+ Joined the board of Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc in a non-executive role.
Corporate wizkid, Yewande Sadiku, has moved on from the embarrassment that almost tainted her tenure as the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission. She has now joined the board of Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc in a non-executive role. Sadiku, who was appointed CEO of NIPC in November 2016, barely waited to clock exactly five years before exiting in September 2021, a month after she was quizzed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, for alleged abuse of office bordering largely on contract fraud running into several millions of naira and unearned frivolous allowances.
Nothing concrete came out of the investigation as she was exonerated of all charges last month by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission after completing its investigation. However, sources reveal that the searchlight beamed on her was allegedly instigated by the staff of the commission who mounted stiff resistance to the reforms she tried to institutionalise, all aimed at proactive investment promotion and embedding a culture of governance and proactive accountability.
Transparency, we gathered, was a core part of the 49 year-old’s administration while at NIPC and despite the many battles she faced, mostly from the commission’s governing board and other entrenched interests, Sadiku successfully improved the reputation of NIPC in the Freedom of Information ranking for compliance and transparency from 90th position to the first position within five years. Also, NIPC’s internally generated revenue grew from N296 million to N3.1 billion under her watch.
Before NIPC, Sadiku whose banking career spans 23 years, headed Stanbic IBTC’s investment banking arm. She was also the Executive Director in charge of Stanbic IBTC Group’s Corporate and Investment Banking business, ensuring the realisation of business opportunities in Nigeria’s complex operating environment.
She managed key relationships with regulators and many of Nigeria’s leading corporate and multinational clients. A proud awardee of the Eisenhower Fellowship for International Leadership, she is currently the Acting Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Investors’ Protection Fund of Nigerian Exchange Limited.