House Committee Promises Fairness In Investigating CBN’s Staff Termination

The Ad Hoc Committee investigating the termination and dismissal of staff by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has pledged to conduct its duties with impartiality and fairness.

The Chairman of the committee, Mr. Bello Kumo, made the promise at the continued investigative hearing on the retirement of over 1000 staff of the Central Bank of Nigeria and the associated N50 billion payoff scheme, in Abuja.

Mr Kumo said that “the investigation is aimed at listening to agencies concern and report back to the House.”

He implored the invited guests to avail the committee all the necessary information to help them to get to the root of the matter.

The Lawmaker said; “We want to draw your attention to the fact that as a parliament, as people’s parliament, we are representing Nigeria as a country through our constituents, who by extension are involved directly or indirectly in the exercise.

“So we implore you to avail this committee with necessary information, facts and figures to be reassured. The assembly of these members of this committee, I am very optimistic and certain that we are responsible enough to be fair in our fact findings.”

“We should be balanced and we should be fair to all manner of members involved in this exercise. So please feel free to agree with us with this information. We expect your understanding and cooperation from the side of the parliament. We have you at the back of our mind that we are only doing this thing for the members and staff of the CBN who are members of our constraints. So that Nigeria will have better, will become better informed, and will be able to have at the end of the exercise, more information and justice should be done to all our children. It’s on this note that we have a practice,” Mr. Kumo said.

He also promised that justice would be done to all and sundry, in the cause of the investigation.

Speaking on behalf of the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Deputy Governor, Corporate Services, Mr Bala Bello said that the bank did not sack anyone.

He said that “digitisation also affected the staff.”

The CBN Representative noted that the bank has an Early Exit Programme that supports voluntary exit.

He said; “If I may start from the issue of the Early Exit Programme and the Restructuring as well as Reorganisation, and I’ll add a thought on realignment. These are basically ways and means through which the performance of an organization is optimized by putting, ensuring that round pegs are put in right holes. The manpower requirement of the bank is actually met.

“Chairman, the entire world is going through a process of digitizing its operations. And then once that is done, a lot of opportunities are created, just like a lot of redundancies are also equally created.

“And you have had instances in which, in the past, the request for staff to actually exit the bank voluntarily actually emanated on the part of the staff. And I believe the Central Bank is not necessarily the first organisation to have done that. I’m very happy to mention, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, the early exit program of the Central Bank is 100 percent voluntary.”

“It’s not mandatory. Nobody has been asked to leave, and nobody has been forced to leave. It’s a completely voluntary program that has been put in place. I believe several organizations across the world, and even within this country, both in terms of the private sector and the public sector, are undertaking similar exercises. So nobody has been asked to leave. But people who are based on popular demand, I have to be humble, with a lot of humility, to tell you that this same programme that is taking place is not at the instance of the bank itself.

“Of course, we have our own challenges, and we know where we want to take the bank to. That’s Cardoso and his team, myself included. But this popular request actually came from the staff,” Mr. Bello said.

He added that” It’s an entirely voluntary exercise on the part of the bank. Those who want to take it, took it, and those who don’t want to take it are still in the bank.”

Mercy Chukwudiebere