Emefiele handed CBN control to Buhari seven years ago, Ezekwesili alleges

Nigeria’s former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has alleged that the Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Godwin Emefiele, handed over the apex bank’s control to President Muhammadu Buhari since the latter assumed office.

She also alleged that the “ill-advised monetary policies” of the bank in the last seven years were “political”.

Ezekwesili’s allegations followed the reports that Emefiele picked the All Progressives Congress N100 million presidential nomination and expression of interest form. He reportedly picked up the form on Friday in Abuja.

The former minister in a series of tweets on Friday said the wrong monetary policies since Buhari assumed office in 2015 were testament that the bank had handed over its independence to the President.

She alleged that the hidden politics behind the wrong monetary policies and alleged control of the CBN by Buhari led to Emefiele’s open partisan politics.

She wrote, “If you did not know all along that Nigeria’s serial wrong and ill-advised Monetary Policies of the last 7 years were political because the @cenbank long handed its independence to the Villa @NGRPresident @MBuhari , at least now you know. They’ve outed themselves. Finally.”

Ezekwesili, however, asked the CBN governor to resign from his position and pursue his “ill-fated political career”.

She tweeted, “The Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria @cenbank must now immediately tender his resignation to stop further destroying whatever little remains of the country’s monetary policy reputation. Mr Emefele should leave immediately- tonight- to pursue his ill-fated political career.”

Aside from Ezekwesili, the Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, also asked Emefiele to resign from his position immediately following his intent to engage in partisan politics and contest the 2023 presidential election.

Akeredolu, in a statement he personally signed on Friday, described the CBN governor’s move as “a joke taken too far”, and asked the President to fire Emefiele if he refused to voluntarily resign.