As the introduction of the redesigned Naira notes continues to cause crisis across the country due to scarcity, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), on Sunday, said it uncovered N6million of the new Naira notes hoarded in Sterling Bank branch along Bank Road, Ado-Ekiti.
This is coming two days after the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) monitoring team arrested the Operation Manager of a branch of First City Monument Bank (FCMB) in Osogbo and a Branch Service Head of Stanbic IBTC Bank in Abuja for a similar offence.
The CBN’s Deputy Director, Oluwole Owoeye uncovered the hoarded newly redesigned currencies while leading a team of officials on monitoring exercise in Ekiti State. The Sterling Bank officials were said to have refused to load the money in the bank’s five Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) two weeks after it was collected from the CBN.
A visibly angry Owoeye lamented that Sterling Bank and other Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) are sabotaging the CBN’s efforts in making the new notes available for Nigerians, asserting there was no excuse for hoarding the money.
He said: “I’m currently at Sterling Bank as part of this monitoring compliance with the guidelines by the CBN. They have six million, which they have collected from the bank for almost two weeks. They have not dispensed any. They said they are yet to configure their ATM. I don’t know why. I have brought their attention to the penalty clause of one million per day. They have five ATMs. They don’t have any reason for keeping this money.”
“The zonal service manager, Mr Tunde Onipede promised that by 10:00a.m. latest tomorrow (Monday), because I told him by latest 10:00 am I’ll be here, and I want to see the machine dispensing this money.
“What is the name again?
Olumide Owolabi (Service Manager, Ado) & Motunrayo Babayele. My name is Oluwole Owoeye and I am a Deputy Director of CBN”.
