Ovation International Magazine CEO and founder, Mr. Dele Momodu, has on Monday, described the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), as the 37th State in Nigeria.
Mr. Momodu wrote this while reacting to a statement by the former Chairman of Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria and APC Chieftain in Lagos, Mr. Muiz Banire SAN, condemning the freezing of bank accounts of End SARS promoters by CBN.
Mr. Banire SAN, who served as Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation under former governor Bola Tinubu, in a Twitter thread, said CBN had no powers to investigate crime, describing its action as ‘abominable and reckless’.
According to the senior lawyer, such powers vested on the apex bank is unconstitutional and questionable.
And reacting, Mr. Momodu lamented how the apex bank has allowed itself to be dragged into the ‘Gutters of Nigerian politics”.
Mr. Momodu’s post read: “The Central Bank of Nigeria has been unfortunately dragged into the gutters of Nigerian politics.
“Seems we now have the 37th Governor managing the 37th State in our long-suffering nation without being elected.”
Recall that CBN recently obtained a court order to freeze 20 accounts linked to promoters of the End SARS movement.
This stirred reactions and generated backlash from well meaning Nigerians.
Their posts:
CBN is not a crime investigation department and constitutionally cannot investigate crime. That being so, it cannot be freezing people's accounts on ground of any suspected crime. The Bank is the examiner of commercial bank accounts and not individual's accounts.
— Muiz Banire (@Mbanire) November 15, 2020
What expertise does the CBN have in investigating terrorism and other crimes? The Bank remains in recent times a meddlesome interloper in affairs that do not concern it. In my strongest view, I believe, all Nigerians must rise up against this power being arrogated to the Bank.
— Muiz Banire (@Mbanire) November 15, 2020
Photo: Theelitesng