The UBA group has organised a befitting send-off party to honour its outgoing Group Managing Director, Phillips Oduoza.

The company had at the party its stakeholders including their customers, shareholders, board of directors, staff and associates.

The last Saturday event which was held at the Eko Hotel Banquet Halls in Lagos, Nigeria also had in attendance, an “A’ list of top influencers in Nigeria and Africa.

UBA celebrated this significant milestone with The Emir of Kano, His Royal Highness, Muhammadu Sanusi Lamido II, and the crème de la crème of the Nigerian banking industry, Pascal Dozie as well as political leaders including governors Nasir El Rufai of Kaduna State.

Also present was Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State; Simon Lalong of Plateau State and  former Governor of Cross Rivers, Donald Duke in the company of his wife Mrs. Onari Duke, whose is a non-executive board member of UBA Plc; Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, former governor of Ogun State, Gbenga Daniels.

L-r): Emir of Kano, HRH Muhammadu Sanusi Lamido II; former GMD/CEO, UBA Plc,  Phillips Oduoza; Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir el-Rufai; and Chairman, UBA Plc, Tony Elumelu  during the send-off ceremony for Oduoza, held in Lagos on Saturday

Abdul- Nashiru Issahaku, the governor of the Central Bank of Ghana, Ibrahim Mahama, the brother of the President Mahama of Ghana and wife of the Senate President, Mrs Oluwatoyin Saraki, were also present.

Tony Elumelu, Chairman UBA Plc paid glowing tributes to Oduoza, who he had recruited into the then legacy Standard Trust Bank (STB) Plc as an Executive Director to help drive the eventual merger of STB and UBA Plc in 2005.

“Phillips never applied to Standard Trust Bank. I called him myself and encouraged him to join us at STB after he attended the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School” Elumelu said.

He described Phillips as “a very cerebral mind, very diligent, loyal and astute.”

l-r): Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir el-Rufai; Chairman, UBA Plc, Tony Elumelu; Emir of Kano, HRH Muhammadu Sanusi Lamido II; and former GMD/CEO, UBA Plc, Mr. Phillips Oduoza

“During the period we worked together at UBA, he was a wonderful colleague and supporter, a man who loves and encourages progress and a man who always works for the best of the corporate.  The performance of UBA today both financial and brand equity are attributable to Phillips and all the professional teams at UBA.

The saying goes that you are not a success until you have a successor. PO, as he is fondly called, has served his time at the helm of the Bank, pushing to achieve the strategic vision as outlined by our board of directors for the bank here in Nigeria and across Africa” Elumelu said in his tribute.

 He went further to say that the world had not heard the last of Oduoza as he highlighted the strengths of UBA’s outgoing GMD.

 The Emir of Kano, SLS, former Central Bank governor and also a former staff of UBA gave a tribute to Oduoza saying: “Oduoza is largely responsible for the reforms of the Nigerian payment systems which the banks and many Nigerians are benefiting from today.

He drove the reforms in the sector that has now made it easier for many Nigerians to use their cards locally and internationally and also witness the growth of various e-channels in the country” HRH Emir Sanusi II said.

He commended Oduoza for his contributions to the Nigerian banking system describing him as a man of integrity who deserves all the accolades he is getting.

Oduoza, who was emotional in his response, thanked the UBA Chairman for his kind words and for taking a bet on him.

He also thanked the banking regulators for providing the enabling environment that made the bank thrive during his tenure as well as staff and executive management of the bank, who he said were largely responsible for the bank’s achievement during his tenor as GMD.

He stated that he would continue to contribute his quota to the development of the Nigerian banking system.”

UBA also honoured two Executive Directors who were retiring, Obi Ibekwe and Femi Olaloku as the bank celebrated   its new GMD, Kennedy Uzoka, who takes over from Phillips Oduoza.