Amidst criticisms, 1,500 redeployed CBN staff expected to resume at Lagos office Friday
Approximately 1,500 members of staff from the Central Bank of Nigeria are set to resume work at its Lagos office this Friday, following their redeployment from the headquarters.
An inside source at the apex bank exclusively disclosed that the plan faced heavy criticism but was still going ahead, with affected employees expected to resume on February 2.
“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 decision to relocate certain CBN departments to Lagos was made under the new management, with a focus on staff safety, improved productivity, and reducing congestion at the headquarters.
The bank mentioned various factors necessitating this move, such as aligning the structure with its objectives, redistributing skills for a more balanced spread of talent, and compliance with building regulations, based on warnings from the facility manager and recommendations from 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.”
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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 other Northern groups had condemned the move, the CBN governor was committed to implementing the relocation policy, as it is expected to reduce the HQ occupancy level to 2,733 personnel from 4,233.
Another source told the newsmen 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.
