A former President of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, Okechukwu Unegbu, has raised concern over what he described as the declining level of professionalism in the country’s banking sector, warning that many banks have stopped properly training their employees.
Unegbu, a former banker, made the remarks while speaking with journalists on Sunday in Abuja, noting that the growing focus on profit by financial institutions appears to be overshadowing the need to build skilled and professional personnel.
He cautioned that neglecting structured professional training could pose serious risks to both the banking profession and the long-term sustainability of the industry.
The banking expert emphasised that staff development programmes, particularly those organised in collaboration with the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, are essential to instilling integrity, discipline and adequate knowledge among industry workers.
Unegbu also linked the shortage of trained professionals in the sector to the rising cases of corruption and fraud reported in some financial institutions.
According to him, the lack of proper professional orientation among bank staff has also contributed to poor treatment of customers, leading to dissatisfaction among clients.
Sharing his observations from interactions with bank employees, he stressed the urgent need for financial institutions to strengthen their staff training frameworks to ensure the growth and credibility of the sector.
”What I have discovered is that banks are no longer training their staff to be professionals, and this is very dangerous.
”Banks just employ people, pay them as if they are daily-paid workers, and those people have no interest in developing professional careers in the sector.
”So, the banks have lost the professional touch among their staff; they need to implement significant changes in that direction.
”What they are thinking about now is making profit, but there is a profit-growth procedure that comes from professionalism, where you have core staff with integrity, professional training, and adequate enforcement of banking rules.
”That is why, most of the time in some banks, there is a high rate of corruption and fraud, because staff who are not professionals are not thinking of growing within the institution.
”What most of their staff think about is making quick money and leaving as fast as possible, and even if they are caught, it doesn’t matter.
”So, the best thing for banks is to change that mindset and let staff serve customers properly to ensure the growth and stability of the bank,” he said.
