No fewer than 1,500 redeployed members of staff of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will on Friday, February 2, 2024, resume at Lagos office of the apex bank.
According to a report by The PUNCH, quoting a CBN source, the plan to move some staff to the Lagos office of the bank, though heavily criticised, was still in motion, and affected staffers would be resuming as scheduled.
Yes, the plan is still on and they will resume work by February 2, which is the first week of next month,” an official told The PUNCH.
The newspaper reports that the latest development comes on the backdrop of the decision of the new management to relocate some of CBN’s departments to the country’s economic hub for staff safety, increased productivity, and to decongest its head office.
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.”
According to reports, the departments penciled down for relocation by the CBN governor Yemi Cardoso include Banking Supervision, Other Financial Institutions Supervision, Consumer Protection Department, Payment System Management Department, and Financial Policy Regulations Department.
The PUNCH observed that although the Northern Elders Forum and some other Northern groups had condemned the move, our correspondent gathered that the CBN governor was committed to implementing it, as it is expected to reduce the HQ occupancy level to 2,733 personnel from 4,233.
Another source told the PUNCH that some of the affected staffers had started relocating to Lagos.
