The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has reiterated that its current early exit scheme was absolutely voluntary, as no staff was compelled or forced out of services of the apex bank.
Addressing the Ad Hoc Committee of the House of Representatives investigating the alleged retirement of 1, 000 staff of the bank, and the reported payment of N50 billion in retirement benefits to the affected staff members, the governor of the CBN, Olayemi Cardoso, said it was done in good faith.
Represented by the Deputy Governor, Corporate Services of the bank, Bala Mohammed Bello, he said, “The early exit scheme is 100 percent voluntary, it is not mandatory, and nobody has been forced to leave. It is completely voluntary.
“These are basically ways and means through which the performances of an organisation are enhanced. I believe several organisations across the world have done it, so nobody was asked to leave. It was based on popular demand.”
According to him, on the one hand, people retire from the bank after they are due for such with their full benefits, while the early exit scheme allows people to do so, where there are cases of staff stagnation.
Earlier, in his opening remarks, the Chairman of the Committee, Usman Bello Kumo, said the session was necessitated by a referral by the House, adding that “ours is to listen to the agencies concerned, and report back to the House.”
“In doing so, we want to draw your attention that as a people’s parliament, we’re representing Nigeria as a country through our constituents who, by extension, are involved directly or indirectly in the exercise.
“So, we implore you to avail this Committee with the necessary information, facts and figures, and be assured that with an assembly of this kind of Committee, I am optimistic that we’re responsible enough to be fair in our fact-finding, and we will be fair and balanced,” he said.
