Buhari Appoints Edward Lamatek Adamu, As CBN Deputy Governor

Edward Lametek Adamu, a Christian from Gombe State, North Eastern Nigeria, will be the new Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), THEWILL can report.

President Muhammadu Buhari Wednesday approved his appointment after facing growing criticisms over his lopsided political appointments which mostly favoured Muslims against Christians and ignited an agelong debate and divide between Christians and Muslims in Africa’s most populous state.

Edward replaces Mr. Suleiman Barau who retired in December.

His appointment is however subject to confirmation by the hostile Senate which had held up the confirmation of another Deputy Governor, Aishah Ahmad, 40, the Board of the Bank, as well as all other appointees by Buhari following his refusal to remove Ibrahim Magu as Chairman of the EFCC, after his confirmation was turned down by the upper legislature.

Until his appointment, Edward served as the Director of Human Resources at the Bank.

He was recommended for the top job by CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, THEWILL exclusively gathered from presidency sources.

Born on June 22, 1959 (57yrs) in Kaltungo LGA, with over 25 years of experience in the apex bank, he is married with 4 kids.

Edward is a veteran with experience in almost every aspect of the institution, coupled with about 9 years of experience in the public sector before he joined the bank, according to his profile which THEWILL exclusively obtained on Wednesday night.

With a degree in Engineering degree (Quantity Surveying), Second Class Upper from the Faculty of Engineering at Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, he is a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors.

He has several postgraduate professional certifications from the Institute of Credit Administration of Nigeria, Wharton School USA, INSEAD France, Chicago Booth & IMD Switzerland.

He is an active member of several professional bodies including 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.

He joined the CBN in June 1992 and in 2012, was appointed Director of the Strategy Management Department where he was responsible for alongside the Board of the bank, ensuring that the “CBN has a clearly articulated strategy that would ensure the delivery of the Mandate of the Bank, organizational alignment and focus on strategy – from development to execution – by integrating Strategy-Focused concepts, principles, and best practices into the fabric, cadence, and processes of the organization.”

As Director of Strategy, he was a member of the Monetary Policy Implementation Committee and the Financial Services Regulatory Coordination Committee as well as an observer at the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC).

In 2016, he was appointed Director, Human Resources Department with the task of developing the Human Capital assets of the regulator.

In 2008 he was seconded for two years to the Gombe State Government to set-up and run a strategic framework for best practices in procurement.

In 2010, he served as Programme Director (Head of the Projects Planning and Implementation Division) handling multi-dimensional large scale projects for the Bank.

In 2004 as an Assistant Director, I was the Head of the Non-core Team under a Re- engineering and Re-structuring program (Project EAGLES) undertaken to re-position the Bank working with Accenture Consulting.

In 2005, he led the Knowledge Management Team where he oversaw the development of a Knowledge Management Framework for the Bank.

In 2006 as a Deputy Director, he served as Head of Business Support Division of the Bank handing a portfolio of teams and functions including Knowledge Management, Records Management, Strategic Alliance and Price Intelligence.

Between 1992 and 2003, he served in several offices of the Engineering Services Department of the Bank handling Project Conception, Evaluation, Contract Documentation, Cost Planning & Control, Project Implementation and Closure of several projects of the Bank including the current CBN Head Office Abuja. Rising from the position of a Manager to an Assistant Director.

He is a member of several Board and Project Steering Committees of the Bank including; Budget; Staff Matters; Pension Fund Management; Establishment, Enterprise Learning, Assets Disposal and REAL SPARC Project.