CITIZENS COMPASS —A nominee for membership of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Board of Directors, Urum Kalu Eke, has declined the offer.
His reason was that he was currently engaged with the World Bank.
This came to the fore yesterday, when the Senate began the process for the confirmation of the nominees during a plenary. .
President Bola Tinubu had on Tuesday, February 13, 2024, forwarded the names of Urum and four others for confirmation as members of the board for the CBN.
But during the confirmation, former Governor of Abia State, Senator Orji Kalu of APC, Abia North, told the Senate that the person who is in his constituent had called him on the phone to reject the offer, noting that it would conflict with his present job as a consultant with the World Bank.
He said: “The nominee told me this role would conflict with his job as a consultant to the World Bank, Federal Government agencies, and other private companies.”
Meanwhile, the Senate has confirmed the appointment of four other members of the Board of Directors of the CBN forwarded to it by the President.
Those confirmed by the Senate as Directors are Robert Agbede; Ado Yakubu Wanka; Professor Murtala Sabo Sagagi and Mrs. Muslimat Olanike Aliyu.
The confirmation was a sequel to the consideration of a report of the screening of the nominees presented by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance & Other Financial Institutions by the Chairman, Senator Adetokunbo Abiru, APC, Lagos East.
He said, “That the Senate do receive and consider the report of on the confirmation of the nomination of the following Five (5) persons as members of the Board of Directors of the Central Bank of Nigeria by section 6(1), (2) (d) and 10 of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007.”
According to him, the committee did not clear Urum Kalu Eke from Abia because he failed to appear before the committee for screening.
Abiru specifically informed the Senate that four other nominees, Robert Agbede; Ado Yakubu Wanka; Professor Murtala Sabo Sagagi, and Mrs Muslimat Olanike Aliyu , appeared before the committee for screening and convinced it of their suitability for the appointments.
He thereafter urged the Senate to confirm the appointments of the four nominees who attended the screening session and decline that of Kalu Eke who didn’t attend the screening exercise.
Wanga, Murtala Sagaley, Urom Kalu Eke, and Olayinka Aliyu.
In the letter, Tinubu who explained that his request complied with the provision of section 6(1a) of section 10(1)(2) of the CBN Act, 2007, said, “In compliance with the provision of section 6(1a) of the section 10(1)(2) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) establishment act 2007.
“I am pleased to present for confirmation by the senate the appointments of the under-listed five persons as directors of the board of the CBN.”
