Yes, we are in love with Buhari's CBN nominee

As President Muhammadu Buhari seeks to halt an economy on the decline, he couldn’t have settled for a more qualified Deputy Governor for the Central Bank than Aishah Ahmad.

Born on October 26, 1977, Niger State born Aishah, 41, comes fully made. Her resume is as impressive as the amount of work she’s put into the banking sector through the years.

She’s chipped in smarts at First Interstate Bank, NAL Bank Holdings, Stanbic IBTC Holdings, Zenith Bank and Diamond Bank.

Her forte appears to be Retail Banking; a position in which she’s acquitted herself rather adroitly at Diamond and Zenith.

Aishah was doing her job as Executive Director (Retail Banking) at Diamond Bank when the presidency beckoned on her to join the rank of eggheads who’ll be shaping the country’s monetary policy in the months ahead.

Aside banking, Aishah’s other passions include humanitarian assistance to the society and the not-so-privileged. She’s also a strong advocate for women. Issues bordering on gender parity in the workplace and elsewhere, tug at her heart.

Aishah is the Chairperson of the executive council for Women in Business and Public Service, WIMBIZ, a leading women focused NGO in sub-Saharan Africa and serves on the board of SOS Children’s village. She is a steering committee member of the Cherie Blair Foundation’s Road to Growth Project for women in conjunction with Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) at the Lagos Business School.

Aishah holds a Master of Science degree in Finance & Management from the Cranfield School of Management in the United Kingdom. She’s an accounting graduate from the University of Abuja and possesses a Master of Business Administration, MBA, in Finance from the University of Lagos.

She is married to Abdallah Ahmad, a retired Brigadier-General; with two sons to their name.

ALSO READ: 7 things you should know about the new CBN deputy governor

Buhari’s nominees for pivotal roles hardly excite. Aishah is different. She brings youthful vigour, private sector drive, business intelligence, millennial smarts and a zeitgeist flair to the table.

She’ll only be one of a slew of Deputy Governors in the CBN and her performance will only be as good as that of the entire team, but her appointment speaks of a resurgence in Buhari’s rather conservative mindset and better days ahead for the banker’s bank.