CBN did not stampede 1000 workers to resign, says Cardoso

Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Olayemi Cardoso on Friday saID contrary to notions held in certain quarters, 1000 staffers of his outfit resigned voluntarily from service.

The CBN chief, who appeared before Mr. Usman Kumo led adhoc committee probing into the circumstances behind the disengagement of the workers, and disclosed that the affected workers were duly paid their full benefits.

Represented by the Deputy Director Corporate Service, Mr. Bala Bello, he insisted that the disengaged workers were not forced to resign from their appointments.

“Nobody has been dictated to leave. Nobody has been stampeded into leaving at all. It’s strictly voluntary. If nobody had taken it, we would have just close it. But this came as a result of popular demand. Like I said, I came with a representative from the staff unit to actually say it here,” he said.

The CBN governor justified the early exit programme, saying it was aimed at enhancing efficiency in the apex financial institution.

“And you have had instances in which, in the past, the request for staff to actually exit the bank voluntarily actually emanated on the part of the staff. And I believe the Central Bank is not necessarily the first organization to have done that,” he said.

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“I’m very happy to mention, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, that the early exit program of the Central Bank is 100 percent voluntary. It’s not mandatory. Nobody has been asked to leave, and nobody has been forced to leave. It’s a completely voluntary programme that has been put in place.

“It gets to the level where you have, for example, 30 departments in the Central Bank. You cannot have 60 directors, manning 30 departments. It’s not going to work. So, once those vacancies are filled, it gets to a level where some people, even though they are very qualified, they are very able, and they are very willing, but the vacancies are not there. And then they got to a level where they are stagnated for a period of time.”

Kumo, who assured that the Ad-hoc Committee will be fair to all the parties involved in the investigation, noted that the committee’s responsibility is to submit the report to the House.