. As ex-deputy governor lauds initiative
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has unfolded plans to move some departments at its headquarters in Abuja to its branches in Lagos and other parts of the country.
The CBN, through a circular by the Director of its Human Resources Department, Friday, reads in part: “This is to notify all staff members at the CBN Head Office that we have initiated a decongestion action plan designed to optimize the operational environment of the Bank.
“This initiative aims to ensure compliance with building safety standards and enhance the efficient utilization of our office space.
This action is necessitated by several factors, including the need to align the Bank’s structure with its functions and objectives, redistribute skills to ensure a more even geographical spread of talent, and comply 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.”
It further explained that “The action plan focuses on optimizing the utilization of other Bank’s premises. With this plan, 1,533 staff will be moved to other CBN facilities within Abuja, Lagos and understaffed branches.
“Our current occupancy level of 4,233 significantly exceeds the optimal capacity of 2,700 designed for the Head Office building. This overcrowding poses several critical challenges.”
This action is necessitated by several factors, including the need to align the Bank’s structure with its functions and objectives, redistribute skills to ensure a more even geographical spread of talent, and comply with building regulations, as indicated by repeated warnings from the Facility Manager…
Amid reports of disquiet among CBN staff, over the plan, a former CBN Deputy Governor, Kingsley Moghalu, in a post on X, agreed that the relocation will address the overstaffing challenges in the Abuja headquarters, where the staff count exceeds recommended health and safety limits.
Mr. Moghalu tweeted: “I don’t see any serious basis for such ‘disquiet’. A new Lagos Office for the Bank was completed and inaugurated about 12 years ago while I was at the Bank. As far as I can remember, it was under-utilized.”
He also noted that “Meanwhile, the numbers of staff in the Abuja HQ are vastly over the health and safety limits of the building. Moreover, the market entities supervised by the Departments that will move to Lagos are mostly in Lagos. So, what’s the problem? Seems a rational decision to me.”
