8th January, 2014
Ayorinde Oluokun/Abuja
Mr.Babatunde Lemo, Deputy Governor, Operations, Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Deputy Governor in charge of Operations is set to retire after spending 10 years at the apex bank.
A statement by the CBN in Abuja on Wednesday indicated that Lemo’s retirement would take effect from January 11, 2014, being the last working day before his retirement date.
He joined the apex bank in 2003 after serving as the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Wema Bank Nigeria, Plc between 2000 and 2003.
As deputy governor of CBN, he played a critical role in the consolidation and restructuring of banking industry carried under the administration of former CBN Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo and the incumbent Sanusi Lamido Sanusi. 
He was also instrumental to the formulation and implementation of the Microfinance Policy and Supervisory Framework of the apex bank.
The retiring CBN Deputy Governor who was born in 1959 attended Lisabi Grammar School, Abeokuta, Ogun State and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where he emerged as the Best Overall graduating student in the Faculty of Social Sciences with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accountancy (First Class Division) in 1984.
He also attended Advanced Management Programme, AMP, at the Wharton College, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, U.S.A in 2002 as well as executive training programmes in world class institutions including Harvard University, INSEAD, Fontainbleau, France, Brandies University, Boston.
Lemo was also at the vanguard of the restructuring of Abuja Security and Commodities Exchange and Nigeria Export Import Bank, NEXIM, as the Chairman of both institutions.
As Vice Chairman Technical Committee for the establishment of Africa Finance Corporation, AFC, he participated actively in the establishment of the Pan-African investment institution.
Lemo was also responsible for the transformation of the National Payments System for widespread use of electronic payments and the transformation of the Nigeria Inter-Bank and Settlement Systems (NIBSS), Plc.