The former Fidelity Bank MD, Nnamdi Okonkwo, has added a happy year to his life on earth. With so many individuals of height and depth sending felicitations and goodwill messages, Okonkwo’s premium value in banking, industry and the Nigerian society is evident to all.
A deluge of complimentary messages is still ramming Nnamdi Okonkwo’s social media channels. From the heights of the Nigerian society with industry leaders to the bottom with those who aspire to be like Okonkwo, the depths of feeling were not unfeigned. Nnamdi Okonkwo has made his mark, and he remains relevant to all and sundry.
After six years as the dynamic MD/CEO of Fidelity Bank, Nnamdi Okonkwo had to bow out and usher in Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, the current MD/CEO. Nevertheless, Okonkwo stirred up many bees and buzz in Fidelity Bank, the Nigerian industry in general.
It was during the time of Okonkwo that banking in Nigeria took a complete digital turn. Unsurprisingly, Fidelity Bank took a topmost position among its peers. Furthermore, several awards, since 2014, have found a way to Okonkwo’s shelf.
For a while now, folks have begun to ask what Okonkwo’s next step is—after sitting at the apex of Nigerian banking and industry, what next? This is not out of place considering that his peers (First Bank’s Bisi Onasanya and Skye Bank’s Tokunbo Abiru) have also left banking but taken over a massive chunk of other industries for themselves.
In any case, based on those with ears everywhere, Okonkwo plans to take non-Executive roles in industries other than banking. In other words, the man has refused to start-up a coffee shop and live the rest of his life commenting on business in Nigeria. Obviously, the man intends to remain in the thick of things—and for a good reason. Overall, it is a new year for Nnamdi Okonkwo, one that will undoubtedly be as exciting and star-bright as the ones before.
