Emefiele Accuses Obazee Of Falsehood, Threatens Legal Action

Former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, has described the special investigative report submitted to President Bola Tinubu by Jim Obazee as false, misleading and calculated to disparage his person.

Emefiele specifically accused Obazee, whom the president appointed to investigate alleged corruption, abuse of office and other activities of the apex bank on Emefiele’s watch, of producing a report aimed at injuring his character and serving the investigator’s selfish interest.

He, therefore, vowed to commence legal action to clear his name from the defamatory statements contained in the report and several publications made from the report by some mainstream and online news platforms.

The former CBN governor, who made the threat in a press release he issued in Abuja yesterday, also denied that former President Muhammadu Buhari did not approve the Naira redesign policy.

He said, “First, it was reported that contrary to the provision of the CBN Act 2007, there was no presidential approval for the Naira redesign. I wish to state unequivocally that there was indeed presidential approval and the said approval was handed over to the same Jim Obazee during his investigation in the presence of senior CBN officials and his investigative team.

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“Moreover, the former President Muhammadu Buhari has stated on several occasions that he authorised and approved the Naira redesign.

“I am therefore at a loss as to why Mr Jim Obazee will mislead Nigerians that there was no presidential approval,” he stated.

Emefiele also maintained that the claim by the special investigator that the sum of $6.23 million was withdrawn from the CBN vault based on a false presidential directive bearing the signature of the former President Buhari and that of the former secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, is false.

He stated, “About two weeks ago, Jim Obazee, in the company of a particular deputy commissioner of police from Force CID, came to Kuje to ask me questions regarding the said document in the presence of my lawyers. I stated verbally and in writing that I did not know of such a directive from the former president and SGF.

“I told them that, that was the first time I would see the documents. On this, I challenge Jim Obazee to publish the said documents and the statements I made to them,” the former CBN boss demanded.

Emefiele also denied knowledge of the 593 accounts which he allegedly opened in different parts of the world, according to the report.

He said, “I state categorically that I am not involved in the opening of these accounts, and I do not have knowledge of their opening. The fixed deposits in those foreign accounts are definitely outside my knowledge.

“However, let me state clearly that the relevant departments of the CBN have the authority to carry out such activities in line with their lawful mandate within the CBN.

“I therefore join well-meaning Nigerians who have spoken on this matter and have demanded a thorough and transparent investigation of all these alleged frauds.”