Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of ASO Savings and Loans Plc., Hajia Risikatu Ahmed, last Saturday bagged the Honourary Fellowship of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) at an impressive ceremony which held at Balmoral Convention Centre, Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The ASO Savings CEO was among the 14 eminent bankers, which included the Director General of the World Trade Organisation and Nigeria’s former Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; Deputy Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, Dr. Kingsley Obiora; MD/CEO, Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), Mr. Hassan Bello; former Director, Financial Policy & Regulation Department, CBN, Dr. Kevin Amugo; former Director, Special Insured Institutions, NDIC, Mr. Joshua Etopidiok; MD/CEO, Keystone Bank Limited, Mr. Olaniran Olayinka and MD/CEO, Globus Bank, Mr. Elias Igbinakenzua, among others, who were conferred with the Fellowship of the Institute at the occasion.

Risikatu Ahmed, who was recently appointed as the first female Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of ASO Savings & Loans Plc, became the first female to be appointed as the CEO of a primary mortgage bank in recent times.

She has over two decades banking experience before crowning it with her appointment as the CEO of ASO Savings.

The Fellowship was a recognition of outstanding, renowned banking professionals who have made and continue to make significant contributions to the nation’s banking and finance sector.

Apart from the 14 leading bankers that were conferred with Honorary Fellowship awards, 93 Associate Members of the Institute became Fellows, while 51 were conferred with the Honorary Senior Members of the Institute.