Zacheaus Adedeji: Meet President Tinubu’s Revenue Chief
By Abdullahi W. Yunusa
Hours ago, the official status of Mr. Zacch Adedeji who assumed office as the 5th substantive Executive Secretary of the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC), in March 2021, has changed for good, following his appointment as Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Revenue. In the 2 years plus that he has been in the saddled as Executive Secretary of the NSDC, he has turned around the fortunes of the agency.
His latest appointment as the Special Adviser to the President on Revenue is without doubt a right step in the right direction given his enormous wealth of experience, understanding and vast knowledge of tax matters, revenue generation and management, and fiscal discipline, having earned multiple degrees in accountancy and professional certifications in them.
Mr. Adedeji, a consummate financial expert with 15 years’ post qualification experience in financial and general management was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari as the Executive Secretary of the Council on 10th March, 2021 for an initial term of four years.
He assumed leadership of the Council with a proven track record of over 15 years of hands-on executive experience (+16 years qualified chartered accountant) in strategy, accounting and financial management, financial analysis/reporting, internal controls, change management, and people management.
He is also an expert generalist in overseeing all aspects of multi-million-dollar business, proactive, goal-oriented senior executive with extensive international financial management and operations experience both in the private and public sectors.
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He is a First Class graduate of Management and Accounting from the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife and later bagged a Masters of Science degree in Accounting from the same university. He was also at the famous Harvard Kennedy School of Government in the United States of America for an Executive Course in Economic Development.
Mr. Adedeji’s long sojourn in the private sector and a four- year stint as the Commissioner of Finance in Oyo state between 2011-2015 with unbeatable and unassailable performance records and achievements, have, undoubtedly prepared him for the onerous task of advising President Tinubu on best ways to increase the revenue generation profile of government to enable it deliver on its campaign promises.
He held a number of senior management positions while working at the Procter & Gamble Company (P&G), a famous American multinational consumer goods corporation headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, United states of America with branches across several countries. He was General Accounting and Stewardship Manager between January 2004 to May 2006 where he led a cross-functional team to prepare and report financial statements regionally and globally through consolidated data entry tool.
Mr. Adedeji’s culture of hardwork and knack for professional excellence earned him a higher position at the P&G with his elevation as the Finance Leader-SAP (Systems Applications and Products) Implementation Project. He spearheaded the day-to-day evaluation and implementation of SAP Modules and also led a 15-person finance team to develop the internal processes for the roll out of SAP West Africa in line with the projects pre-requisites. He later rose to the position of Corporate Finance Manager (West Africa) overseeing Treasury, Corporate/Affiliate Accounting, AP &Tax at the Procter and Gamble between August 2007 to May 2011.
While in the saddle as the Commissioner of Finance in Oyo state, he introduced a number of brilliant, revenue-boosting and cost-saving reforms that increased the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the state, plugged financial leakages, introduced best financial practices and general financial turnaround among other innovations.
Mr. Adedeji , a Fellow of Chartered Accountant (FCA) is also a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and member, Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria.
He has attended trainings and participated in several executive programmes centered on leadership, capacity building and development, finance and accounting, policy and administration and stewardship in the United States of America, Philippines, South Africa, Belgium and Switzerland.
Until his appointment as the Executive Secretary of the NSDC in March 2021, Mr. Zacch Adedeji was the Chairman, Governing Board, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi state.
Yunusa writes from Garki, Abuja.
