Concerned Elders Forum alleges nepotism and victimization at CBN Headquarters

A socio-political group, the Concerned Elders Forum (CEF), has raised alarm over alleged massive victimization and nepotism at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) headquarters during the ongoing restructuring of the bank.

In a statement jointly signed by the chairman, Dr. Olajide John, and the secretary, Chief Ajilo Olajuwon, the group expressed concerns about the lopsided transfer and redeployment of CBN staff, asserting that it has been intentionally biased.

According to the statement released to the media on Thursday, the group claimed that there is a deliberate strategy to redeploy staff from the South-West and South-East to specific departments, especially the Procurement and Support Services Department (PSSD) and Medical Services Department, to create vacancies for staffers from the Northern region.

The CEF statement exonerated CBN Governor Olayemi Cardoso from these decisions, attributing them to senior management officers within the bank.

The group urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and CBN Governor Olayemi Cardoso to investigate and reverse what they termed as nepotistic redeployments.

The statement reads in part:

“This is to bring to your notice the current happenings at the CBN headquarters Abuja. The leadership of the bank has embarked on highly unjust and unfair treatment of staff of southern extraction (majorly Yoruba and Igbo).

“Please note that the Management of the Bank recently came up with a decision to move some of the departments of the bank to Lagos.

However, it’s very obvious that the decision is simply a way to phase out staff members from the earlier mentioned regions.

“The recent transfer done so far has proved to be a huge hidden agenda to sideline and render redundant people from these regions in the bank in order to favor people from the northern region.

“It is sad to note that the transfer of staff from the Procurement and Support Services Department (PSSD) and Medical Services Department is a total case of ethnic cleansing.

“It’s on record that 95% of staff members transferred from PSSD and 85% from Medical Services were from Yoruba and Igbo extraction. Please verify.

“Please also note that the current Governor of the CBN, Mr. Olayemi Cardoso, is not aware of the details of the transfers done so far.

There is a huge game plan by the northerners to keep only their own in all the relevant offices in the Bank. Please verify.

The procurement Department is already looking like a department meant for the northerners only.

“We call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Vice president, Alhaji Shettima; the First Lady, Remi Tinubu, the Chief of Staff, the CBN Governor, and our royal fathers and all well-meaning Nigerians to intervene and reverse this unjust, unfair, and lopsided treatment against the people of South-West and South-East in the CBN.”

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