Nigeria’s largest listed companies are led by executives who have spent varying lengths of time at the helm, with some CEOs and managing directors staying in their positions for more than a decade and, in one case, about 25 years.
The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) 30 is an index that tracks 30 of the largest and most liquid companies listed on the Nigerian Exchange, based largely on market capitalisation and trading activity.
The index covers major companies across sectors including banking, oil and gas, consumer goods, industrials and agriculture, making it a useful representation of some of the most prominent businesses on the local stock market.
A Nairametrics review of the companies in the NGX 30 identifies the 10 oldest-serving CEOs and managing directors, ranked by the length of time they have held their current leadership positions.
Oliver Alawuba was appointed Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc on August 1, 2022, succeeding Kennedy Uzoka. He joined the former Standard Trust Bank as a pioneer staff member in 1997 and has more than 25 years of experience in the banking industry.
Before becoming Group CEO, he served as UBA’s Group Deputy Managing Director and CEO of UBA Africa, overseeing Nigeria and the bank’s other subsidiaries across the continent. He has also held several senior positions, including country and regional CEO roles in UBA’s African operations and Executive Director, East Bank, Nigeria. Alawuba holds B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Food Science and Technology and an MBA in Banking and Finance.
He is also an alumnus of executive programmes at INSEAD and London Business School. UBA, which is listed on the NGX, operates across banking and financial services and has a market capitalisation of approximately N1.98 trillion
Adegbite Falade is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Aradel Holdings Plc, a Nigerian energy company with interests across the oil and gas value chain. He joined the company’s Board as MD/CEO in 2021.
Before joining Aradel, he was Managing Director and Group Chief Operating Officer of Oilserv Group of Companies in Port Harcourt.
Earlier in his career, he held senior positions at Oando Energy Resources and Oando Gas & Power, including General Manager, Portfolio Development, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Director. He also served as Petroleum Economics Discipline and Portfolio Lead for Shell Exploration and Production, Africa.
Falade holds a First-Class bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the University of Ibadan and an MBA from Warwick Business School in the United Kingdom. He was appointed Chairman of the Independent Petroleum Producers Group (IPPG) on November 1, 2025.
The company operates in the Oil and Gas sector and has a market capitalisation of approximately N6.14 trillion based on the market data provided.
Segun Julius Agbaje is the Group Chief Executive Officer of Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (GTCO). He was appointed Group CEO in July 2021, following the restructuring of Guaranty Trust Bank into a holding company, with the formal transition completed in August 2021.
Agbaje began his career at Ernst & Young in San Francisco before joining Guaranty Trust Bank in 1991. He rose through the ranks to become Executive Director in 2000 and Deputy Managing Director in 2002. He was appointed Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Guaranty Trust Bank in June 2011, succeeding Tayo Aderinokun, and held the position until the bank’s transition to the GTCO holding-company structure in 2021.
He holds a Bachelor of Accounting and a Master of Business Administration from the University of San Francisco. He also served on the board of PepsiCo from 2020 until his retirement from the board in May 2026 and is a member of the Mastercard Advisory Board for the Middle East and Africa.
As of September 2026, Agbaje has served as Group CEO of GTCO for approximately five years and two months. His tenure as CEO of the wider Guaranty Trust banking franchise, however, dates back to June 2011, giving him more than 15 years of continuous leadership at the group when his earlier GTBank tenure is considered. GTCO has a market capitalisation of approximately N4.74 trillion.
Dr. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe has been the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Fidelity Bank Plc since January 1, 2021, when she took over the leadership of the bank. Before becoming CEO, she was Executive Director, Lagos and South-West, where she was responsible for the bank’s business across seven states.
Her performance in that role helped position her for the top job. She led the directorate’s growth and profitability, with the region contributing more than 28% of Fidelity Bank’s profit before tax, deposits and loans before her appointment as CEO.
Onyeali-Ikpe brought more than 34 years of banking experience to the position, having worked across Standard Chartered Bank, Zenith Bank and Citizens International Bank. She holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) and a Master’s degree, alongside other professional and executive qualifications. Fidelity Bank’s market capitalisation stands at approximately N1.20 trillion.
Karl Olutokun Toriola is the Chief Executive Officer of MTN Nigeria Communications Plc. He was appointed to the position on October 26, 2020, and officially assumed office on March 1, 2021, succeeding Ferdi Moolman.
Toriola has spent more than two decades in the telecommunications industry. He joined MTN Nigeria in 2006 as Chief Technical Officer and later served as CEO of MTN Congo-Brazzaville and MTN Cameroon. He subsequently became Vice President of MTN Group’s West and Central Africa operations before returning to Nigeria as CEO.
He holds a BSc in Electronic and Electrical Engineering from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, and an MSc in Communication Systems from the University of Wales, Swansea.
As of September 2026, Toriola has served as CEO of MTN Nigeria for approximately five years and six months, placing him among the longer-serving CEOs in the 30-company NGX group being examined.
As of the provided market data, MTN Nigeria had a market capitalisation of approximately N17.03 trillion.
Wassim Elhusseini is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Nestlé Nigeria Plc. He was appointed to the position effective September 1, 2020, succeeding Mauricio Alarcon, who moved on to become Market Head of Nestlé Central and West Africa.
Before taking over as CEO of Nestlé Nigeria, Elhusseini served as Country Manager and Sales Director for Nestlé Middle East and North Africa, bringing extensive experience in sales, commercial management and the consumer goods industry to the Nigerian business. Based on the market data provided, Nestlé Nigeria had a market capitalisation of approximately N2.22 trillion.
Eng. Yusuf Haliru Binji is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of BUA Cement Plc. He was announced and appointed to the position on December 23, 2019, following the merger of Obu Cement Company and the Cement Company of Northern Nigeria (CCNN).
Binji has more than 28 years of professional experience in the cement and manufacturing industries. His career includes senior roles at the Cement Company of Northern Nigeria, BUA International Limited and Obu Cement Company Limited, among other organisations.
