A high profile figure in Nigeria’s business community, Dr (Mrs) Sarah Alade, acting Governor, Cental Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has made her mark as the first woman to hold such a position, a  feat  facilitated by her sterling performances  during her 21-year stint  at the apex bank.TOLUWANI OLAMITOKE  looks into her profile.

On February 20, the news  filtered in  of the appointment of  Dr (Mrs) Sarah Alade as the acting governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), replacing Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, who has been the governor the past four years.

Prior to her appointment, the graduate of Economics, University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State,  was the Deputy Governor (Economic Policy)  of  the apex  bank, a position she assumed  on March 26, 2007.

Aside from  the  fact that Alade was the most senior  deputy governor, reports  have it that that her appointment was facilitated by her sterling performnces.

As a fresh graduate, the first CBN acting governor, in 1977, got her first appointment  with  the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, Ilorin, Kwara State.

She later joined the University of Ilorin in 1991 as a lecturer in the Department of Accounting and Finance.

 Her next destination was the Central Bank of Nigeria in 1993.

 So far, in her 21 years  in the bank, she has  held various positions of prominence and served  in various departments where she  displayed  excellent  leadership qualities.

Her first appointment was as an Assistant Director, Research Department, where she served as Head, State Government Finance Office, 1993-1996. Others are Head, Federal Government Finance Office, 1996-2000  and Head, Fiscal Analysis Division, 2000-2004.

Alade’s display of intellect and dedication  to the  cause  of the CBN in turning  around the economy of the nation, granted her the  privilege of  serving  on teams on major economic policy studies and has been involved in the  preparation of the CBN’s monetary and credit policy proposals over the years. She was also  actively involved in the drafting of the Medium Term Economic Programme (MTP) for Nigeria and the Internationl Monetary Fund (IMF) staff Monitored Programme/Standby Arrangement.

In May 2004, she was appointed Director, Banking Operations Department and served as Chairman,Board of Directors, Nigeria Interbank Settlement System (NIBSS) as well as Secretary, National Payments System Committee (NPSC).

Alade was once a member of the technical committee of the Vision 2010 and currently a member of the Technical Committee of Vision 2020 and member of the National Economic Management Team (EMT).

As Deputy Governor (Economic Policy), the CBN chief oversees the Economic Policy Directorate, comprising the Research, Monetary Policy, Trade and Exchange, Statistics Departments and Financial Markets Department.

And as the Head, Monetary Policy Implementation Committee (MPIC), she interfaces with operational departments and coordinates technical inputs for the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC).

a member of the Nigerian Economic Society (NES) and Fellow, Nigerian Institute of Operational Research, Alade, who is in her 50s  also  has  several publications to her credit and is currently carrying out research into interest rate policy and monetary policy implementation in Nigeria.

Educationally, she she bagged an  M.A degree in Mass Communication  from the University of  Melbourne, Australia, in 1983 and a Ph.D  in Management Science (Operations Research) from the University of Ilorin in 1991.

 She is married with children.