Group Condemns Arewa Lawyers’ Call For Emefiele’s Removal, Alleges Hidden Agenda

BEVERLY HILLS, December 01, (THEWILL) – The Committee for the Defence of National Interests (CODNI) has strongly condemned the recent call by the Arewa Young Lawyers Forum (AYLF) on President Muhammadu Buhari to within 14 days disengage the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, over his purported “lackadaisical style of management”.

CODNI in a statement issued in Lagos and signed by the National Coordinator, Mr. Zach Ezoh, dismissed AYLF's call as pedestrian, mischievous, provocative and without any justification whatsoever.

CODNI pointed out that, contrary to the claim of poor performance made against Emefiele by AYLF, the CBN Governor is generally highly rated and regarded for the way he has expertly managed the country's monetary policy and has consistently received praise from informed financial analysts and top government officials.

The group cited Ebonyi State Governor, Engr. Dave Umahi, who on Friday, November 25, 2016, publicly commended Emefiele during an inspection tour by the Presidential Task Force on Rice and Wheat Production to several farms in Ebonyi State. CODNI recalled that Governor Umahi praised the CBN Governor for expertly managing the economy of the nation in the face of global dwindling of resources occasioned by plummeting oil prices. It quoted Umahi as saying the obvious truth when he stated: “Recession is not peculiar to Nigeria and you (Emefiele) have done well to manage the state of the nation's economy.”

The group also quoted Umahi as saying that State Governors are aware that “without the assistance of Mr. President and the goodwill of the CBN Governor to drive the economy, states government would have been in crisis,” adding: “You (Emefiele) have honestly shown your commitment and selfless services to our nation.”

CODNI echoed Umahi's words that it is people that want to pull Nigeria down that are criticising Emefiele and the CBN. It noted that aside managing Nigeria's economic policy, Emefiele has used his position as CBN Governor to aggressively promote local production, thus giving the country's economy the kiss of life.

“Even the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbe, recently described Mr. Emefiele as revolutionary in his economic management strategy, noting that the CBN Governor has etched his name in the annals of Nigeria's economic management history as revolutionary with the rice revolution he started across the country. The minister, while passing this vote of confidence on Emefiele, on Friday, November 25, 2016, in company of Ebonyi and Kebbi states Governors, Engr. Dave Umahi and Alhaji Abubakar Baguda, during an inspection tour by the Presidential Task Force on Rice and Wheat Production to several farms in Ebonyi State, noted that the CBN Anchor Borrowers' Programme (ABP) on rice and wheat remains the greatest achievement of Mr. Godwin Emefiele in the last 50 years of the CBN,” CODNI said.

The group berated AYLF for threatening unpleasant actions if President Buhari does not accede to its demand to sack the CBN Governor within 14 days. “This hideous ultimatum is unwarranted and smacks of a hidden agenda. We appeal to President Buhari, who knows better, to ignore these enemies of Nigeria who out of mischief and selfish reasons are bent on sabotaging the efforts of the present administration to navigate the country out of the woods with the active support of the CBN under the watch of Mr. Emefiele,” the statement added.

The naira has been under pressure against other major currencies because of the low price of crude oil, Nigeria's main foreign exchange earner, which accounts for almost 80 percent of Nigeria's annual budget.

CODNI urges the CBN to remain defiant and continue to pursue its policies that have put the nation on the path of becoming an exporter of rice, wheat and millet in 2017. We strongly want to see Nigeria become a net exporter of several other foods, petroleum products as well as general services within the next few years through the current initiatives of this administration.