MTN Nigeria Communications Plc has announced the appointment of five professionals, including Ibrahim Dikko, Professor Fabian Ajogwu and Boye Olusanya, to its board of directors as part of efforts to strengthen corporate governance and provide strategic direction for the telecommunications company.
The appointments, which take effect from December 1, 2026, were disclosed in a notification sent to the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) and the investing public on November 3, 2026.
Under the new arrangement, Dikko and Olusanya will serve as Independent Non-Executive Directors, while Ajogwu, Imoni Akpofure and Lwazi Bam have been appointed Non-Executive Directors.
The company said the new board members would bring their wealth of professional experience and industry expertise to support its operations, strengthen governance and contribute to its long-term growth.
Dikko, Olusanya join as independent directors
Ibrahim Dikko brings more than 30 years of professional experience spanning banking, telecommunications, information and communications technology, and regulatory advisory services.
He previously served as Chairman of First Securities Discount House Limited between 2002 and 2012. He also held the position of Vice President, Regulatory and Corporate Affairs at EMTS Limited, formerly Etisalat Nigeria, from 2007 to 2017.
Dikko holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Buckingham and a Master of Laws degree from Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London. He was called to the Nigerian Bar and is a Fellow of the Society of Corporate Governance Nigeria as well as a member of the Institute of Directors, Nigeria.
Olusanya, on his part, has over 25 years of executive leadership experience across several industries, including fast-moving consumer goods, agriculture, telecommunications, technology, energy, infrastructure and financial services.
He currently serves as Group Chief Executive Officer of FMN Holdings Limited, where he oversees the strategic transformation of one of Africa's largest food and agro-allied businesses into a vertically integrated, consumer-focused food and agro-industrial platform.
His professional expertise covers business transformation, strategic growth, operational restructuring, corporate governance, acquisitions, market development and regional expansion.
Ajogwu, Akpofure and Bam appointed non-executive directors
Professor Fabian Ajogwu, OFR, SAN, is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and Professor of Corporate Governance at Lagos Business School.
An alumnus of Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, he holds a PhD in Law from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, an MBA from IESE Business School, Barcelona, and law degrees from the University of Nigeria and the University of Lagos.
Ajogwu is the Senior Partner at KENNA LP and has practised law for 35 years, including 17 years as a member of the Inner Bar.
He has played significant roles in the development of corporate governance standards in Nigeria, including assisting the Securities and Exchange Commission in drafting the country's pioneering Code of Corporate Governance. He also served on the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria committee responsible for the National Code of Corporate Governance 2018.
In addition, he is an Honorary Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Directors Nigeria and the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria. He founded the Society for Corporate Governance Nigeria and has authored several books on corporate governance.
His contributions to the legal and corporate governance sectors earned him the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR).
Imoni Akpofure brings nearly three decades of leadership experience in finance, infrastructure and sustainability, with considerable expertise across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Her career includes senior positions at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), CDC Group, now known as British International Investment, and KINA Advisory. She also has extensive experience serving on corporate boards and investment committees.
Akpofure currently sits on the boards of Africa50 and the Development Bank of Nigeria, where her expertise covers infrastructure investment, sustainable development, corporate governance and long-term value creation.
Lwazi Bam, who joined MTN Group on June 1, 2026, as Group Chief Risk Officer, completes the list of the newly appointed Non-Executive Directors.
Before joining MTN, Bam served as Chief Executive Officer of Deloitte Africa and Deloitte Southern Africa between 2012 and 2022, overseeing the integration and expansion of the firm's operations across several African countries.
During his nearly 30-year career at Deloitte, he held various senior leadership positions and served on the Deloitte Global Executive Committee, advising organisations on mergers and acquisitions, corporate strategy, governance and risk management.
Following his departure from Deloitte, Bam served as a non-executive director between 2022 and 2026, including on the boards of Standard Bank Group and Valterra Platinum. He currently sits on the boards of Woolworths Holdings Limited and ZEDA Limited.
MTN Nigeria records N1.8trn pre-tax profit
The board appointments come against the backdrop of improved financial performance by MTN Nigeria.
The company recorded a 59.4 per cent increase in pre-tax profit to N1.80 trillion for the nine months ended September 30, 2026, compared with N1.13 trillion reported in the corresponding period of 2025.
Its revenue also increased by 23.6 per cent, rising to N4.61 trillion from N3.73 trillion, while profit after tax grew by 55.3 per cent to N1.17 trillion from N750.19 billion.
Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose by 36.8 per cent to N2.62 trillion, with the margin improving to 56.9 per cent from 51.4 per cent recorded in the previous year.
The growth was largely supported by the company's data business, which recorded a 35.8 per cent increase in revenue to N2.68 trillion, accounting for 58.5 per cent of total service revenue.
The latest board appointments are expected to strengthen the company's leadership capacity as it consolidates its financial performance and pursues its strategic objectives in Nigeria's telecommunications industry.