Meet Ifie Sekibo, Harvard Trained Bank CEO Who Told Workers To Protest At Home Of Senator For Not Paying Debt

The morning of Monday June 21, 2021 came with an unexpected drama.

The workers at Heritage Bank protested at the residence of one of their high profile customers for not paying money owed.

The debtor is Senator Andy Uba, the representative of Anambra South Senatorial Assembly District at the National Assembly since 2011.

The venue of the unusual protest was his residence in Abuja.

A leaked memo by the bank’s Chief Executive Officer Ifiesimama Precious Sekibo – shortened to Ifie Sekibo – addressed conjectures over the controversy thrown up by the action of the Heritage Bank workers.

Sekibo who celebrated his 56th birthday on April 18, 2021, told staff “Consequently, the recent visit of our colleagues was in line with our objective and solely to address the indebtedness of the customer”

The checks by societynow.ng revealed if there is anyone with a proper grasp of the issues between Senator Uba and Heritage Bank, it is Sekibo.

Sekibo who has been on the saddle since 2012 is the pioneer Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of Heritage Bank.

And he is not a run-of-the-mill person neither was he strange to decision makings at the very top echelon of the corporate world before he assumed office as Heritage Bank’s number one staff.

An alumnus of Harvard Business School OPM Class (2006-2009), and holder of a PhD Credit Management from the London Post Graduate Credit Management College, UK-, an affiliate of American University, London – Sekibo was Executive Vice-Chairman of International Energy Insurance Plc, IEI, from 2003 to 2009.

Societynow.ng’s checks revealed that prior to that Sekibo who possesses a first degree in accountancy from the University of Science & Technology, Port Harcourt was a member of the Executive Management of Rims Merchant Bank Ltd. from 2000 to 2002, aside from being with Monipulo Limited (Petroleum Development) as its Financial Controller/ Head of Admin from 1999 to 2002.

A Fellow of a number of Professional Institutes including the Institute of Directors; Institute of Petroleum, London; Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, Nigerian Institute of Management; Institute of Credit Administration, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigerian, Sekibo emerged “Bank CEO” after leading a team of investors and professionals to “rebirth” defunct Societe Generale Bank as Heritage Bank.

Heritage Bank started out as a regional Bank.

Sekibo whose exploits at in the banking industry earned him recognitions such as Goal Attainment Made Easy (GAME), Leader of the Year Award, Leadership Clinic GOTNI was at the forefront of activities when Heritage Bank acquired Enterprise Bank and secured a National License from the Central Bank in 2014.

“So he knows where all the bodies are buried at the Bank and the history the major loans and businesses. For him to allow such a public shaming against Senator Uba tells a lot about how bad things have gone between the Bank, the customer and the management” societynow.ng learned.

Further checks revealed that different reactions continue to trail Heritage Bank’s workers’ protest at the residence of Senator Uba to pay his debt. Some slam the bank for not going through procedures such as civil litigations in the face of questions whether the money borrowed was with or without collateral while others hail the move of public shaming as one of the much-needed deterrents against bad loans.