The Central Bank of Nigeria’s redeployed staff, estimated at 1,533 or 36.22 per cent, are due to resume in the Lagos headquarters on Friday, February 2.
According to The PUNCH, a person who was privy with the situation stated the plan was still in place and affected employees would return this weekend.
“Yes, the plan is still in place, and they will resume work by February 2, which is the first week of next month,” the official was quoted as saying.
Following a circular dated January 12, 2023, the CBN planned to shift 1,533 employees to other facilities inside Abuja, Lagos, and understaffed branches to sort critical challenges such as safety concerns, reduced efficiency, and potential compromise to the building’s structural integrity.
The CBN’s Director of Human Resources Department stated in a letter to all employees that the decision was motivated by safety concerns, increasing health and accident risks, and the need to comply with building requirements.
The CBN Governor, Mr Olayemi Cardoso, approved the relocation of several departments, including Banking Supervision, Other Financial Institutions Supervision, Consumer Protection, Payment System Management, and Financial Policy Regulations Department.
The CBN stated that this occurred after repeated warnings from the facility management and recommendations from the Committee on Decongestion of the CBN head office building.
Proponents of the idea, including the former governor of the bank, Mr Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, claimed that relocating some of the CBN’s departments to the country’s economic heartland would enhance efficiency and decongest its headquarters.
However, people like the Chief Whip of the Nigerian Senate, Mr Ali Ndume, and several other groups, such as the Northern Elders Forum, have opposed the action.
Mr. Ndume warned that relocating some CBN departments and the corporate headquarters of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria to Lagos would have political ramifications.
In a statement, the NEF voiced concern about the potential negative impact of transferring those vital departments on both the institution and the country as a whole.
The newspaper also said that some of the impacted employees had begun relocating to Lagos.
“Some have already gone ahead. Over 80% of the Banking Supervision Department’s staff has been redeployed, as has the Payment System Department,” according to a separate source.
