Advisory Board
Future Perspectives is guided by an Advisory Board composed of distinguished and accomplished leaders with deep expertise in politics, advocacy, business, entrepreneurship, innovation, and climate action. The Board provides strategic oversight and ensures we remain focused on advancing our mission.
We are a registered non-profit organization in both Nigeria and the United States, with 501(c)(3) status in the U.S.
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Former Global Advisor - Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP)
Guardian - UNDP timbuktoo Africa Innovation Foundation
High Representative - UNDP timbuktoo Africa Innovation Fund
Professor Yemi Osinbajo served as the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for two consecutive terms, from May 2015 to May 2023. He held the position of Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Lagos State, Nigeria, from 1999 to 2007, leading significant judicial reforms that would become models for other states in the Federation.
Before his political career, Professor Osinbajo was a Professor of Public law at the University of Lagos, a founding partner of SimmonsCooper, a prominent commercial law firm in Nigeria, and earned the prestigious rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria. He served in the Justice Sector of the UN mission in Somalia and was a member of the UN Secretary-General’s committee on Rules on the Conduct and discipline of Peace Keeping forces. He was Ethics advisor to the board of the AFDB, and served as an independent director of CITIBANK Nigeria.
In public service, Professor Osinbajo played key roles in the formulation and implementation of various government initiatives and policies, notably in the areas of economic reform, social investments, human capital development, digital and creative economy, climate action and energy security in African nations.
He chaired the National Economic Council comprising governors of all the States of Nigeria, the Inter-Ministerial Energy Transition Implementation Working Group, which was responsible for the development and execution of the Nigeria Energy Transition Plan in 2022. Three National development plans were formulated and implemented under his leadership and he led the successful implementation of Nigeria's Economic Sustainability Plan, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Beyond his tenure in office, Professor Osinbajo remains dedicated to advocating for climate action globally. In 2023, he was appointed as the first Global Advisor to the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) and Board Chair of the Climate Action Platform for Africa (CAP-A). He founded the North East Children’s Trust, for the creation of sustainable learning ecosystems for vulnerable children made orphans by the insurgency in Northeast Nigeria, co-founded Future Perspectives, an organization focused on youth empowerment, founded Climate Positive, an independent climate action not-for-profit, and currently serves on the Board of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation.
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Maryamu Aminu was the Regional Government & Stakeholder Relations Lead at Access Bank where she supported the Group Managing Director in providing strategic leadership and oversight to the organization and its subsidiaries. Previously, she was the Government and Stakeholder Relations Lead at Access Bank Plc., engaging policymakers in government and regulatory agencies, on behalf of the bank and its subsidiaries.
During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Maryamu worked in the Government Affairs Department at IHS Towers, the largest telecoms infrastructure company in Nigeria, where she engaged decisionmakers at critical junctures, to ensure the telecoms networks stayed up during the national lockdown, to enable continuity of government and business, and keep families and communities across the country connected, at a time of great uncertainty.
Prior to that, she was Associate-Director of External Relations and Public Advocacy at the Tony Elumelu Foundation, cultivating and managing the organization’s international relationships and partnerships, and helping to advance the founder’s Africapitalism agenda.
Maryamu spent 15 years in the United States, working on global human rights, and U.S. - Africa policy as Assistant-Director of U.S. Government Relations at the ONE Campaign and, earlier, as a Legislative Aide to the Chairman of the House Committee of Foreign Affairs, in the U.S. House of Representatives.
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A business management professional who has served at the board level in a number of companies and a diplomat who served as a high commissioner at a G7 country.
Ambassador Asekun worked in SC Johnson & Son Inc. (Johnson Wax) in the US and Nigeria, International Merchant Bank (First National Bank of Chicago) Oceanic Bank International Plc (Now Ecobank) and United Bank for Africa Plc.
He served as Non-Executive Chairman of Wema Bank Plc from 2012 until 2017 and played a leading role in the transformation of the bank including; the re-capitalization of the bank, the return to profitability, the re-branding of Wema Bank, the upgrade from a regional banking licence to a national license and the launch of Alat, Africa’s first fully digital bank. Ade also served as a non-executive director on the board of eTranzact International Plc, a leading payment and switching company.
