Access Holdings Appoint Innocent Ike As New GMD/CEO

Access Holdings Plc has confirmed the appointment of Mr. Innocent Ike as its new Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, effective August 29, 2025.

Innocent Ike’s appointment, which followed the approval of financial regulators, was announcement in a statement released on Wednesday by the company’s secretary, Sunday Ekwochi.

It came just hours after Roosevelt Ogbonna stepped down from the board in line with new corporate governance rules introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Mr. Ike succeeds Ms. Bolaji Agbede, who has led the company in an acting capacity for the past 18 months after the death of former Group CEO, Herbert Wigwe, in 2024.

Agbede will now return to her role as Executive Director, Business Support.

Access Holdings Chairman, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, described Ike’s appointment as the beginning of a new chapter for the group.

He said, “We are thrilled to welcome Mr. Innocent Ike as we move forward. At the same time, we want to express our deepest gratitude to Ms. Bolaji Agbede.

“Her outstanding contributions over the past 18 months have been invaluable, and we appreciate her dedication in navigating the Company through challenges and opportunities.

“While regulatory requirements necessitate this change, we are grateful for the strong foundation that has been laid.”

Aig-Imoukhuede also praised Agbede for her leadership, noting her role in stabilizing the workforce, overseeing a N351bn rights issue, and successfully hosting two annual general meetings.

Reacting to his appointment, Innocent Ike said he was honored by the opportunity and eager to continue building on the legacy of his predecessors.

He said, “I am honoured to take on the role of Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer and excited to work alongside the talented team at Access Holdings.

“I look forward to building on the strong legacy established by Herbert Wigwe and Bolaji Agbede, and driving our vision forward, ensuring we continue to deliver exceptional value to our shareholders and stakeholders.”

Mr. Ike is a graduate of the University of Lagos, where he was named Best Graduating Student in Accounting in 1988.

He is a Fellow of both the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, as well as a certified IFRS expert.

With more than three decades of experience in the financial sector, he previously spent ten years at Access Bank, where he rose to the rank of General Manager, before moving on to lead Polaris Bank between 2020 and 2022, where he introduced VULTe, the bank’s award-winning digital platform.

KanyiDaily recalls that President Bola Tinubu recently appointed the boards of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF), both operating under the Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy.