By Adedapo Adesanya
Discharged bankers under the aegis of the Association of Ex-Staff of Non-Consolidated Banks of Nigeria have given the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) an ultimatum to pay their N5.7 billion benefits.
In an interview with Channels Television, the Chairman of the association, Mr Magnus Maduka, issued a month ultimatum on behalf of the members on Friday.
“The judge said he gave them (CBN and NDIC) three months to pay up, failing which the delay will begin to attract 10 per cent interest on the sum,” he said.
Business Post had reported that a National Industrial Court in Lagos had on May 23 ordered the federal government agencies to pay over N5.7 billion terminal benefits to 1,116 bank workers affected by the re-capitalisation exercise of 2006.
The money, according to Justice Paul Bassi, is to be paid within three months from the date of judgment failing which would attract 10 per cent interest until liquidated.
About two weeks after the court judgement, the former bankers issued a month’s ultimatum for the CBN and the NDIC for payment of the said benefits to them.
“We gave them one month anyway because we can’t be on this forever.
“If central bank and the NDIC want to save themselves unnecessary problems, they should just grant every staff of those banks, including those that joined last week before the shutdown of the banks their terminal benefits,” Mr Maduka insisted.
Mr Maduka said both agencies were yet to contact the former bankers on the implementation of the court judgement.
He, however, stated that the CBN and the NDIC were aware of the order as they had their lawyers in court on the day the verdict was passed.
According to him, the N5.7 billion benefits would cover the 1,116 former bank workers, as well as those sending in their letters of credit.
Modupe Gbadeyanka 
Aduragbemi Omiyale