Godwin Emefiele, born August 4, 1961, is a Nigerian banker and politician who has been serving as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria since June 4, 2014. He was born in Lagos State but originally hailed from Ika South, Agbor region of Delta State.
Wiki Profile
Full Name: | Godwin Emefiele |
Date of Birth: | August 4, 1961 |
Place of Birth: | Lagos |
State of Origin: | Delta State |
Nationality: | Nigerian |
Occupation: | Banker & Politician |
Net Worth: | $20 million. |
Wife/Spouse: | Margaret Emefiele |
Early Life and Education
Godwin Emefiele is a native of Ika South, Agbor region of Delta State, born and raised in Lagos State.
Emefiele went to Ansar Udin Primary School and Maryland Comprehensive Secondary School in Lagos before continuing his studies at the prestigious University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN).
In 1984, he earned a Bachelor of Science in Banking and Finance, graduating as one of the top students in his class.
Godwin Emefiele returned to UNN for a Masters Degree in Finance in 1986, shortly after completing his National Youth Service.
He also holds degrees from Stanford University, Harvard University (2004), and the Wharton School of Business (2005).
The University of Nigeria Nsukka awarded the Central Bank Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Business Administration (UNN).
Career
Emefiele taught finance and insurance at the University of Nigeria Nsukka and the University of Port Harcourt, respectively, early in his career. He also worked at vodafone for a brief time.
Emefiele had over eighteen years of financial expertise before joining the Central Bank. Zenith Bank Plc’s chief executive officer and group managing director was him. Since 2001, Emefiele has been the deputy managing director of Zenith Bank Plc.
He was a founding member of Zenith Bank Plc’s management team and served as executive director in charge of corporate banking, treasury, financial control, and strategic planning.
Emefiele worked for Zenith Bank Plc and Zenith Bank (Gambia) Limited as a director. ACCION Microfinance Bank Limited has Emefiele as a director.
Since 2014, Emefiele has served as the governor of Central Bank of Nigeria.
During his first term, he oversaw an interventionist currency strategy at the presidency’s request, pushing billions of dollars into the foreign exchange market to prop up the Nigerian Naira.
He also instituted a multiple exchange rate regime in an attempt to hide the Naira’s underperformance and avert a series of devaluations.
Emefiele was re-elected to a second five-year term in Nigeria’s Senate in 2019. This is the first occasion since Nigeria’s restoration to democracy in 1999 that anyone has been elected to a second term.
On Thursday, May 9, 2019, Senator Bukola Saraki read President Muhammadu Buhari’s letter. On Wednesday, he was tested, and on Thursday, May 16, 2019, he was confirmed.
Godwin Emefiele Net Worth
Godwin Emefiele is a Nigerian banker and politician with an estimated net worth of $20 million.
Personal Life
Godwin Emefiele is married to Margaret Emefiele, although not much information is known about his personal life.
Controversy
Godwin Emefiele, the governor of Nigeria’s central bank, took a partisan stance against the Central Bank Act, which states that the occupant of the governor’s position must remain apolitical and neutral at all times in order to maintain the bank’s nonpartisan status.
Emefiele sparked controversy in May 2022 when it was revealed that he was running for President Muhammadu Buhari’s seat in the 2023 presidential election.
What began as a rumor when campaign posters for the bank’s governor flooded Abuja, quickly gathered traction when a group of claimed rice farmers acquired the APC’s presidential form for the CBN Governor.