1. A WELCOME ADDRESS BY MR. BISI ONASANYA, GMD/CEO, FIRST BANK OF
NIGERIA PLC, AT THE ISO 27001 CERTIFICATE PRESENTATION CEREMONY,
EKO HOTEL & SUITES, VICTORIA ISLAND, SEPTEMBER 8, 2010
PROTOCOL:
On behalf of the Board, Management and Staff of First Bank of Nigeria Plc I am pleased to
welcome you to this celebration of another pioneering achievement by our Bank. We can all
testify that even the brightest of students is apprehensive of examinations in one way or the
other. It is not surprising, therefore, that institutions shy away from seeking certifications that
require rigorous preparatory processes, especially certifications administered by globally
reputed institutions.
It is people and organisations which are prepared and daring that always win. It is not different
with us at FirstBank, because the history of our great institution has thrust on us the revered
duty to pioneer innovations in the Nigerian banking and financial services landscape. We have,
however, reached beyond the industry, in this instance, to become the first organization in
Nigeria to be awarded the Information Security Management Systems ISO/IEC 27001:2005
Certification, acclaimed as the world’s highest accreditation for information protection and
security from the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO).
This Certification is an affirmation that our Bank has adopted and complied with the highest
known management standards in information security in the world, a process that involved
auditing and verification of the Bank’s Information Security Management Systems (ISMS)
practices by the British Standard Institute (BSI), a leading organization in the field of auditing
management systems and processes. I am happy to inform you that we share this place of pride
with institutions like the IMF and World Bank which are among other financial Institutions that
have such certification by the ISO.

2. We are delighted, indeed, that beyond attaining the ISO 27001 Certification for the Bank, in our
little way, our organization has been able to bring glory to Nigeria with this landmark which is
poised to increase the confidence of both our customers and investors in the Nigerian economy.
This is significant to us because we take pride in staying at the vanguard of driving financial
services dynamics in addition to institutionalising and setting the pace in ethical business
practice in financial services and promoting the national economy. More importantly, our
customers will increasingly enjoy the benefits of this standardisation certification which include,
among others, systems interoperability, quality assurance, due diligence, progressive bench
marking and security consciousness, as well as the maintenance of the confidentiality, integrity
and availability of our information assets.
The ISMS Certification project is part of our broad Risk Management certification programme
code-named FirstSecure. FirstSecure is indicative of our mission to operate the best possible
information security systems. The FirstSecure programme has three focus streams and is
expected to meet the requirements for:
• Certification in ISO27001 (Information Security);
• Certification in BS25999 (Business Continuity Management); and
• Certification in ISO38500 (IT Governance)
Information assets are critical asset of the Bank and require adequate protection at every point.
FirstBank considers the protection of its information assets critical to its business continuity and
sustenance, hence, we have embarked on measures that will ensure that information assets are
adequately protected at all times. Commitment to this responsibility is shared by the Board and
all staff of our Bank. That is why today FirstBank can boast of the highest number of BSI
certified Lead Auditors in the entire Nigerian market.
I am pleased to salute members of our Information Security Forum for their contributions to the
realization of this coveted Certification. The Forum serves as a regular meeting arena for
Management staff to deliberate on security trends and emerging issues, establishing and
maintaining organization-wide information security (policy, standards and procedures) and
ensuring staff compliance with these standards. But let me remind the members of the ISF that
their job is just beginning, because one of your responsibilities is to ensure the continuous
maintenance of the certification standards upon attainment.

3. I also commend staff of Information Security Management, Document Management Unit,
General Services, Information Technology, Internal Control & Reconciliation, Internal Audit,
Human Capital Management & Development, Security Services, Operational Risk Management,
Compliance, Corporate Communications, and indeed all members of staff for their commitment
and concerted effort in achieving this feat. I wish to state the Board and Management’s
continued commitment to information security across the Bank.
Today, we have the honour of are being honoured by the presence of the man who initiated this
risk management project in FirstBank during his tenure as Chief Risk Officer and nurtured it
through his tenure as GMD/CEO of this great Bank. Ladies and gentlemen, I am referring to my
brother and friend, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi,
(more popularly known SLS). We have indeed kept his dreams alive and should there be
another auditing of the financial sector, kindly remember that FirstBank is ISO-certified. I
sincerely hope that will suffice.
We must also appreciate the Chief Risk Officer of our Bank, Mrs. Remi Odunlami for
championing this certification. We cannot under estimate the tireless efforts of some of our staff
in ensuring that the Bank complied with the set standards of the ISO and consequently merit
today’s certification. They will be presented with the BSI Lead Auditors Certificates during the
course of this event – you may term that part of the earthly reward for their efforts.
I wish to also appreciate Otunba Adeleke Adesina, Chairman Global Infoswift and the entire
Global Infoswift team, our consulting partners that are providing the required guidance in the
FirstSecure journey.
Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you for joining us in this memorable celebration of the
FirstSecure bank in Nigeria.
Thank you.
Bisi Onasanya
GMD/CEO, First Bank of Nigeria Plc