Groups fault moves to undermine Emefiele’s second term as CBN governor

The Coalition of Civil Society Groups (CSG) yesterday condemned subterranean efforts to abort the second tenure of Dr. Godwin Emefiele as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor (CBN).

The group described the purported leakage of an audio of Emefiele discussing an alleged missing N500 billion as the handiwork of mischief-makers bent on dragging the nation backward.

The National President and Secretary-General of the group, Etuk Bassey William and Ibrahim Abubakar, at a press conference jointly addressed in Abuja, warned Nigerians of the negative effect such frivolous accusations could cause the nation’s economy, saying there should be limits to vendettas as the audio was done in bad faith.

The coalition, which wondered the logic and undercurrents behind the release of the audio tape, especially after Emefiele’s appointment by Buhari for a fresh term in office, stressed that Nigerians must learn to appreciate good efforts of individuals like the CBN governor.

Also, another group, Concern Agbor Citizens (CAC), has described the protest by Mr. George Uboh to the National Assembly and security agencies to truncate the confirmation of his kinsman, Emefiele, as CBN governor, as a demand of an unstable mind.

The group, led by its Chairman, Mr. Echi Obue, at a media briefing late Monday night in Asaba, said: “We remain grateful to President Muhammadu Buhari who had confirmed that the appointment of Mr. Godwin Ifeanyichukwu Emefiele in the first instance was not done in error.”

He stressed that the voyage by Uboh “to momentarily truncate the confirmation of Emefiele would ordinarily receive dignified silence, but to stop him from another opportunity of engaging on such blackmail and propagation of deliberate falsehood, it is necessary to let the public know his true identity.”

Meanwhile, a human right lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, has urged Buhari-led administration not to allow the CBN to cover up the alleged missing N500 billion.

In a statement yesterday, Falana said that the statement by the CBN management denying the alleged fraud should be treated with disdain.

The activist noted that the statement was a dubious attempt to play on the collective intelligence of the Nigerian people, adding that the CBN has a penchant for covering up alleged criminal diversion of huge public funds.