If the Group Managing Director of FBN Holdings, the debonair Urum Kalu Eke had a crown, he would wear it with relish to cover his king-size headache. The whiz banker who retired after a meritorious and mouth-watering 19-year career in Diamond Bank Plc to take up the mantle of leadership at FBN Holdings in January 2016 must be reconsidering, regretting perhaps, his decision. His affinity to the leading financial services group is understandable.
Between 2011 and 2016, he served as Executive Director, Public Sector south; Chief Knowledge Officer; and, later, the bank’s Executive Director, South. However, reports emerged during the week that the FBN Holdings’ profit has been plummeting in the last two years owing to non-performing loans, with as much as N345 billion going down the drain because of heightened growth in bad loans. Otherwise known as UK by friends and associates, Eke is now at a crossroads, as he faces a race against time to turn the tide or throw in the towel.