Asset declaration: Focus on bank MDs, others, workers reply EFCC

Okechukwu Nnodim

Deposit Money Bank workers on Wednesday said the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission should focus its asset declaration drive on the managing directors of banks and other agencies of government.
EFCC Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, had declared on Tuesday that the commission would from June 1 be demanding the asset declaration forms of bankers.
Bawa said the decision was in line with the provisions of the Bank Employees Declaration of Asset Act.
Reacting to the pronouncement of the anti-corruption agency in an interview with our correspondent, bankers under the aegis of National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees said the EFCC should review its stance.
Speaking on behalf of workers, the Deputy General Secretary, NUBIFIE, Sola Aboderin, said, “We are not against any policy of the government to checkmate fraudulent activities either in the financial institutions or the country as a whole.

“But what we are concerned about is why single out banks? What about the Nigerian Port Authority, NNPC (Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation) and other organisations?
“Why are they particular about banks? We are not saying they should not check the illegality in the transfer of funds but why focus on banks?”
Aboderin said, “Another thing is that they said bank workers. Now, who are the bank workers? They should go to CBN (Central Bank of Nigeria) and ask who are the bank workers. For the CBN has said that about 90 per cent of those working in banks are not bank workers.
“So if you are saying tellers, marketers and others are not bank workers, then fine. In that case, they (EFCC) should focus on the MDs (managing directors) of banks.”
He added, “I’m telling you that if you enter into the branch of any bank today, hardly will you find more than three or four people working as real staff of the bank. The rest are outsourced staff.

“From the gate to the teller, note cashier, marketer, etc, they are all outsourced staff. So who do they want to investigate? If they really want to investigate, then they should go and investigate the MDs of banks.”
The NUBIFIE official said the anti-corruption agency argued that the actual workers on the payroll of a bank in any branch were the branch manager and three or four persons.