Ambassador Asekun served as Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Canada from 2017 to 2023. In this role he worked hard to deepen commercial ties between Nigeria and Canada. He led on the conceptualization and hosting of two investment summits in Abuja supporting meetings of Canadian investors and government representatives with Nigeria policy makers, regulators and business leaders. Ade also fostered collaboration between Nigerian and Canadian institutions of higher learning and pursued a vibrant cultural diplomacy agenda which among other things elevated the profile of Nigeria’s burgeoning film industry in Canada.
He has built and nurtured a number of cohesive and effective teams in the various organizations with a strong focus on helping individual employees realize their potential. He has won a number of awards over time among which are; The CEO’s award for product innovation in the development of two consumer loan products at the United Bank for Africa Plc and the CEO’s award for Best Product Manager at the same bank. As High Commissioner to Canada, Ambassador Asekun won “The Ambassador of the year award for West Africa in 2020 and 2023. Distinguished Citizen award given by Nigeria Canada Association of Calgary in 2023, and Distinguished Service Award on departure, from the Council of Presidents of the Nigeria Canada Associations in 2023.
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Dr. Greg Jobome has over 26 years of working experience obtained from Guaranty Trust Bank, the University of Liverpool Management School, Manchester Business School and Access Bank Plc. He joined Access Bank Plc in July 2010 as a General Manager and Chief Risk Officer. Prior to joining the Bank, he was a Risk Management Consultant to Guaranty Trust Bank Plc. Dr. Jobome has been instrumental to the many giant strides attained by the Bank in the risk management space.
Dr. Jobome is a highly sought-after resource person and has held several key industry leadership positions, including; Chairman, CRC Credit Bureau Ltd; President, Risk Management Association of Nigeria; Member, Working Group on Regulatory Reforms of the Institute of International Finance and Member, Capacity Building Committee. He is also an Honorary Senior Member of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria. He was appointed to the Board in January 2017. He sits of the Board of Access Bank Mozambique S.A .
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Serah Makka-Ugbabe is ONE’s Executive Director for Africa where she leads ONE’s advocacy and strategic engagement with key stakeholders, guided by a passion to build an impactful and authentic presence across the Continent.
Serah’s previous roles at ONE include leading our supporter engagement and deepening the participation of people, citizens from all walks of life to act upon their agency to bend the world towards justice. She also previously led ONE’s work in Africa’s largest market, Nigeria.
Prior to joining ONE, Serah worked in Afghanistan, the United States and Nigeria providing solutions for the public and social sectors. She has been recognised in the ‘Global Top 35 Under 35 in International Affairs’ for her work in global foreign policy, and became an Archbishop Desmond Tutu Fellow, for her leadership in amplifying citizen voices for better governance. She teaches about the “Office of the Citizen” in the online School of Public Policy and Governance and is on the board of several community organizations including Advokc, a startup focused on bringing truth to politics by tracking and educating citizens about the promises of African politicians.
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Prof. Mohammed Dauda is a distinguished academic and engineer whose career spans decades of impactful contributions to mechanical engineering, entrepreneurship, and innovation, both within Nigeria and on the global stage. His multifaceted expertise, coupled with a deep commitment to mentorship and community development, positions him as a pivotal figure in advancing technological and entrepreneurial landscapes.
Widely recognized as the Father of Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the Northeast, Prof. Dauda has pioneered numerous initiatives that connect universities, innovation hubs, and communities, driving regional development and job creation. His visionary leadership continues to inspire a new generation of innovators determined to transform the future of the Northeast.
As the Director of the Abdul Samad Rabiu International Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ASR-ICiE) and the Coordinator of the UNDP-supported UniPoD Innovation Hub at the University of Maiduguri, he has championed youth empowerment through creativity, enterprise, and technology.
Prof. Dauda is passionate about building inclusive ecosystems where ideas flourish into impactful solutions that strengthen communities, stimulate economic growth, and ignite hope.