By Hosea Parah
The Chartered Institute of Directors (CIoD) Nigeria, Abuja Zone, has inaugurated its 11th Executive Committee, with Mrs. Rose N. Eshiett, M.CIoD, formally invested as Chairman, alongside Mrs. Maryam B. Shehu, M.CIoD, as Vice Chairman and other members of the newly elected leadership team.
The colourful investiture ceremony, held in Abuja, attracted senior government officials, captains of industry, members of the diplomatic community, corporate leaders, traditional rulers, and governance professionals, all of whom emphasized the critical role of ethical leadership and sound corporate governance in Nigeria’s development.
Delivering a goodwill message, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, OON, mni, congratulated the new Chairman and Executive Committee members on their emergence and charged them to provide visionary and impactful leadership.
She commended the President and Chairman of the Governing Council of CIoD Nigeria, Otunba Adetunji Adetokunbo Oyebanji, F.CIoD, for his dedication to strengthening corporate governance and boardroom excellence across the country.
According to her, the values championed by the Institute—integrity, accountability, professionalism, and responsible leadership—align closely with the transformation agenda of the Federal Civil Service.
Mrs. Walson-Jack highlighted the need for stronger collaboration between the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and CIoD Nigeria, particularly in providing governance training, leadership development, and boardroom exposure for Permanent Secretaries and senior public servants.
“Strong institutions require strong leadership, and strong leadership requires continuous learning, discipline and ethical responsibility,” she stated.
In her acceptance address and vision statement, Mrs. Rose Eshiett expressed gratitude to members of the Abuja Zone for the confidence reposed in her and pledged to lead with integrity, accountability, fairness, and excellence.
She outlined a strategic vision aimed at positioning the Abuja Zone as the leading platform for corporate governance advocacy, leadership excellence, and member value creation within the Institute.
The new Chairman identified three major priorities for her administration: membership growth and value enhancement, strategic visibility and influence, and revenue growth for institutional sustainability.
Under membership development, she pledged to strengthen professional development opportunities, mentorship programmes, networking platforms, and leadership capacity-building initiatives for members.
On strategic visibility, she said the Zone would leverage Abuja’s unique position as Nigeria’s capital city to deepen engagement with government institutions, regulatory agencies, professional bodies, development partners, and the private sector through policy dialogues, governance advocacy, and strategic partnerships.
Mrs. Eshiett also emphasized the importance of financial sustainability, noting that innovative revenue-generating initiatives and stronger partnerships would enable the Zone to deliver greater value to members and stakeholders.
“The successful delivery of this vision will require collective commitment and shared responsibility. No Chairman succeeds alone,” she said, calling on members and stakeholders to actively support the administration’s programmes.
Speaking at the event, the Honourable Minister of State for Industry, Senator John Owan Enoh, described the Chartered Institute of Directors as one of Nigeria’s foremost institutions for promoting boardroom excellence, ethical leadership, and institutional accountability.
He noted that good governance remains central to Nigeria’s industrial transformation, investment attraction, and economic competitiveness.
The Minister praised Mrs. Eshiett’s distinguished career spanning over three decades in the energy, finance, governance, and investment sectors, describing her emergence as Chairman as both recognition of her professional accomplishments and a call to greater service.
“As Nigeria pursues industrial growth and economic transformation, the quality of decisions taken in our boardrooms will significantly shape the nation’s future,” he said.
The highlight of the event was a keynote presentation by Dr. Bello Babura Rabiu, M.CIoD, Board Member of NNPC Limited, titled “Boardroom Excellence: Driving Sustainable Value in Uncertain Times.”
Dr. Rabiu stressed that in an increasingly volatile business environment, boards must move beyond traditional oversight roles to embrace strategic foresight, risk management, and long-term value creation.
He identified critical areas where boards must excel, including scenario planning, strategic capital allocation, enterprise risk management, leadership development, accountability, sustainability oversight, and balancing stakeholder interests.
According to him, sustainable value is built by organizations whose boards remain focused on long-term resilience, innovation, and adaptability.
“Excellence in the boardroom today means being clear on purpose, rigorous on risk, disciplined on capital allocation, and relentlessly focused on future capabilities,” he stated.
The ceremony concluded with goodwill messages from dignitaries and stakeholders who expressed confidence in the new Executive Committee’s ability to advance the Institute’s mission and further strengthen corporate governance culture in Nigeria.
The investiture marks the beginning of a new chapter for the CIoD Abuja Zone, with expectations high that the new leadership will deepen governance advocacy, strengthen institutional partnerships, expand membership engagement, and contribute meaningfully to national development through leadership excellence and ethical stewardship.