Umaru Mutallab

Umaru Abdul Mutallab
Born	(1939-12-15) December 15, 1939 Funtua, Katsina State, Nigeria
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, financial expert, banker
Years active	1960–present
Known for	Chairmanships at Jaiz Bank, First Bank of Nigeria, NEPA, Nigeria Agip Oil; Federal Commissioner for Economic Development and Minister of Cooperatives and Supplies during military regimes
Notable work	Pioneering Islamic banking in Nigeria; leadership roles in Nigerian banking sector

Alhaji Umaru Abdul Mutallab (born 15 December 1939) is a distinguished Nigerian entrepreneur and financial expert who held positions during the military regimes of Generals Murtala Mohammed and Olusegun Obasanjo.

Recognized by The New York Times as "one of Nigeria's wealthiest and most influential figures," described by The Telegraph as "a leading figure in Nigerian banking," and referred to by The Guardian as "among the nation's most esteemed business leaders," Mutallab has occupied prominent leadership roles, including chairmanships at Jaiz Bank, First Bank of Nigeria, NEPA, and Nigeria Agip Oil.

His son, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, infamously known as the Christmas bomber, attempted to ignite explosives aboard Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on 25 December 2009 and is currently serving multiple life sentences without the possibility of parole in a U.S. supermax federal prison.

Biography

Born to Abdul Mutallab Barade, an officer within the Funtua Works Department, Mutallab lives in Funtua, Katsina State, Northern Nigeria. The family reportedly maintains residences in London and Ghana as well. Within Nigeria, they own at least three properties located in Abuja, Funtua, and Kaduna.

Education

His educational background includes attendance at Barewa College, Zaria, Achimota College, Accra, Ghana, and South West London College in London. Additionally, he was conferred an honorary doctorate by Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.

Career

Following his completion of school certificate examinations in 1959, Mutallab commenced his career in 1960 as a clerk with Pannell, Fitzpatrick and Company in Kaduna. Upon returning to Nigeria in 1968, he was appointed Chief Accountant at the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria. In 1971, he advanced to financial controller at the New Nigerian Development Company and was elevated to general manager by 1975.

From 1975 to 1978, Mutallab served within government under Generals Murtala Mohammed and Olusegun Obasanjo. He held the position of Federal Commissioner (Minister) for Economic Development starting in 1975 but was dismissed following the military coup attempt in 1976. Subsequently, he was named Minister of Cooperatives and Supplies in 1976.

In 1978, he transitioned from public service to become executive vice-chairman, managing director, and CEO of the United Bank for Africa (UBA), a role he fulfilled until 1988. He played a key role in financing the 1979 presidential election that brought the National Party of Nigeria into power under President Shehu Shagari.

Mutallab has also been a board member for several organizations including Arewa Textile Limited, NEPA, NACB, NCC, Nigeria Agip Oil, and Cement Company of Nigeria.

Between 1999 and 2009, he served as chairman of First Bank of Nigeria Plc, recognized as the oldest and largest bank in Nigeria. By 2009, he chaired multiple firms such as Impresit Bakolori Plc, Incar Nigeria Plc, and Spring Waters Nigeria Limited (SWAN). He holds significant shares in Barade Holdings as well as Barumark Investment and Development Company.

As a trailblazer in Islamic banking within Nigeria, Mutallab chairs Jaiz Bank International Plc, the nation’s inaugural Islamic bank founded in 2003.

He leads the Business Working Group for Nigeria’s Vision 20:2020 Committee and presides over the Old Boys Association of Barewa College. Mutallab holds fellowships with both the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA) and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (FCA).

His achievements have been recognized with the prestigious Commander of the Order of the Niger, one of Nigeria’s highest national honors.

Personal life

Although deeply religious, Mutallab does not identify as a religious extremist. He attributes his broad-mindedness to his time at Barewa College, an institution that promoted cohesion among students from various regions of Nigeria. Additionally, he belongs to the Kaduna Mafia, a collective of Northern Nigerian entrepreneurs, government officials, scholars, and military personnel headquartered in Kaduna. Mutallab maintained a close relationship with the group's financier, Hamza Rafindadi Zayyad, whose guidance influenced his decision to pursue a career in accounting.

Son: Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab

In July 2009, Mutallab permitted his son, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab—the youngest among his 16 children and offspring of his Yemeni spouse—to enroll for Arabic studies at the Sanaʽa Institute for the Arabic Language in Yemen from August through September. Although Umar departed after one month, he stayed in Yemen. By October, he sent a text message to his father expressing his intention to undertake a seven-year program focused on sharia and Arabic education. Mutallab warned that financial support might be withdrawn, but Umar responded that he was "already receiving everything free of charge."

On 19 November 2009, Mutallab alerted two CIA agents at the US Embassy in Abuja about his son's "radical religious beliefs," mentioning that Umar might be in Yemen. Following this, Umar’s identity was entered into the Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment database overseen by the National Counterterrorism Center. Despite this action, his United States visa remained valid. On 25 December 2009, Umar was connected to the attempted bombing of Northwest Airlines Flight 253.

External links

• Mutallab, an accomplished banker
• Bank profile
• Bank board website (archived)
• Egene, Goddy, "Mutallab: Profile in Courage," ThisDay via AllAfrica.com, 28 December 2009