1,500 REDEPLOYED CBN STAFF SET TO RESUME AT LAGOS OFFICE ON FRIDAY
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At least 1,500 employees of the Central Bank of Nigeria will return to work at its Lagos branch on Friday after being redeployed from the headquarters.
Despite strong criticism, the plan remained in place, according to an insider at the apex bank who spoke exclusively to our correspondent. Affected employees will be returning to work on Friday.
“Yes, the plan is still on and they will resume work by February 2, which is the first week of next month,” an official said.
The latest development comes on the backdrop of the decision of the new management to relocate some of CBN’s departments to the country’s economic hub for staff safety, increased productivity, and to decongest its head office.
According to CBN, a number of reasons led to the decision, including the need to realign the bank’s organisational structure with its goals and missions and reallocate expertise to achieve a more equitable distribution of talent across geographies.
It further stated that it complied with building codes, as demonstrated by the facility manager’s repeated warnings, the Committee on Decongestion of the CBN Head Office’s findings, and its recommendations.
A memo issued to staff read, “This is to notify all staff members at the CBN Head Office that we have initiated a decongestion action plan designed to optimise the operational environment of the Bank.
“This initiative aims to ensure compliance with building safety standards and enhance the efficient utilisation of our office space.”
The departments that CBN governor Yemi Cardoso has reportedly designated for relocation are the departments of banking supervision, other financial institutions supervision, consumer protection, payment system management, and financial policy regulations.
The plan was opposed by the Northern Elders Forum and a few other Northern organisations, but our reporter learned that the CBN governor was determined to see it through because it would result in a decrease in the number of employees at the headquarters from 4,233 to 2,733.
Newsmen were informed by another source that some of the impacted employees had begun moving to Lagos.
“Some have already gone ahead. Over 80 per cent of the Banking Supervision Department staff have been redeployed and the same for the Payment System Department,” the source hinted.
The NEF had, in a statement, expressed worry over the potential negative impact of relocating those essential departments on both the institution itself and the country as a whole.
“The movement would involve increased costs, loss of talent, disruption in operations, reduced coordination, regional economic disparities, impaired economic development in Northern Nigeria, and decreased investor confidence in the nation’s economy.
“Therefore, relocating them entirely to Lagos will only serve to further strengthen the already dominant position of Lagos, while potentially weakening the significance and role of Abuja,” it claimed.
More so, the Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Ali Ndume, warned that there would be “political consequences” if the plan to relocate some departments of CBN as well as the corporate headquarters of Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria to Lagos were implemented.
He said, “Those misleading the President are not doing him any good because this is going to have some political consequences. If Tinubu were not elected president, the CBN governor would not be there. It was not Lagos votes that put Tinubu there.”
Northern senators and youths also expressed displeasure over the move, which they claimed was a calculated move to short-change the North.
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