FMBN, ITRealms gathered
had refused to comply with the directive of Mr. Babatunde Fashola, Minister of
Power, Works and Housing, ordering the immediate reinstatement of two officers
who were unjustly punished for blowing the whistle on corruption at the bank.
ITRealms also
gathered that Mr. Murtala Ibrahim, Head of Special Investigation/ICT in the
Audit Department was sacked on May 8, 2017, while his boss, Mr. Taslim Anibaba,
Head of Internal Audit department, was placed on indefinite suspension on
August 25, 2017.
Reacting to the situation, the Coordinator of AFRICMIL,
Chido Onumah, told ITRealms these
gentlemen committed no crime other than refusing to be coerced to cover up a
doctored 2016 half-year financial report and other mind-boggling acts of
corruption in the bank, including the N2.2billion contract for the renovation
of Mamman Kontagora building.
“The bank used the manipulated 2016 financial report to
fraudulently earn the commendation of Mr. Fashola, the supervising minister of
the institution who was misled into believing that the bank recorded profits in
the stated period when in fact it recorded a loss,” he said.
Accordingly, Fashola had ordered an investigation of the
case and issued an order of immediate reinstatement of Messers Murtala Ibrahim
and Taslim Anibaba but the management of FMBN has brazenly flouted the
minister’s directives, refusing to reinstate the sacked and suspended staff
while offering no explanation.
“It is unfortunate that the bank has refused to obey the
minister’s directive. We view this as an act of gross insubordination and grave
insult to the person and office of the Honourable Minister of Power, Works and
Housing,” Onumah noted.
He said the bank’s attitude constitutes serious threat not
only to the successful implementation of the whistleblower policy, but also
endangers the anti-corruption campaign of the current administration.
Onumah reiterated the need to ensure the safety and
protection of whistleblowers, adding that if people do not get protection they
are not likely to report wrongdoings. This, he said, would render the
whistleblower policy ineffective.
Ayo Midele/GEE
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