Bank workers under the aegis of National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees, NUBIFIE, has asked the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, to focus on Heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, of government parastatals and Bank Managing Directors in its recent assets declaration drive.
Speaking on behalf of workers, the Deputy General Secretary, NUBIFIE, Sola Aboderin, however noted that bank workers were not averse to the idea of extending same to bank workers, as most workers in the banking sector are outsourced staff.
The NUBIFIE official further said the anti-corruption agency knows that the actual workers on the payroll of a bank in any branch were the branch manager and three or four other persons.
“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?,” he said.
He added that: “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. 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.
“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”.
Heritage Times had reported that EFCC Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, had declared on Tuesday that the commission would from June 1, be demanding the asset declaration forms of bankers.
According to Bawa, the decision was in line with the provisions of the Bank Employees Declaration of Asset Act.
