CBN under fire over secret recruitment

– Civil society leaders have reacted to the secret
recruitment of family members of top government
officials into the CBN
– They have called for the immediate withdrawal of the
employment
– The CBN said the recruitment was carried out in line
with the Federal Character principle
CBN governor, Godwin Emiefiele
Reactions have continued to trail the secret recruitment
of family members of top government officials to the
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Some civil society leaders and lawyers have called for
the withdrawal of employment offers to children of
former past and serving government officials, ministers,
a nephew of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Speaking with Premium Times on Thursday, March 24,
Achike Chude, the deputy chairman of the Joint Action
Front stated that the action shows a class division in the
country.
“What this thing has told us is that all animals are equal
but some are more equal than others. And this is what we
see in virtually every aspect of our national life.
This tells us once more that there are two Nigerias: a
Nigeria for the rich, the powerful, and the influential, and a
Nigeria for those who do not have privileges, who do not
have what it takes,” he said.
Debo Adeniran, the executive director of Coalition
Against Corrupt Leaders, noted that government should
provide equal opportunity for all Nigerian.
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“It is a manifestation of the old order whereby people of
privileged class are given undue advantage over others.”
“The Buhari administration must be seen to live up to its
mantra of change and equal opportunity must be given to
everybody.”
Monday Ubani, former chairman of the Nigerian Bar
Association, Ikeja chapter, faulted the process of
recruitment adding that those who were recruited
without advertisements ought to be shown the door.
“The law says there must be a proper advertisement of
vacancies for such positions and every Nigerian should be
in a position to compete for such a very sensitive position.
And it should reflect federal character,” said Ubani.
”Why will you go and begin to head-hunt only big men’s
children into the banking sector? That is discriminatory,
that is contrary to the provisions of the Constitution. That is
nepotism of the highest order,” he added.
In a reaction, Isaac Okoroafor, CBN’s acting director of
corporate communications defended the position of the
bank the apex bank saying it got a waiver from the
Federal Character Commission, allowing them to recruit
with advertising.
“In the last two years, we have had cause to recruit
specialists, and what the law says is that if we are going
for that kind of recruitment we should apply for waiver, so
that we can do targeted recruitment,” Okoroafor said.
Olanrewaju Suraju, chairman of Sivil Society Network
Against Corruption, called on the CBN to make public
the provisions of the law that allowed the Federal
Character Commission to grant it employment waiver.
“It is the beginning of accountability in the process, though
the response from the CBN is still very ludicrous in terms of
saying that they are catchment areas under federal
character and that they deliberately refused to advertise.
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“It is a challenge to the current government to ensure that
they probe the recruitment process and if it is found to have
violated any of the extant laws, then they need to actually
sack all those that are beneficiaries of the recruitment.
“Thereafter they should conduct a highly publicised
recruitment process that gives access to every other person
that is qualified.”
Meanwhile, the accountability group, the Socio-
Economic Rights and Accountability Project, has
threatened to sue Godwin Emefiele, the governor of the
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), over the recent
employment of children of APC chieftains by the apex
bank.