CBN gets a new Director for Currency Operations

Ahmed Bello Umar has been appointed the new Director, Currency Operations Department by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The appointment reportedly took effect on Thursday, December 5, 2019.

The appointment was disclosed in a statement signed by the Director, Corporate Communications Department, Isaac Okorafor as reported by This Day. Umar took over from CBN’s former Director, Currency Operations Department, Mrs Priscilla Ekwueme Eleje who exited the bank after reaching the statutory retirement age.

What you should know: Priscilla Ekwueme Eleje was popular for becoming the first female Director of currency in the history of the CBN and the first woman to append her signature on Nigeria’s banknotes. Eleje is a psychology graduate of the University of Jos (UNIJOS), Nigeria. Before the confirmation of her appointment as a Director, she was the Acting Director of Currency and Operations at the CBN.

Eleje is an alumnus of the prestigious Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship programme. She has completed her programme in Banking and Management at Boston University, Massachusetts, USA. More so, Eleje is a Certified Information System Auditor (CISA).

A look into Umar’s profile: Prior to this appointment, Umar was the Director, Trade and Exchange Department at CBN. Born on July 10, 1963, Umar joined the services of the CBN in May 1989.

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The new Director of currency holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria. He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1987. He also holds certification in Information Systems Audit & Control Association (ISACA), Illinois, USA and is a Certified Information System Auditor. He is equally certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC).

Umar is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM), Institute of Internal Auditors of Nigeria (Associate-AIIAN), the Information System and Control Association (ISACA) and the Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP).