CBN Orders Staff to Declare Links with Politically Exposed Persons

Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has directed its staff members to declare their ‘close relatives’ in the employment of the bank.

Premium Times reported that it sighted a memo  by signed by Christian Eze, deputy director of Human Resources Department, CBN,  which directed CBN staffers to declare their relationships with Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) in the country.

“Please recall Management’s restriction on the employment of close relatives of serving staff and board members,” the memo reads.

“Consequently, all staff are obliged to make declarations of close relatives in the employment of the Bank.”

The apex bank explained that a close relative is defined as a spouse, biological and adopted children, brother, sister, mother, father and half-siblings.

“Spouse and spousal relationships include cohabitation, live-in partners, couples living together and couples who have children together,” it added.

The bank thereafter directed all staff whose close relatives have been in the employment of the bank (serving or retired) to complete a form.

In addition, the bank said staff who joined the services of the Bank from 2014 to date and have relationships with Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) are also required to disclose such by completing the form.

“For clarity, a PEP is an individual who is or has been entrusted with prominent public functions in Nigeria or Foreign countries or by an International Organization and people/entities associated with them.

“PEPs include Heads of State or Government, Political appointees to Heads of State or Government, State Governors, Senior Politicians, Legislators (Federal, State and Local Government), Local Government Chairmen, Important political party officials, Family members or close associates of PEPs, Senior Government, Judicial or Military Officials, Members of Royal Families, Senior Executives of State-owned Corporations.”

The bank said all submissions should be made on or before 12 noon, Friday, 10 November, 2023.

It warned that non-disclosure or false declaration shall attract sanctions.

The CBN had come under fire during President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime for secretly recruiting dozens of family members of top government officials, including children of ministers, serving and former government functionaries and a nephew of Mr Buhari.

The recruitment was done without advertising the vacancies to allow other Nigerians to apply, as required by law. It was also done in flagrant disregard of Nigeria’s federal character law.

The beneficiaries of that 2016 controversial recruitment, according to a list released by SaharaReporters at the time, include a nephew of President Buhari, daughter of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, son of the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources Ibe Kachikwu, and daughter of former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Na’aba.

Others include the daughter of the then Police Inspector-General, Solomon Arase, son of the Minister of Internal Affairs, Abdulrahman Danbazzau, among others.