Sunday Aborisade in Abuja
The South-east nominee for membership of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) board of directors, Urum Kalu Eke, has turned down his appointment.
This came to the fore yesterday during confirmation of appointments of four other nominees by the Senate.
The Chairman of Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions, Senator Adetokunbo Abiru (APC Lagos East),made this known in the report of his committee which screened the nominees.
Abiru had while presenting his report for the confirmation of the nominees by the Senate after screening exercise carried out on them, informed his colleagues that Eke didn’t attend the session.
He specifically informed the Senate that four other nominees, Mr Robert Agbede , Mr Ado Yakubu Wanka , Prof. 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 appointments of the four nominees who attended the screening session and decline that of Kalu Eke who didn’t attend the screening exercise.
But for purpose of clarity , a member of the Committee, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (APC Abia North), quickly rose to inform the Senate that Eke being one of his constituents , called him that he was declining the appointment to avoid conflict of interest .
According to Kalu , Eke is a consultant to the World Bank and other international financial institutions which would make him not have the required time to function well, as one of the directors of the CBN .
“Mr President , I’m a member of the committee that carried out screening on nominees forwarded to the Senate for appointment as members of Board of Directors of CBN by President Bola Tinubu .
” During the screening exercise , Urum Kalu Eke from Abia North , called me for not attending the session. He said as a consultant to the World Bank and other international financial institutions , he wouldn’t take the appointment to avoid conflict of interest,” Kalu said.
Earlier in his presentation of report for confirmation of appointments of other nominees, Abiru said all the nominees demonstrated comprehensive grasp of economic knowledge and policies and that there was no petition against anyone of them.
The Senate accordingly confirmed their appointments when put to voice vote by the Deputy President of the Senate , Senator Jibrin Barau , who presided over the session .
