SEPLAT taps top banker, accountant Onwuka, as finance chief, ED

• Banker was GMD of acquired Diamond Bank in heyday

Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc, the dual Nigerian Stock Exchange and London Stock Exchange listed Nigerian indigenous oil and gas company, has tapped top Nigerian banker and accountant, Emeka Onwuka, as its chief financial officer and executive director, the company announced at the weekend.

Onwuka once sat atop old Diamond Bank (which merged with Access Bank last year) as group managing director and chief executive officer and before that had been an executive director, taking over from bank founding managing director, Pascal Dozie, and served out his tenure in what many consider the golden heyday of the bank.

His appointment as CFO, made by the board of Seplat and the weekend, kicks in August 1, 2020 and Onwuka will be taking to the new role over 30 years of experience in financial services within sub-Saharan Africa, a statement made available to Business A.M. showed.

Onwuka is well regarded in industry, finance and business circles in Nigeria for his brilliance and deep knowledge of finance, but he is also well known for his humble disposition and was well taken by the financial media in Nigeria for the deep insights he often provided when he was engaged by them.

After he left Diamond Bank he remained very active, chairing former Enterprise Bank, and working as a partner at Andersen Tax Nigeria, as well as being on the boards of many companies, including as chairman, FMDQ Securities Exchange Limited; director, FMDQ Holdings Limited; director, Ecobank Nigeria Limited and director, Bharti Airtel Nigeria.

According to the statement announcing his appointment, Onwuka is a graduate of political science from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and holds an MBA from the University of Benin. His professional qualifications include being a chartered accountant, a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, and a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria. He has attended executive programmes at the Lagos Business School, Wharton Business School and Harvard Business School.

The board of Seplat said it is confident that the wealth of knowledge and experience he brings will be a great addition to the company.