By Ken Afor
Revealing reasons have been advanced as to why Abia State nominee to the Board of the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) as a Director, Mr Urum Kalu Eke turned down his nomination by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The reasons border on factors such as Eke’s present preoccupation as a flourishing consultant across global jurisdictions to issues of likely conflict of interests should he accept the offer.
The New Diplomat reports that the Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance, and Other Financial Institutions announced on Thursday that it would not recommend Mr. Urum Kalu Eke for confirmation as one of the five members of the Board of Directors of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The Chairman of the committee, Senator Adetokumbo Ashiru (Lagos-East), disclosed this while presenting the confirmed nominees’ names, stating that Mr. Eke did not appear before the committee, hence his recommendation would not be made.
“The nominee did not appear before the committee for screening. Therefore, the committee can’t recommend him for confirmation”, Abiru told the Senate presided over by the Deputy President, Senator Barau Jibrin, on Thursday.
In response to Mr. Eke’s unavailability at the screening, Senator Orji Kalu, a former governor of Abia and a member of the committee, explained that Eke was already engaged in another assignment which presently takes his time.
He added that accepting the offer as a board member of the CBN would conflict with his current job as a consultant to some public and private bodies within and outside the country.
According to the Senate, those confirmed were Mr. Robert Agbide, Mr. Ado Yakubu Wanka, Prof. Murtala Sabo Sagagi, and Mrs. Muslimat Olanike Aliyu.
Kalu Eke, 60, served as the Group Managing Director of FBN Holdings until December 2021. Prior to this role, he was an executive director at First Bank. Additionally, he has worked at Diamond Bank Plc and Deloitte Haskins & Sells International.
