Headlines
Cleansing in CBN As Cardoso Fires Directors Believed to Be Loyal to Emefiele
There is anxiety among the management staff of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as 19 directors have reportedly been issued termination letters.
Reports claim that, while two of the affected directors have accepted their fate, five others are planning to institute a law suit against the apex bank for what they consider to be an unlawful termination of their appointments.
Although the apex bank has not given any explanation over the development, reliable sources within the bank confirmed the development.
There are no precise details of the reason for the reported sack of the directors.
However, the two directors who quietly accepted their termination also faced a case with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) after the Jim Obazee repots allegedly indicted them.
The termination letters sent to the seven directors cited “reorganizational and human capital restructuring” as the reason for their dismissal, which is in line with the bank’s new strategic direction.
The letters reportedly stated that their services would no longer be required as of Friday, March 15, 2024, and they were instructed to immediately hand over all the bank’s properties to their department’s administrator.
Meanwhile, a source within the CBN expressed concern over the lack of an exit package for the terminated directors, especially considering their years of service and the absence of any charges or accusations against them.
The source also highlighted the loss of years of institutional knowledge and expertise that would result from the dismissal of these experienced directors.
It has been revealed that the remaining 12 directors who have not received their termination letters are aware of their impending dismissal.
Some staff members have appealed to the management on behalf of the affected directors, requested that the sack be reconsidered and converted to retirement to allow the directors receive their allowances.
The situation at the apex bank has sparked discussions and concerns about the impact of the dismissals on the bank’s operations and the fate of the directors.
The apex bank, on November 24, 2023, reassigned directors to a division under the Governor’s Directorate, FSS 2020, in Maitama, Abuja.
Samuel Chukwuyem Okojere, Abdulmumin Abdulsalam Isa, Dr Elizabeth Amos Kwaghe, Dr Maureen Omolola Chukwurah, and Arinze Stanley were among the directors transferred to the FSS 2020 division.
The development comes after the banks’ controversial relocation of at least 150 employees from the Banking Supervision Department, BSD, one of its 29 departments, to Lagos State.
The Libyan Football Federation (LFF) has addressed the circumstances behind the extended delay at Al Abraq International Airport, where the Super Eagles of Nigeria were held hostage for over 15 hours, and attributed the situation to routine air traffic and logistical challenges rather than deliberate foul play.
In a statement on Monday via X, the LFF sought to clarify the events, emphasising that the diversion of the Nigerian team’s flight was not intended as a hostile act.
“We firmly reject any claims that suggest foul play or sabotage in this situation,” the LFF said.
Meanwhile, in the most recent development, Super Eagles players and officials have been reportedly set to depart from Libya.
This was disclosed by a sports enthusiast, identified as Pooja Media, via his X handle on Monday, according to The Punch report.
He wrote, “Super Eagles players and all officials are boarding to fly out of Libya to Nigeria. Thank God.”
Confirming this, a player, Bruno Onyemaechi, wrote, “Me and Libya, I don wash my hands commot. Nothing concerns me and una again. Thank God I’m going back.”
The team, held at an abandoned airport for over 15 hours, has resolved not to play the match, citing safety concerns.
Nigeria Football Federation director of communications, Ademola Olajire, confirmed that the team would fly back home.
“Players have resolved not to play the match any longer as NFF officials are making plans to fly the team back home,” Olajire stated.
Four Israeli soldiers have been killed and more than 60 people injured in a Hezbollah drone attack on an army base in central-northern Israel, according to first responders and the Israeli military.
The incident late Sunday local time is one of the bloodiest attacks on Israel since the beginning of the war last October.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said an unmanned aerial vehicle, or UAV, launched by Hezbollah hit an army base adjacent to Binyamina, a town north of Tel Aviv that lies some 40 miles from the Lebanese border.
The four killed soldiers were all 19 years old and in infantry training at the base, the IDF said, adding that eight other soldiers were severely injured.
According to Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency service, a total of 61 people were wounded in the attack, with dozens still hospitalized.
The news comes after Hezbollah said Sunday it had fired a swarm of attack drones on an Israeli infantry training camp in Binyamina.
The Lebanon-based militant group said the attack was in response to deadly Israeli strikes in Lebanon Thursday.
Hezbollah said it had targeted the Golani Brigade, an infantry unit of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) that has been deployed in southern Lebanon. The claim of responsibility for the attack came shortly after the militant group released an audio message from its slain leader Hassan Nasrallah calling on its members to “defend your people, your family, your nation, your values and your dignity.”
Earlier on Sunday, the IDF said it had intercepted a Lebanon-launched UAV without specifying where. It was not immediately clear whether this was the same incident that led to the injuries.
Israeli air defence systems tend to be very reliable, but on Sunday, there were no reports of alerts in the Binyamina area at the time of the attack, raising questions of how the drone was able to penetrate so deep into the Israeli territory without being spotted.
Hezbollah said it had fired dozens of rockets toward the northern Israeli towns of Nahariya and Acre to engage Israel’s air defense systems, while simultaneously launching the drone swarm.
“These drones broke through the Israel defense radars without detection and reached its target at the training camp of the elite Golani Brigade in Binyamina,” Hezbollah said.
The IDF’s top spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the military would investigate how the drone got through without raising an alarm at the base.
“We will learn from and investigate the incident,” he said in a video statement from the base. “The threat of UAVs is a threat we are dealing with since the beginning of the war. We need an improvement to our defense,” he added.
Source: CNN
The Court of Appeal has upheld the judgment of the Federal High Court, affirming Martins Amaehwule as the rightful Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
Recall that the Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, had challenged the judgement of Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court Abuja, which affirmed Amaehwule’s leadership.
This ruling is a victory for the camp of former Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, who has been at odds with Governor Fubara.
Governor Fubara has also been ordered to re-present the 2024 budget to the Amaehwule-led House of Assembly.
