Again, ‘dismissed’ CBN employees seek justice

For the umpteenth time, over two hundred ex-staff of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) who claimed to have been forcefully disengaged have cried foul against the discriminatory way the Yemi Cardoso-led management has approached the issue.

Though the apex bank argued that no staff was forced to exit, those affected insist that the rationalisation exercise was foisted on them.They said the ‘early exit’ option the CBN claimed it instituted was not extended to them.

The affected staff berated the CBN management for not coming up with the optional ‘early exit’ window for all staff to embrace as was later adopted but rather chose to humiliate them unjustly in flagrant disregard of the bank’s human resources policy.

The affected staff have expressed support for the ‘early exit’ programme but observed that it was an afterthought rather than a well-thought-out programme. They noted that the programme was hastily implemented without considering the negative impact on the system.

They further asserted that the CBN, no doubt, must have lost most of its best hands in the areas of monetary policy, research, banking examination, communication, payment system development and strategy among others.

The concerned staff who spoke with The Guardian on the condition of anonymity advised those responsible for the central bank’s oversight to be watchful of the policies of the bank as either forceful disengagement or early retirement of experienced staff could create serious gaps in the strategic institution.

The ex-staff also questioned the claim of the Deputy Governor (Corporate Services), Muhammad Bala Bello, that the disengaged staff were retired and paid their full benefits, noting that some of them left with negative account balances.

They contended that their careers were abruptly terminated without justification or compliance with due process in the name of restructuring.Some of the affected staff alleged that the CBN management towed the line of discrimination from the beginning, which has greatly impinged their fundamental human rights and self-esteem while causing them untold hardship.

They called on the CBN management to revisit their case with good conscience and equity without further delay. The CBN is currently contending with scores of litigations at the National Industrial Court arising from the decision of the Cardoso-led management to disengage some staff last year.