At least 1,500 members of staff of the Central Bank of Nigeria will on Friday resume at its Lagos office following their redeployment from the headquarters.
A source at the apex bank told our correspondent exclusively
that the plan, though heavily criticised, was still in motion, and affected
staffers would be resuming 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.
CBN said the action was necessitated by several factors,
including the need to align the bank’s structure with its functions and
objectives and redistribute skills to ensure a more even geographical spread of
talent.
It added that it was also in compliance with building
regulations, as indicated by repeated warnings from the facility manager, and
the findings and recommendations of the Committee on Decongestion of the CBN
Head Office.
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.”
According to reports, the departments penciled down for
relocation by the CBN governor Yemi Cardoso include Banking Supervision, Other
Financial Institutions Supervision, Consumer Protection Department, Payment
System Management Department, and Financial Policy Regulations Department.
Although the Northern Elders Forum and some other Northern
groups had condemned the move, our correspondent gathered that the CBN governor
was committed to implementing it, as it is expected to reduce the HQ occupancy level to 2,733 personnel from
4,233.
Another source said that some of the affected staffers had
started relocating 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.