Sunday Aborisade in Abuja
The South-east nominee for membership of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s Board of Directors, Urum Kalu Eke, has rejected his appointment while the Senate confirmed appointments of four others.
The rejection of appointment of membership of CBN Board of Directors by Eke from Abia State, came to the fore on Thursday during the confirmation of appointments of four other nominees by the Senate.
The Chairman, 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 the screening 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 the appointments of the four nominees who attended the screening session and decline that of 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 to have the required time to function well, as one of the Directors of CBN.
“Mr President, I’m a member of the committee that carried out the 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 interes,” Kalu said.
Earlier in his presentation of report for confirmation of appointments of other nominees, Abiru said all of them 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.
