The Central Securities Clearing System Plc (CSCS) has announced the appointment of Mr. Shehu Yahaya Shantali as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective 1 January 2026.
Mr. Shantali will succeed Mr. Haruna Jalo-Waziri, who is stepping down after eight years at the helm, with the appointment having received no regulatory objections.
CSCS highlighted Jalo-Waziri’s contributions and expressed confidence that Shantali’s experience and expertise will help continue the company’s growth and strengthen its role in Nigeria’s capital market.
About Shehu Yahaya Shantali
Mr. Shehu Yahaya Shantali holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and an Executive MBA from Kingster Business School.
He has over 20 years of experience in accounting and financial services across Nigeria and the UK, covering investment and asset management, financial advisory, and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).
His professional background includes roles across capital markets, investment banking, real estate, and financial services, including a decade at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in Nigeria.
- During his time at the SEC, he was involved in the transition of publicly listed and major public interest entities from Nigerian GAAP to IFRS and in the Commission’s move to the contributory pension scheme in 2012.
His work has also focused on financial inclusion and digital financial infrastructure, particularly the development of platforms aimed at expanding access to regulated financial services.
As Managing Director and CEO of Apricot Investments Limited, he oversaw the development of the MicroWorld platform, delivering micro-health, micro-pension, micro-housing, micro-insurance, and micro-investment products.
Earlier in his career, he worked on contactless payments, POS-based agency banking, and early mobile-money interoperability on the NIBSS NIP platform.
Comments
On the leadership transition, Board Chairman Temi Popoola expressed gratitude to Haruna Jalo-Waziri for his service and welcomed Shehu Shantali, confident he would build on the foundation laid and guide CSCS forward.
Incoming CEO Shehu Shantali said, “I appreciate the Board’s confidence and look forward to working with stakeholders to strengthen CSCS’s role in Nigeria’s capital market.”
Reflecting on his tenure, outgoing CEO Haruna Jalo-Waziri described it as a privilege to serve and expressed confidence that the Company is well positioned for the future under new leadership.
What to know
CSCS Plc (Central Securities Clearing System) is a public limited company with a diverse shareholder base, including the Nigerian Exchange Group, major banks, private equity firms, investment banks, and individual investors.
For over 20 years, CSCS has served as Nigeria’s central securities depository, modernizing the capital market by fully digitizing share certificates and shortening settlement cycles.
- CSCS acts as the depository for equities, corporate and sub-national bonds, certain sovereign bonds, ETFs, REITs, mutual funds, and commodities.
Licensed and regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), it operates under Nigerian securities laws and uses digital technologies to serve market participants and institutional investors efficiently.
