Biography Of Godwin Emefiele

 

Born on the 4th of August in 1961, Godwin Emefiele is a Nigerian banker who also happens to be the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria. He has held this position since June 4, 2014. 

Emefiele is an alumnus of the Wharton School of Business, Harvard University, and Executive Education at Stanford University. He was also one of the founding members of the management team of Zenith Bank Plc. 

Godwin Emefiele's early life and education

Godwin Emefiele was born on August 4, 1961, in Lagos, Nigeria. Although not much is known about Emefiele's early life, parents, or siblings in public records, it is at least known that he is from Ika South LGA in Delta state.

Emefiele started his primary school education in 1973 at Ansar Udin Primary School, now known as Government Primary School, where he acquired a Primary School Leaving Certificate. He then attended the Maryland Comprehensive Secondary School where he graduated in June 1978 before proceeding to the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) to study Banking and Finance.

In 1984, Emefiele graduated from the University of Nigeria Nsukka with a Bachelor's degree in Banking and Finance before embarking on his National Youth Service and making a return a year later for his Masters degree in finance, which he acquired in 1986. He is also a graduate of Executive Education at Havard University (2004), Stanford University and Wharton School of Business (2005). 

Godwin Emefiele's family

Godwin Emefiele is married to Margaret Emefiele and together they have two children named Godwin and Andrew Emefiele.

Godwin Emefiele's net worth

According to analysis from Business Insider, Forbes and Wikipedia, Godwin Emefiele has a net worth of around $5 million and he is considered as one of the richest bankers in Nigeria.

Godwin Emefiele's career

Godwin Emefiele began his career as a lecturer of Finance at the University of Nigeria Nsukka before moving on to lecture Insurance at the University of Port Harcourt. He also worked for Vodafone for a short period of time. 

Private sector

Before his appointment as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria in 2014, Godwin Emefiele gained over 18 years of experience working in the banking sector, first as the Executive Director of Zenith Bank Plc in 1996 and subsequently as Deputy Managing Director in 2001, and Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer in 2010. His impact as a leader at Zenith Bank was so effective that it helped increase the standard of investment of the bank, which in turn led to an increase in profits. 

Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria

On the 3rd of June in 2014, Godwin Emefiele was appointed by under the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

In his first term as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Emefiele tried to avoid the devaluation of the naira by introducing a multiple exchange rate regime and also pumped billions of dollars into the foreign exchange market, propping up the Nigerian naira in the process.

In May 2019, under the regime of President Muhammadu Buhari, Emefiele was reappointed for a second term as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria following an approval by the Nigerian Senate, thus becoming the first Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria to serve for a second term since 1999, when the country returned to democracy. 

Godwin Emefiele's awards and achievements

Awards won by Godwin Emefiele include:

• University of Nigeria Nsukka's Best Graduating Student in 1986
• National Honors Awards of the Commander of the Order of Nigeria in 2014
• Lifetime Award in Banking, Good Governance, Excellence, Institute for Service and Finance and National Development in 2016. 
• Silverbird Communication's Man of the Year Special Achievement Award in 2017Forbes Magazine's Best of Africa Innovative Banking Award in 2017
• The Sun's Public Service Award in 2017
• COCMEGG's Executive for Good Governance in Nigeria in 2017
• Coalition of Civil Societies and Media's Most Distinguished CBN Governor of the Decade in 2017
• Blueprint Impact Series' Financial Policy Strategist of the Year Award in 2018

Some of Godwin Emefiele's achievements include initiating credit schemes like:

• Export Development FacilityNational Food Security Programme
• The Accelerated Agricultural Development Scheme
• The Non-Oil Export Stimulation Facility
• Anchor Borrowers' P
• The Paddy Aggregation Scheme 

Controversy surrounding Godwin Emefiele

Godwin Emefiele once attempted to engage in partisan politics, which was against the laws set down by the Central Bank Act, which states that anyone occupying the position of governor must remain apolitical and independent to protect the nonpartisan state of the bank. 

In May 2022, it was alleged that Emefiele was looking to take over from President Muhammadu Buhari in Nigeria's 2023 presidential election. He, however, denied the allegations on his verified Twitter account, stating that he did not intend to contest in the presidential election.