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TURMOIL IN FIRST BANK AS OTEDOLA WIELDS BIG STICK
Folake Ani-Mumuney was asked to resign as First Bank’s global head of marketing and corporate communications by Femi Otedola, the chairman of the holding company, insiders have told TheCable.
A top employee of the bank informed TheCable that Otedola was “seriously irked” when he learned that a whopping sum was spent on a send-off party for Adesola Adeduntan, the former MD of the bank who was reportedly forced to resign over alleged negligence in a N60 billion electronic fraud.
Otedola, insiders said, believed it was “insensitive and wasteful” to throw such a lavish party when the clear direction and mandate of the bank is to recapitalise and reposition the institution from excesses of the past management.
The source also stated that Otedola, who has in recent times developed a reputation for being a “no-nonsense activist investor”, is planning to take more “drastic” decisions and actions to keep First Bank on the track of impeccable banking “devoid of extravagance and waste of shareholders’ resources”, TheCable was told.
The source further said: “We are seeing efforts to plug leakages that have set the institution back over the years.”
The send-off party was held at the Harbour Point, Victoria Island, Lagos, on November 2, in honour of Adeduntan, who was GMD and CEO for nine years until April 2024.
Despite Otedola’s conspicuous absence, the party had in attendance many dignitaries and top management of the bank.
