South Eastern leaders accuse the Governor of the Central Bank, Cardoso

In a detailed petition obtained by Saharan Porters, signed by respected South -East -di -Sport figures across the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, South Africa, Canada, and beyond, the group they call a blatant, unprecedented sideline in the CBN below cardoso’s watch. Prominent South East leaders in the diaspora have accused the Central Bank of the Governor of Nigeria (CBN), Olayemi Cardoso, of what they describe as a calculated “ethnic cleansing” of igbo professionals from the Apex Financial Institution of Nigeria. In a detailed petition obtained by Saharan Porters, signed by respected South -East -di -Sport figures across the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, South Africa, Canada, and beyond, the group they call a blatant, unprecedented sideline in the CBN below cardoso’s watch. The document refers to a widely discussed report by journalist and broadcaster Rufai Oseni, which exposed a deep -rooted pattern of nepotism and ethnic prejudice in the latest round of directorship appointments. The petition claims that Governor Cardoso has purified the CBN of the Top South -East -Professional Persons relentlessly since accepting office. In May 2024, all South -East directors were rejected, including Chibuzor Ephobi, who headed financial policy and regulation, Dr Scholastica Ozoemena Nnaji of trade and scholarship, Chibuche Nwaegerue of the other financial institution, and Nkiru Assiebu that led the special duties unit. The requesters say their layoffs were carried out without the approval of the board and disciplinary proceedings, and without the affected officials being notified of any offense. In addition to directors, more than 20 deputy directors and 15 assistant directors, many of whom were in foreign trained specialists, were also indicated. Among those deleted was Dr Valentine Ururuka, a macro-prudential expert trained at the University of Lancaster; Dr Odim Orji, a leading monetary policy expert; Angela Ofili, an HR strategist; and Christian Eze, another respected HR professional person. The group insists that these terms were illegal and opened the flood gates to multiple lawsuits that are now embarrassing the institution and threaten to impose heavy obligations on Nigerian taxpayers. The requesters further claim that the recent spate of appointments to fill the vacant directorship posts is in favor of candidates in the South West, many of whom allegedly underperformed or never applied for the posts they eventually received. They cite the case of Rita Ijeoma Sike, a top performer in the interview for Director of Bank supervision. Despite exceeding her counterpart in Southwest, Adetona Sikiru Adedeji, the position was given to Adedeji, while Sike was moved elsewhere. In a similar way, Chikelu Edison Oballum won the interview for the supervision for development financing institutions, but he was abandoned in favor of Monsurat Vincent, who was appointed director of strategy – a role she did not apply or interviewed. Another high-performance candidate, Paul Ihuoma Olikpe, is among the top two in both strategy and corporate communication interviews. Yet he was denied both roles. Instead, the rules were changed in the middle of process and strategy was handed over to Vincent, while corporate communications with investor relationships were merged and handed to another less qualified candidate. Promise Joe-Eboukwe, a promising woman in Southeast who competed for the director of the management of the payment system, was bypassed in favor of Rakiya Opemi Yusuf, who reportedly never even applied for the role. Similarly, ifeoma Geraldine Okwor, who was impressed by her banking department, was eventually ignored while fewer competent candidates from the Southwest were assured. The Southeast leaders describe these actions as “a stem bazaar” where ethnic loyalty has delayed national unity and earnings. They pointed out that Governor Cardoso, in a single flurry of appointments, gave 13 directorships to Yoruba candidates from 29 departments, while leaving the entire southeast with just one. In contrast, previous administrations, including those of former Governor Godwin Emfiele, secured at least four directors from each geopolitical zone. Even during the controversial government of emephiele, regional balance was never violated this reckless. In their statement, the requesters warned that Cardoso’s actions had eradicated public confidence and jeopardized national cohesion. They called on the National Assembly to investigate the appointments immediately and to stop what they describe as ‘institutionalized injustice’. They also demanded that they claim reforms in the management of the CBN, including the separation of the roles of the governor and the chairman of the board to prevent what they consider to be an unmarked abuse of power. The petition concludes with a strong message to the Nigerian government and political elite: “The South East paid its fees to build this country. We will not tolerate systemic exclusion. We mobilize our senators and representatives to act. The document bears the signatures of more than 20 influential South East voices in the diaspora, including Elder Chibuzor Nsofor in Hamburg, Aloysius Egwu in California, Prince Ulu Agucheekwa in London, Amara Duru in Helsinki, and Professor Chike Ubani in Missouri, among others, among others