NIPC: Yewande Sadiku takes a bow

“In my time in NIPC, I have had many good days, and I have had many best days. I have had more bad days than I would like, but I have learnt a lot from the worst days.

I would like to thank all of you for whatever role you played in the journey of my time in NIPC,” Yewande Sakidu told colleagues with teary eyes as she waved goodbye to five years old friendship at Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC).

The former executive director in Stanbic IBTC Bank tenure could be described as the proverbial cat with nine lives. Yewande’s seat was more than hot, but that never discouraged her from giving her best to her fatherland.

Part of her footprints was the revamp of the agency’s website to give accurate information to Nigerians and would-be foreign investors. Some of the information on the website is what most Nigerian public officers and organisations struggle to keep secret.

A visit to the commission’s website shows records of IGR income and expenditure, procurement, budget performance, pioneer status incentive reports, court cases involving the agency; many of which are not available on the website of a host of government agencies and parastatals in Nigeria.

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“I didn’t come to NIPC with anybody and when I leave NIPC I will not leave with anybody. I worked with the staff of NIPC that I met, I tried to create opportunities to find the hidden gems, the diamonds in the rough,” Sadiku said.

Despite distractions from antics, those who followed her tenure have argued that the NIPC in the last five years under her leadership has been more accountable to Nigerians than at any other period.

The agency financial report showed the internally generated revenue increased from N296 million in 2016 to N3.06 billion in 2020, and from January to August 31, 2021, NIPC generated IGR of N1.5 billion, 13.8 percent more than the original budgeted IGR of N1.32 billion for the entire year.

Despite impressive records in raising Nigeria’s investment profile, Sadiku’s tenure was held up for scrutiny, based on a flurry of petitions from stakeholders with whom she had locked horns for most of her tenure.

Like other private turned public sector professionals before her, she dealt with the viciousness of political power brokers, the backstabbing antics of public officers, the money-grabbing greed of economic carpetbaggers, and the charming naivety of policy advisers.

“For those who fought with me, for those who wrote petitions, for those who locked the gate, for those who actively worked to make sure I left NIPC before my time, I thank you for burnishing my reputation,” Sadiku told colleagues in her final meeting.

All eyes will now be on Emeka Offor who has just assumed the role of acting executive secretary/CEO of NIPC

Emeka started his career in banking at the then Diamond Bank where he later became head of treasury. Before he joined NIPC, he was a senior management executive at Zenith between 1999 and 2013.

Since he joined NIPC, because of his versatility and managerial prowess, he has headed six different departments at various times.