ABBAS UMAR MASANAWA, OON,
MANAGING DIRECTOR/ CEO OF NIRSAL PLC
Abbas Umar Masanawa, is a banker and an Agricultural Economist with over 30 years post-graduation experience. Born in Katsina State, Nigeria, he attended Barewa College, Zaria and later, Government Day Secondary School, Katsina where he emerged the best graduating student.
He went on to study Agriculture at the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, majoring in Agricultural Economics, and emerged the best graduating student from the Faculty of Agriculture. He obtained a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Maiduguri.He commenced his career as a Lecturer in ABU Zaria, and later gained employment as FSB International Bank and Zenith Bank thus setting out on a banking career that would span over two decades. He was a Deputy General Manager (DGM) at the time of his appointment as a Special Assistant and Chief Liaison to the Governor of the CBN in June 2014. In the same year, he was appointed Executive Director, Finance, Strategy and Marketing at the Nigeria Security Printing and Minting Company Plc (NSPMC).
In the course of his career to date, Masanawa has undergone several continuing professional development courses on Leadership, Organizational Management, and Strategic Thinking and Finance across globally renowned institutions like Harvard Business School, Massachusetts, USA; SAID Business School, University of Oxford, UK; London Business School, UK; London School of Economics, UK; and Wharton Business School, Pennsylvania, USA. He is a member of the Chattered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria and the Nigerian Institute of Management (Chartered).
A humane man, doting husband and father, vibrant team player, and consummate professional, Masanawa has won numerous awards and recognitions both as a student and as a banker, as well as from his modest contributions to the empowerment of women and youth, and community development. In recognition of his impeccable public service record and contributions to the Nigerian society, President Muhammadu Buhari in October 2022 conferred Masanawa with the National Title, Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON).