- Safiu Kehinde
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) have been sued to court by its former staff who were dismissed in a series of mass termination of appointments last year.
The aggrieved staff, who were represented by Stephen Gana and 32 others in a class-action lawsuit at the National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN), Abuja, alleged that the apex bank violated internal policies, Nigerian labour laws, and their contractual rights.
According to reports, the court documents claimed that their termination exercise, issued through letters titled “Reorganisational and Human Capital Restructuring”, dated 5 April 2024, contravened Section 36 of the Nigerian Constitution and the CBN Human Resources Policies and Procedures Manual (HRPPM).
The claimants argued that the process lacked the required consultation and fair hearing mandated by law.
The originating summons, filed pursuant to the NICN Civil Procedure Rules 2017 on 4 July 2024, outlines several questions for the court’s determination, chief among which is whether the claimants were denied their constitutional right to a fair hearing before and after the termination of their appointments.
They further labelled their termination letters, issued on the grounds of “restructuring,” as arbitrary, unlawful, and unconstitutional.
The dismissed employees seek judicial declarations that their terminations are null, void, and of no effect, insisting that they remain employees of the apex bank.
They also demanded their immediate reinstatement, payment of salaries and benefits from the date of termination, and a restraining order against any further attempts by the CBN to dismiss them outside due process.