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Despite Controversy, 1,500 CBN Staff to Resume at Lagos Office Friday
At least 1,500 members of staff of the Central Bank of Nigeria will on Friday resume at its Lagos office following their redeployment from the headquarters, according to The Punch.
A source at the apex bank told our correspondent exclusively that the plan, though heavily criticised, was still in motion, and affected staffers would be resuming on Friday.
“Yes, the plan is still on and they will resume work by February 2, which is the first week of next month,” an official said.
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.
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.
“Some have already gone ahead. Over 80 per cent of the Banking Supervision Department staff have been redeployed and the same for the Payment System Department,” the source hinted.
The NEF had, in a statement, expressed worry over the potential negative impact of relocating those essential departments on both the institution itself and the country as a whole.
“The movement would involve increased costs, loss of talent, disruption in operations, reduced coordination, regional economic disparities, impaired economic development in Northern Nigeria, and decreased investor confidence in the nation’s economy.
“Therefore, relocating them entirely to Lagos will only serve to further strengthen the already dominant position of Lagos, while potentially weakening the significance and role of Abuja,” it claimed.
More so, the Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Ali Ndume, warned that there would be “political consequences” if the plan to relocate some departments of CBN as well as the corporate headquarters of Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria to Lagos were implemented.
He said, “Those misleading the President are not doing him any good because this is going to have some political consequences. If Tinubu were not elected president, the CBN governor would not be there. It was not Lagos votes that put Tinubu there.”
Northern senators and youths also expressed displeasure over the move, which they claimed was a calculated move to short-change the North.
Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan is among dozens of African leaders stranded in Guinea-Bissau after the military seized power and suspended the country’s electoral process on Wednesday.
Jonathan is part of a 36-member joint election observation mission of the African Union (AU), ECOWAS and the West African Elders Forum (WAEF) deployed to monitor Sunday’s presidential election.
The coup unfolded after both incumbent President Umaro Embaló and his main challenger, Fernando Dias, separately claimed victory even though the electoral commission had not released official results. Soldiers subsequently took control of state institutions, closed all borders and shut down airports.
In a joint statement, the observer mission said it was “deeply concerned” about the military intervention, calling it “regrettable” that the takeover came shortly after meeting the two top candidates, who had assured them they would respect the will of the voters.
The mission urged the AU and ECOWAS to take urgent steps to restore constitutional order and demanded the immediate release of all detained officials.
The delegation is scheduled to depart Guinea-Bissau on November 29, though it is unclear whether the airport shutdown will affect their exit.
Amid rising attacks and abductions by gunmen and suspected terrorists, President Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday, declared a nationwide security emergency.
In a statement he personally issued, President Tinubu said: “Today, in view of the emerging security situation, I have decided to declare a nationwide security emergency and order additional recruitment into the Armed Forces.”
By this order, he said both the police and the army have been authorised to recruit more operatives, saying: “The police will recruit an additional 20,000 officers, bringing the total to 50,000.”
The president also directed that the police could now use National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) camps as training depots, noting that although he had previously approved the upgrade of police training institutions, the new security reality required immediate expansion of capacity.
He further ordered that officers being withdrawn from VIP guard duties must undergo crash retraining.
According to him, the exercise is to “debrief them and deliver more efficient police services when deployed to security-challenged areas of the country.”
Tinubu also empowered the Department of State Services (DSS) to activate fully the forest security architecture.
“The DSS also has my authority to immediately deploy all the forest guards already trained to flush out the terrorists and bandits lurking in our forests,” he said, adding that the agency had his directive to recruit additional personnel.
“There will be no more hiding places for agents of evil,” the President said.
Calling the situation “a national emergency,” the President said the federal government was responding by “deploying more boots on the ground, especially in security-challenged areas”.
He appealed to citizens to play their part, saying “the times require all hands on deck. As Nigerians, we should all get involved in securing our nation.”
President Tinubu commended security forces for recent breakthroughs, including the rescue of abducted schoolgirls in Kebbi and the 38 worshippers seized in Kwara State.
“We will continue to sustain the efforts to rescue the remaining students of Catholic School in Niger State and other Nigerians still being held hostage,” he assured.
To military personnel across the country, he delivered a firm charge, saying “I commend your courage and your sacrifice… I charge you to remain resolute, to restore peace across all theatres of operation, and to uphold the highest standards of discipline and integrity. There must be no compromise, no collusion, and no negligence.”
He added that his administration would support them fully to succeed.
Tinubu also pledged federal support to states with existing security outfits and urged the National Assembly to begin a legislative review to allow states that require state police to establish them.
He cautioned state governments against operating boarding schools in remote, unsecured areas, and advised religious institutions to “constantly seek police and other security protection when they gather for prayers, especially in vulnerable areas.”
The President reiterated his administration’s stance on resolving farmer-herder clashes, pointing to the establishment of the Ministry of Livestock Development.
He urged herder groups to abandon open grazing and embrace ranching, saying: “I call on all herder associations to take advantage of it, end open grazing and surrender illegal weapons. Ranching is now the path forward.”
Tinubu expressed sympathy to families affected by recent attacks in Kebbi, Borno, Zamfara, Niger, Yobe and Kwara States.
He also paid tribute to fallen soldiers, including Brigadier-General Musa Uba.
“Those who want to test our resolve should never mistake our restraint for weakness. This administration has the courage and determination to keep the country safe and ensure our citizens live in peace,” he warned.
In a rallying call to Nigerians, the President urged unity and vigilance, saying “I urge you not to give in to fear and never succumb to despair… Report suspicious activities. Cooperate with security agencies. We are in this fight together, and together we shall win.”
President Bola Tinubu has forwarded the names of three non-career ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for confirmation.
The nominees are Kayode Aare (Ogun State), Aminu Dalhatu (Jigawa State), and Ayodele Oke (Oyo State).
The letter was read during plenary by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.
Akpabio has, therefore, directed the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs to review the nominations and report back to the chamber within one week.
This is the first list of ambassadorial nominees sent to the Senate by Tinubu since he became the President on May 29, 2023.
A former Nigerian External Affairs Minister, Bolaji Akinyemi, had argued that, despite internet access to information, diplomacy still required personal ambassadorial contact.
“I believe credible appointments should be made to the vacant ambassadorial posts. We need to fill them,” Akinyemi said during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today in September.
“The absence of ambassadors does not deny us information. But diplomacy runs on ambassadorial contact, the interaction between governments and ambassadors,” he added.
The Federal Government had said that several Nigerian diplomatic and consular missions abroad were facing financial and operational challenges, ranging from unpaid staff salaries to mounting debts owed to landlords and service providers.
But while dismissing recent criticisms by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) about delays in ambassadorial appointments in June, the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Nigeria’s diplomatic missions remain fully operational and effectively represented by seasoned foreign service officers, including experienced chargés d’affaires.
“The appointment of ambassadors is a sovereign function—not a matter to be rushed for political convenience or partisan appeasement.
“President Tinubu, in line with his Renewed Hope Agenda, is committed to reforming the foreign service architecture to ensure that future postings are driven by merit, competence, national interest, and strategic alignment—not patronage or expediency.
“Nigeria is neither voiceless nor inactive in international affairs,” it said in a statement by the Special Assistant on Media and Communications Strategy to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alkasim Abdulkadir.
The ministry, while acknowledging long-standing structural and funding challenges that predate the current administration, said that Nigerian diplomats continued to serve with distinction, often under difficult circumstances.
In September 2023, Tinubu recalled the country’s ambassadors.
He had earlier recalled Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Ambassador Sarafa Tunji Ishola who was appointed by former President Muhammadu Buhari in January 2021.
