Over 5000 protesters occupy National Assembly over missing N89trillion stamp duty money

Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) numbering over 5000 Friday in Abuja occupied the premises of the National Assembly to protest the alleged missing N89 trillion stamp duty allegation against the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele.

According to the protesters, the demonstration currently ongoing at the assembly complex was to pass a vote of confidence on the CBN Governor.

Speaking on behalf of the protesters, Dr Bassey Etuk Wiliams said: “Our attention has been drawn to the funny allegation flying around about stamp duty mismanaged money allegedly to a tune of N89 trillion according to a dissolved presidential committee that has Hon. Kazaure as Secretary.

“We are amazed that despite the dissolution of the said committee, he is still pressing for submission of the report of what has been directed to be dissolved and going about slandering the name of the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele.

“Our findings as a group since this matter has come to public domain revealed to us that even the total banking deposit in the country is not up to N50 trillion not to talk of the said amount, so one wonders where the said sum emanated from and how they arrived at such amount, yet the country is still broke.

“We also wonder why a member of the parliament will be made secretary of an alleged secret presidential committee when the report will still need to be submitted to the parliament for adoption, if at all such committee ever exist. The rule of separation of power is still in force and our democracy should not be turned to autocratic rule.

“Our findings further revealed that a committee was officially set up by Presidency in 2021 to review the stamp duty money based on allegations on its remittance, this committee was headed by the attorney general and minister of justice while the chairman of Federal Inland Revenue (FIRS) is the secretary of the committee with directives to reconcile the collected stamp duty money and revert back. The committee is still working, one wonders when this Hon Kazaure committee was set up.

“The presidency has disowned the said committee, one still wonders what lies the interest of the said group of people, whose aim and target is to bring to disrepute the exalted office of the CBN Governor. This we will not sit down and allow based on the noticeable reforms been done by the Governor for the country as a whole at the expense of the very few mismanaging our common wealth before now.

“We have discovered that since the implementation of cashless policy and change of naira notes, a policy that doesn’t go well with some political classes they have ever since been looking for means of bringing to disrepute the hard-working and dedicated Governor of CBN, Godwin Emefiele. This is the period the National Assembly has most invited him on this same issue with several attacks from other quarters.

“The Coalition of Civil Society Groups, hereby use this medium to call to caution these distractors and their sponsors and reiterate our unalloyed support for the CBN Governor based on his transformative policies.

“We entirely pass a vote of confidence on him and he should be allowed to concentrate on the task ahead. No level of pressure or blackmail should the CBN Governor be cowed to review the cashless policy. It has come to stay, the earlier the better we all get used to it.”