South-East nominee, Urum Kalu Eke, declines CBN Board appointment

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A South East zone nominee, Urum Kalu Eke, for the Central Bank of Nigeria Board of Directors, has declined the offer.

The Senate was informed of Eke’s rejection of the appointment at plenary when the other nominees were being confirmed on Thursday.

President Bola Tinubu had on February 13, 2024, sent Eke’s name with the other four nominees for confirmation as members of the CBN board.

However, at Senate plenary on Thursday, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions, Senator Adetokunbo Abiru (APC, Lagos East), while presenting his Committee’s report on the screening of the CBN Board of Director-nominees, said Eke did not show up for screening.

Former Governor of Abia State, Senator Orji Kalu (APC, Abia North) told the Senate during Thursday’s plenary that Eke who is his constituent, had called him on the phone to decline the offer.

According to him. “The candidate told me this role would conflict with his work as a consultant to the World Bank, Federal Government agencies and other private companies.”

The Senate, however, confirmed the appointment of four other members of the Board of Directors of the CBN sent to it by the President.

Those confirmed are: Robert Agbede; Ado Yakubu Wanka; Professor Murtala Sabo Sagagi and Mrs. Muslimat Olanike Aliyu.

The confirmation followed the consideration of a report on the screening of the candidates presented by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance & Other Financial Institutions, Senator Adetokunbo Abiru (APC, Lagos East).

Abiru said, “That the Senate do receive and consider the report of on the confirmation of the nomination of the following Five (5) people as members of the Board of Directors of the Central Bank of Nigeria in accordance with 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 since he failed to appear before the Committee for screening.