Naira redesign: Matawalle begs Buhari to reject Emefiele’s request for study leave

The Zamfara State Governor, Bello Matawalle, on Monday, urged President Muhammadu Buhari to stop the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, from leaving the country on a foreign trip.

In a statement issued in Zamfara, the governor commended the president for demonstrating his readiness to leave the office after the completion of his eight years tenure.

He charged Buhari to reject any attempt by any person to destroy his good job as the country’s leader.

Matawalle was reacting to speculations that President Buhari has approved Emefiele’s request to pursue an academic programme abroad.

He insisted that the CBN governor must give an account of his tenure to the incoming administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Emefiele has come under scathing criticisms from Nigerians over the CBN’s poor handling of the redesign of naira which caused hardship in the country.

Matawalle said: “President Buhari and his wife, Aisha Buhari have shown good faith and shown they want a seamless orderly, and peaceful transfer of power to the incoming administration.

“They are eager to ensure that the new administration takes off smoothly and speedily and in a manner devoid of any encumbrance in the interest of our country. This is the right thing to do and I commend President Buhari and his wife for their statesmanly conduct.

“However, other officers in the government have acted in a different manner. They are behaving as if they want to put spanners in the work for the incoming regime. President Buhari should not allow this. He should frown at any attempt by any person seeking to damage the good job he has done.

READ ALSO: Naira Redesign: Protesters storm CBN, demand Emefiele’s sack, arrest

“I want, here and now, to urge President Buhari to not approve any study leave or whatever kind of leave for any officer critical to the take-off of the incoming administration of Asíwájú Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“If the leave has been approved, as reported in the media, the President should cancel it in the interest of peaceful transfer of power, accountability, and good governance.

“CBN Governor Emefiele superintended over the management of the country’s financial and monetary systems. He is the one who initiated and implemented the recent disastrous naira swap policy, the naira confiscation program, which put Nigerians through untold woes and trauma and set our economy backward.

“Two of my brother-governors and I took the Federal Government to court over this ill-advised policy and fought resolutely until we got a respite for our people from Emefiele and company.

“This same Emefiele now wants to proceed on study leave when he has some 10 months left of his tenure apparently in a bid to evade rendering accounts. This is unacceptable.

“President Buhari should not countenance this. Emefiele must stay at his job to give full accounts of all that transpired under his watch to the incoming administration. He must answer all the questions the new regime may have for him particularly when he still has some months left of his tenure.”

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now