By Chukwudi Nweje
A civil society group, The National Observatory (NO) has charged President Bola Tinubu to muster the political will to prosecute any person that may be indicted in the probe of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Tinubu, late July, ordered a comprehensive forensic audit of the CBN and appointed Jim Obaze as special investigator to probe the activities of the apex bank.
The CBN has not been audited in the last seven years.
The group in a statement Sunday co-signed by its convener, Debo Adeniran and Administrative Secretary, Omotaje Olawale Saint,
alleged that some politically exposed persons were complicit in the rot that had gone on in the apex bank over the years and charged Tinubu to ensure that all those indicted in the audit are punished.
It also warned that Nigerians would not allow a miscarriage of justice or cover up of anybody indicted in the CBN audit.
The statement said,
“Now that facts are emerging that investigation are still going on Mr. Godwin Emefiele’s infractions as Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Nigerian citizens must be vigilant to swing into affirmative civic action if there is any ploy for miscarriage of justice.
“We are confident that the ongoing audit of the accounts of the CBN which has not been done in the last seven years would expose mind boggling, dirty, shady deals.
“Politically exposed persons are complicit in the crimes. President Bola Tinubu should be audacious enough to garner requisite political sinew to confront this monster. A lot of public funds are in the pockets of these criminals in our corridors of power. They must be fished out, if the nation is to survive.”
The group wondered why the security agencies only charged Emefiele to court over alleged illegal possession of firearms when the accusations levelled against him, which led to his suspension were terrorism funding, mismanagement of Nigeria’s social investment program (NISRAL and the Anchor Borrowers Scheme), money laundering; round tripping; illegal economic crimes and threat to national security; unwholesome activities through proxies; and, criminal conspiracy, diversion of government resources.
It described the period Emefiele was CBN governor as the worst in Nigeria’s history.
The statement further said, “No matter the parameters that is employed to evaluate the years of Godwin Emefiele at the helms of affairs of CBN, the verdict remains that he terribly compromised the nation’s economy and short-changed its revenue base, he remains the worst Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria since inception in 1957.
“The global standard and principle for Central Bank operations spells out its key functions to revolve round ‘regulation of money supply, management of the foreign exchange and gold reserve of the country, managing the cost of credits and its availability, and it exercises these functions quietly without publicity hypes or partisanship.’
“Under Emefiele watch, lives and means of survival of millions of Nigerians were destroyed, his harsh policies – particularly the Naira re – design provoked monumental social convulsions leading destruction of properties, businesses, and legacies. Yet, enforcement agencies saddled with responsibilities for bringing Emefiele to justice are obviously handling his prosecution with golden, kid’s glove”, the statement said.