The appointment of Chief Joseph Tegbe as the Director-General, Global Liaison for Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership, has been described as a monumental blessing to the nation’s developmental drive.
The Executive Director of the Centre for Disaster Risk and Crisis Reduction, Mr Kolawole Amusat-Gbenla, said this in a statement he issued in Ibadan on Monday.
Amusat-Gbenla said President Bola Tinubu had, from his time as governor of Lagos State, been known for spotting and nurturing talents.
He added that the president had been applying the right personalities in the right places to aid his administration’s efficiency and effectiveness.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Tegbe’s appointment was announced on Sunday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
Onanuga said the appointment would enable Nigeria to benefit from the agreement signed between Nigeria and China during Tinubu’s recent visit to China.
According to Amusat-Gbenla, the appointment of such an experienced strategist cum management expert is in tandem with the president’s commitment to driving the nation’s economy via competent eggheads in key positions.
“With a sound educational and professional background, Tegbe is, no doubt, a round peg in a round hole.
“After obtaining a first-class degree in civil engineering from the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Tegbe bagged a qualification as a chartered accountant.
“He rose to become a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (FCA), a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (FCIT) and an Associate of the Nigerian Institute of Management (AMNIM).
“Aside from holding a master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Birmingham, he is also an alumnus of INSEAD France, the Lagos Business School Advanced Management Program, Harvard Business School, and Harvard John Kennedy School of Government, while he is certified in the Governance of Enterprise IT (CGEIT),” he said.
Amusat-Gbenla described Tegbe as a dedicated and seasoned strategist with over 35 years of extensive experience traversing the public and private sectors.
He also appreciated his extensive experience in shaping national economic policies and driving large-scale national transformation initiatives.
“As a Senior Partner and Head of Advisory Services for KPMG in Africa, Tegbe had a portfolio and responsibility spanning Africa and the Middle East.
“He had worked extensively, supporting numerous Fortune 500 Companies and large African conglomerates in organisational transformation and strategic planning, including investment portfolio reviews, divestment and diversification over the last two decades.
“Such entities include Shell, Huawei, Sinopec, General Electric, CCECC, NCC, NEPC, MTN, BPE, CBN and Odu’a Group.
“He had supported the strategy and implementation roadmap development for a number of Nigerian banks and manufacturing companies in their footprint expansion into the rest of Africa,” he said.
Amusat-Gbenla noted that Tegbe, a former PDP senatorial candidate in Oyo South Senatorial District in the 2023 general elections, had led numerous project management support services over the past three decades.
He said Tegbe also led the design and implementation of the Telecommunications InfraCo Model and was equally instrumental in creating the National Broadband Policy, working with NCC and USPF.
“As a consummate professional with a passion for growth, investment, national development and sustainability, he led numerous transformational projects and facilitated several presidential and global board-level retreats and workshops.
“Among the projects include the Presidential Policy Dialogue and Ministerial Retreat Sessions between 2019 and 2021.
“The new Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership helmsman isn’t a rookie when it comes to international partnerships.
“He had led various subnational governments on investment drives to various countries such as China, India, Netherlands, Denmark, UAE, Singapore and South Africa.
“The states include Oyo, Bayelsa, Delta, Ekiti, Ondo and Benue; in addition to consulting for some African countries,” he said. (NAN)
