those two years: “I successfully managed various vested interests, by implementing a program of capacity building for civil servants as well as local contractors for successful performance. I was able to align the demands of government spending, with the realities of a procurement process to ensure successful project execution and prompt delivery of public service.”

CBN EXPERT

Adamu boasts of knowing the workings of the various departments of the apex bank.

He has served in various departments in the bank including project planning and implementation, human resources, strategy, business support division and engineering.

He has also served on various committees of the bank including budget; staff matters; pension fund management; establishment; enterprise learning and assets disposal.

In his resume, he wrote: “My 25 years of experience in the Central Bank of Nigeria has taken me through almost every aspect of Central Bank Operations and given me a thorough understanding of the role of the Central Bank in the global economy.”

PUBLIC SPEAKER, FREQUENT TRAVELLER

He is a frequent presenter at conferences, seminars and symposia in areas of leadership, human capital management, project management, construction, strategy and risk management.

He described himself as someone who is creative and has problem-solving skill.
To prove this, Adamu said when in 2010, he served as programme director, head of the projects planning and implementation division, he handled multi-dimensional large-scale projects for the bank.

Six years earlier when he was an assistant director, he was the head of the non-core team under a re-engineering and re-structuring programme (Project EAGLES) undertaken to re-position the bank working with Accenture Consulting.

EDUCATION LOVER

For Adamu, education and skill acquisition is important. In total, he has four postgraduate certifications and has acquired skills in 12 areas.

Areas, where he acquired skills, include strategic leadership, finance, human resources, organisational transformation, risk management, budgeting and cost management, construction management and records management.

Here is a summary of his educational trainings:

• Engineering degree (Quantity Surveying)
• Fellow, Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors.
  Postgraduate Professional Certifications in Corporate Strategy Development and Execution
• Fellow, Institute of Credit Administration of Nigeria.
  Coaching, Mentoring and Procurement through a variety of courses and practical experience at Wharton School USA, INSEAD France, Chicago Booth & IMD Switzerland.

He is a member of several professional bodies, among which are: The Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors; Project Management Institute, USA; International Knowledge Management Institute, USA; International Society for Performance Improvement, USA; and the Association of Project Managers, UK.