No fewer than 200 officials of the Central Bank of Nigeria were on Friday relieved of their duties.
This adds to the list of 117 staff sacked by the bank between March 15 and April 11, 2024.
It was also learnt that other cadres of staff affected were deputy directors, assistant directors, principal managers, senior managers and even lower-cadre staff.
Some of those affected were Directors in charge of Statistics department, trade and exchange department, policy regulatory department, Information Technology department, the bank’s director of corporate services in Ghana and a whole lot of deputy directors.
BusinessDay reports that the entire staff of the economic intelligence unit whose role is basically to carry out quiet investigations in the bank were all cleared. Some other sources said up to 200 people may have been sacked in the process, and that many more may be asked to go next week Friday.
They revealed that affected persons include older directors who were not affected by the last round of retrenchment.
One of the sources in a 20-second call with our correspondent simply stated, “It is true and confirmed.”
The staff member who could not disclose further details for fear of victimisation added that the move has caused apprehension among staff of every cadre as the management has not specified any criteria for the decisions.
Another source confirmed the information, indicating that additional dismissals are expected in the months ahead, spread out across staggered phases.
The official said, “It is real and is even more than 200 officials but the actual number is unconfirmed yet. The sack is coming in staggered phases and that is why we can’t confirm the number yet. But it is not less than 200.
“The sacked persons include directors, and other cadres but the ones that are easily known are the directors. Some of the batch of old directors that were not affected during the last round of sacks are now affected.”
The sack letter obtained by our correspondent and issued by the Human Resources Department on May 24, 2024, said the policy was to reorganise the organisation for effective operations.
The letter, lacking a signature read, “The new strategic direction of the bank has been widely publicised. In line with our new mission and vision, the bank is currently undergoing a significant organisational and human capital restructuring process.
“As a result of this review, I have been directed to notify you that your services will not be required with effect from Friday, 24th May 2024.
“Your final entitlements will be calculated and paid to you in due course. Thank you”
In February, at least 1,500 members of staff of the apex bank of Nigeria were redeployed from the headquarters located at Central Area to its Lagos office.
At the time, the CBN said the action was necessitated by several factors, including the need to align the bank’s structure with its functions and objectives and redistribute skills to ensure a more even geographical spread of talent.
It added that it was also in compliance with building regulations, as indicated by repeated warnings from the facility manager, and the findings and recommendations of 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”.
Efforts to get the reaction of the bank’s Director of Corporate Communication, Hakama Sidi Ali, was not successful as she did not pick up her call or respond to the text messages to her line.
