Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Godwin Emefiele, may be the next top profile government official to lose his job, Ripples can authoritatively confirm.
Top presidential aides confided on Monday that the dragnet is drawing closer to Emefiele, who was appointed as head of the nation’s apex bank by former President Goodluck Jonathan on June 3, 2014.
Emefiele replaced Mallam Lamido Sanusi, the Emir of Kano, who was controversially suspended and fired by Jonathan for alleged insubordination.
But the CBN chief has been in the eye of the storm lately following revelations that the nation’s treasury was practically emptied to fund the failed re-election bid of Jonathan in 2015.
Emefiele, investigators alleged, granted government officials unfettered access to the treasury during the electioneering period and even printed new currencies when the vault was drained.
Many people expected President Muhammadu Buhari to have fired the bank’s chief following his alleged involvement in the infamous Dansukigate scandal, but a top presidential aide said Buhari decided otherwise, to strike at the best time.
“What people don’t know is that the President has made up his mind Emefiele must go. But he only wants to do it at the best time.
“He believes he should get as much information as possible from the CBN chief before dispensing with him. If he just sacks him, it will not benefit the nation.”
Another source said the presidential briefing has unveiled many shocking revelations that beat the imagination of Buhari.
“Without going into details, Emefiele has told the President how the treasury was looted. He mentioned names, figures and details.
“Of course, he exonerated himself, saying he was just acting on instructions. But he is a goner as far as the President is concerned.”
Matters have not been helped by the down plunge of the nation’s currency, the naira, which continues to drop exchanging for N345 to the dollar at the parallel market as at Monday, with the apex bank seemingly helpless with the country’s foreign reserve having been plundered.
Though Emefiele’s appointment is for a five-year renewable tenure that ends in 2019, it was learnt that Buhari is determined to have a complete economic team to fix the nation’s dwindling economic fortunes.
Source: Ripples Nigeria
But the presided has all along been praising mr Emefiele for the great monetary policies the governor was fabricating. Recently in Kenya and in London president Buhari chorused Emefiele who said bureau de change operation was the problem of the Naira. The governor successfully fooled the president to ban the sale of forex to those retail dealers who employed over 10,000 young graduates. The Dollar was N230 in mid-Jan. The effect of the banning of BDCs is what we are now witnessing. Today, the Naira closed at 355 to the dollar if you can get it. It may fall to N400 before the end of March. Rather than advise the president, the governor has supported the layman’ s stand on devaluation.
In all these, the president has on every public appearance, been singing the praise of Mr Emefiele. It was long overdue, but it will now take much boldface and courage to dismiss Emefiele.