Group insists on Emefiele’s ouster as another backs him

A group, South-South Agenda for Tinubu/Shettima, has defended its call on President Muhammadu Buhari to audit the accounts of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and to sack the Governor of the apex bank, Godwin Emefiele, to checkmate the rising economic woes.

It said the actions would enable the CBN board and the Financial Reporting Council to look into the books of the bank unhindered.

It expressed worries that the monetary policies of the CBN in recent times are bringing the ruling APC to disrepute.        
 
In a statement, the group’s National Coordinator, Mr Bitrus Nta Oliver, reiterated its threat to commence legal action against the President and the Senate to compel the probe of Central Bank, insisting that an independent audit of the bank would expose the damage done allegedly done to the bank by Emefiele to the bank and the Nigerian economy.

MEANWHILE, another group, the Council of Economic Experts and Transparency Initiatives (CEETI) has thrown its weight behind the Federal Government approved policy initiated by the CBN to redesign N1, 000, N500, and N200 notes, describing the calls for the sack of Emefiele as ridiculous and shameful.

According to CEETI, the Alliance Network Against Corruption (ANAC) and other protesting groups against the naira redesign policy have the right to express doubts over the new CBN policy, but they should be ashamed that within the last few weeks since the policy was unveiled, trillions of naira had been unearthed where they were stored by politicians.

The Coordinator of CEETI, Dr. Joseph Akponede, in a statement in Bayelsa, said the group is working to see a Nigeria where citizens will be informed and empowered, governments are open, responsive, and collective actions will advance the public good.

He said: “We are shocked and disgusted that groups such as ANAC and others would be protesting against the CBN policies, including the redesigning of naira notes at a time when politicians have to amass insane wealth and collectively stored trillions of naira in their homes, storage facilities, and in other ridiculous places to perpetuate their inordinate ambition of causing insecurity and manipulating the nation’s political journey for their selfish interest.”

The group called on President Muhammadu Buhari not to heed the calls for the sack of the CBN Governor, describing the attempts to derail the new CBN policy as “corruption fighting back.