Emefiele stopped use of private jet since 2015, says CBN

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has described as false allegations that its Governor, Godwin Emefiele, flew in a private jet to attend his mother’s burial, saying Emefiele put an end to the bank’s use of such services since 2015.

It stated that the Governor’s decision to end such services was in response to the economic downturn and the cost-cutting stance of government.

In a statement signed by the Acting Director of its Corporate Communications Department, Isaac Okorafor, the CBN said since then, neither the Governor nor any of the Deputy Governors has used the services of private chartered flights and payment has not been made for private jet services.

“It is also important to note here that no private jet was used by Mr. Emefiele, his immediate family, or indeed other principal officers of the Bank during the burial of Mr Emefiele’s mother.
“For avoidance of doubt, it should be noted the Mr. Emefiele and his family flew a commercial airline- Arik Air, from Lagos to Benin, for the mother’s burial,” Okorafor said.

He added, “Mr. Emefiele and indeed other principal officers of the CBN have religiously maintained the modest disposition of using regular flights, including doing several trips by road to and from different parts of the country.”

“Besides, all accounts still point to the fact that the mother’s burial was a model in cost-cutting and an uncommon demonstration of his modest ‘made in Nigeria’ philosophy.”

However, Okorafor noted that CBN has, for several years in the past, used private and official chartered flights in making urgent travels to meet needs in remote, not-easily- accessible locations or in cases where timing might be critical to matters of urgent national importance.

He said the practice existed long before the assumption of office of the current Governor, adding, “In fact it is on record that the past two CBN Governors actively used chartered private jet services to meet urgent national assignments.”