CBN Restructuring: Group alleges victimisation, nepotism

•••Calls on Tinubu, Cardoso to look into nepotistic redeployment

A socio-political group, Concerned Elders Forum (CEF), has alleged massive victimisation and nepotism at the headquarters of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as a result of the ongoing repositioning of the bank.

A statement jointly signed by the chairman and secretary of the group, Olajide John and Ajilo Olajuwon, respectively, and made available to journalists on Thursday in Akure, the Ondo state capital, revealed that the current transfer and redeployment of members of staff of the apex bank of the federation have been lopsided.

The group alleged that there was deliberate redeployment of staffers from the South-West and South-East to some departments, particularly the Procurement and Support Services Department (PSSD) and Medical Services Department, to pave the way for staffers from the Northern region of the federation.

According to the statement, the group exonerated the CBN Governor, Olayemi Cardoso, from the decisions taken by some senior management officers in the bank.

The group, therefore, wants President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the CBN Governor to look into and reverse the nepotistic redeployment.

The statement reads in parts: “This is to bring to your notice the current happenings at the CBN headquarters in Abuja. The leadership of the bank has embarked on highly unjust and unfair treatment of staff of southern extraction (majorly Yoruba and Igbo)

“Please note that the management of the bank recently came up with a decision to move some of the departments of the bank to Lagos. However, the decision is simply a way to phase out staff members from the earlier-mentioned regions.

“The recent transfer done so far has proved to be a huge hidden agenda to sideline and render redundant people from these regions in the bank to favour the people from the northern region.

“It is sad to note that the transfer of staff from the Procurement and Support Services Department (PSSD) and Medical Services Department is a total case of ethnic cleansing.

“It’s on record that 95 percent of staff members transferred from PSSD and 85 percent from Medical Services were from Yoruba and Igbo extraction. Please verify

“Please also note that the current Governor of the CBN, Mr. Olayemi Cardoso, is not aware of the details of the transfers done so far. There is a huge game plan by the northerners to keep only their own in all the relevant offices in the bank. Please verify. The procurement department is already looking like a department meant for northerners only.

“We call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Vice President, Alhaji Shettima; the First Lady, Remi Tinubu, the Chief of Staff, the CBN Governor, our royal fathers, and all well-meaning Nigerians to intervene and reverse this unjust, unfair, and lopsided treatment against the people of the South-West and South-East in the CBN.”