Alhaji Umaru AbdulMutallab is an outstanding Nigerian in character and accomplishments. His roles in Nigeria’s financial and economic development are largely unparalleled, standing him out at the forefront of modern banking in the country. He has been variously described by the international media in the most superlative terms. The New York Times classified him as one of “Nigeria’s most prominent men.” The Telegraph stated that he is “one of Nigeria’s most prominent bankers.” He is “one of the country’s most respected businessmen,” The Guardian observed.

Alhaji Mutallab has straddled the entire breadth of Nigeria’s economic landscape as chief planner of national economic growth, as government’s main facilitator of…