CIBN Targets Ethics, Financial Inclusion in Banking Reform Agenda 

Nume Ekeghe

The new President and Chairman of Council of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, Dr. Dele Alabi, has unveiled a reform-driven agenda centred on ethics, innovation, skills development and financial inclusion, as Nigeria’s banking industry grapples with rapid technological change and macroeconomic pressures.

Speaking during his investiture as the 24th President/Chairman of Council of the institute in Lagos over the weekend, Alabi said the financial services industry was being reshaped by digital disruption, evolving customer expectations, tighter regulations and economic volatility.

According to him, the institute must move beyond responding to changes in the industry and instead provide leadership in shaping the future of banking and finance.

“The banking and financial services landscape, both globally and within our country, is undergoing profound transformation,” he said.

Alabi said his administration would pursue a six-pillar agenda captured under the acronym ‘IMPACT’ Inclusion, Membership Economy, Professionalism and Ethical Conduct, Accountability and Enhanced Financial Performance, Competencies and Skills Development, as well as Technology, Automation and Innovation.

Speaking at the event, Chairman of the Body of Banks’ CEOs, Oliver Alawuba, said Alabi’s emergence reflected the banking industry’s confidence in his competence, character and commitment to advancing the profession.

Alawuba said the new CIBN president assumed office at a defining moment for the banking sector following the successful recapitalisation exercise, which he noted had made Nigerian banks “stronger and more resilient than ever before.”

He, however, warned that the industry still faces mounting pressures from digital disruption, cybersecurity threats, evolving regulations, talent mobility and rising consumer protection expectations.