Author

Leading Reporters

2023: Pastor Adeboye speaks on the General elections, preferred candidate

by Leading Reporters April 3, 2022

written by Leading Reporters

“Hear it with anointed ears, I am not and I will never be a politician. I am called to be a pastor,” Pastor Adeboye says.

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Enoch Adeboye, has said he has no preferred candidate for next year’s general election.

“Every political party is heavily represented. If I vote for anyone, I would be unjust to the rest of my children; I am the father of all and I like it that way,” he said. He added that he will support whoever God says.

“…my assignment has nothing to do with partisan politics, do not distract my attention. You will bear me out… I have never told you, this is the fellow you should vote for… I have never said this is the party you should belong to; I have never said it and will never say it,” he said at the April 2022 Thanksgiving Service held on Sunday.

Mr Adeboye also said Nigerians who refuse to vote in an election have no right to complain about the government.

“You were Nigerian before you became a Christian. As a Nigerian, you have a duty to register, to vote and make sure your vote will count. You have a duty to belong to any party of your choice; you can’t refuse to vote and then complain about the government,” the cleric said.

He said he has no care for the political party people belong to or vote for as long as they do their duty – vote in the upcoming 2023 elections.

During his sermon, he said God has yet to speak to him about the 2023 elections unlike in 2019 when God spoke to him a year before the elections.

“As of now, I still do not know whether or not there will be an election next year. Do not say that Pastor Adeboye said there will be no election next year, that is not what I said… Adeboye does not know yet,” he told his congregation.

For this reason, the cleric said, he does not know if there would be elections in 2023. He added that God might still speak to him about the elections.

“How come you don’t know? Because my father has not talked to me about it yet. The last time we had an election, He (God) spoke to me about the election by June of the previous year and this is April. So, it is not late but He hasn’t told me yet,” he added.

“I want you to listen with anointed ears and anointed hearts. Pastor Adeboye is not and will never be a politician. I have never been and will never be; that is not my calling, I am called to be a pastor,” he said.

Mr Adeboye’s statement on his political involvement comes at a time when there are speculations about the intentions of the church’s department on politics and governance.

RCCG in March announced that it has set up a department on politics and governance to help muster support for members with political ambitions.

While some find the church’s active participation in government commendable, many have condemned the action, alleging that it is a front to campaign for Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. Many Nigerians believe Mr Osinbajo seeks to contest the 2023 presidential election although he has yet to declare his interest. Mr Osinbajo is a cleric of the RCCG.

On Sunday, Mr Adeboye noted that he is very concerned about the Kaduna killings, oil theft, Nigeria’s depressing debt profile and other current national challenges.

However, “anybody who comes to me from whatever party to pray for them, I will pray. I have only one prayer for every one of them, “Father, let your perfect will concerning this fellow be done”

Speaking on his concerns about Kaduna, he said, “you cannot go to Kaduna by road, air or train. That brings so many questions to my mind as a man of prayers. Why Kaduna? Who is trying to isolate Kaduna? Why? After Kaduna, which next?” he asked.

He noted that while some Christians are killing themselves over 2023, rapture (a theological position held by some Christians consisting of an end-time event when all Christian believers who are alive, along with resurrected believers, would rise in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air) may come before the end of the year 2022.

“It is in the news and nobody has denied it that as of now more than 80 per cent of the oil we are producing is being stolen… that leads me to several questions,” Mr Adeboye said.

He went on to ask accountability questions on the whereabouts of the stolen oil.

“Who is stealing the oil? Where is the money going? What do they want to do with the money? Who are the foreign nations buying this stolen oil? How many of these nations of the world are your friends?”

According to him, it is an open secret that more than 90 per cent of the money Nigeria gets from crude oil sales is being used to furnish interest accruing on debt.

“We are borrowing more and according to a friend of mine, we are moving steadily towards a state of bankruptcy, a whole nation…”

He asked his congregation to pray to God that Nigeria’s debts be cleared just like in the time of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. If not, generations to come will continue to pay these debts, he said.

April 3, 2022 0 comments

Headlines

Why Section 84(12) of Electoral Act 2022 scares Nigeria politicians

by Leading Reporters April 1, 2022

written by Leading Reporters

On March 18, 2022, a Federal High Court sitting in Umuahia Abia State, declared Section 84(12) of the newly amended Electoral Act, 2022 as illegal and a violation of the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).

The judge, Justice Evelyn Anyadike in her ruling, held that Sections 66(1)(f); 107(1)(f); 137(1)(g); and 182(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution already stated that appointees of government seeking to contest elections were only to resign at least 30 days to the date of the election and that any other law that mandated such appointees to resign or leave office at any time before that, was unconstitutional, invalid, illegal, null and void to the extent of its inconsistency to the clear provisions of the Constitution.

In view of this, she directed that Section 84(12) of the Electoral Act, 2022 be struck down as it cannot stand when it is in violation of the clear provisions of the Constitution.

Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari signed into law the Electoral Act on February 25, 2022. But on March 1, Mr. Buhari wrote a letter to both chambers of the National Assembly requesting them to delete Section 84(12) of the Electoral Act.

Prior to his letter to the National Assembly, Mr Buhari had expressed his dissatisfaction with that particular section of the Electoral Act. He stated this emphatically on the day he signed the Bill into law, noting that the Section constitutes a fundamental defect, as it is in conflict with extant constitutional provisions.

What Exactly is in Section 84(12) of the Electoral Act?

This particular Section of the Electoral Act states that “No political appointees at any level shall be a voting delegate or be voted for at the Convention or Congress of any political party for the purpose of the nomination of candidates for any election”.

What this means in simple terms is that a political appointee (like ministers, commissioners, special advisers, personal assistants, etc), be it at the federal or state level is not allowed to be a voting delegate or be voted for in a political party primary. And since such an individual was not allowed by the provision of Section 84(12) of the Electoral Act to be a delegate or be voted for in the political party’s primaries, thus, he/she cannot be a candidate for an election.

The only way such an individual would be a candidate is if he/she resigns before the party’s primaries, and political parties are mandated by Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act to conduct their primaries and submit the list of candidates at least 180 days (i.e 6 months) before the date appointed for a general election.

In a situation where a political party fails to comply with Section 84(12) of the Electoral Act, subsection 13 of the same Section states that the political party’s candidate shall not be included in the election for the particular position the candidate has filled in for.

Perhaps because there are reports of some political appointees in this current administration intending to vie for some political positions in the upcoming general elections, or that political appointees have historically contested elections while holding their positions or intend to continue to do so, there have been several debates or push for Section 84(12) of the Electoral Act to be deleted, relying on the provisions of the 1999 Constitution which Justice Anyadike, the Judge of the Federal High Court in Umuahia, Abia State also relied upon in her ruling.

What the Provisions of the Constitution say About Appointees of Government Seeking to Contest Elections

While delivering her judgment, Justice Anyadike cited 4 Sections in the 1999 Constitution. Here’s what each Section says.

According to Section 66(1)f of the Constitution, (1) no person shall be qualified for election to the Senate or the House of Representatives (f) if he is a person employed in the public service of the Federation or of any State and has not resigned, withdrawn or retired from such employment 30 days before the date of the election.

Section 107(1)f states that (1) “No person shall be qualified for election to a House of Assembly (f) if he is a person employed in the public service of the Federation or of any State and he has not resigned, withdrawn or retired from such employment thirty days before the date of election”.

Sections 137(1)g and Section 182(1)g make reference to individuals who want to contest for election to the office of President and Governor, respectively.

Section 137(1)g says that such a person (i.e the individual contesting for the office of the President) is not qualified if he/she is a person employed in the civil or public service of the Federation or of any State, and he/she has not resigned, withdrawn or retired from the employment at least thirty days before the date of the election.

Section 182(1)g is for individuals who want to run for the office of the Governor of any state. It states that “No person shall be qualified for election to the office of Governor of a State if – being a person employed in the public service of the Federation or of any State, he has not resigned, withdrawn or retired from the employment at least thirty days to the date of the election”.

It was based on these provisions of the 1999 Constitution that the Judge of the Federal High Court sitting in Umuahia directed that Section 84(12) of the Electoral Act, 2022 be struck down. The judgment has however been met with mixed reactions and has generated debates among legal practitioners.

On the Umuahia High Court Judgment

Ariyo-Dare Atoye, the Executive Director of Adopt a Goal Initiative (AGI) and one of the frontliners in the push for the Electoral Act to be signed into law told us that the National Assembly acted rightly on Section 84(12). “Political appointees give the Executive arm an undue advantage during party conventions and congresses for elective office. Political appointees seeking elective office deny other aspirants a level playing field if they remain in the office during the primaries”, he said.

According to Atayo, Sections 66(1)f; 107(1)f; 137(1)g; and 182(1)g of the 1999 Constitution which the judge cited in her judgment did not cover political appointees because they are not public servants.

Mr Atoye explained that “there are a plethora of cases in which the status of a public servant has been defined. One of the cases is that of ADAMU V. TAKORI (2010) ALL FWLR (P. 540) 1387 C.A”. The Court of Appeal held that a political appointee like the Attorney-General is not a public servant employed in the service of the federation or of a state and is therefore not covered by Section 318(1) of the Constitution”.

He reiterated that political appointees are not public servants that they exist at the pleasure of the appointors who can hire and fire without recourse to the public service rule which is not the case for a public servant, as the Executive cannot fire a public servant without going through the laid down procedure in the Public Service Book.

Mr Atoye further explained that by global convention, once political appointees are interested in public office, they resign immediately before the party’s timetable is out.

He stated that the matter the judgment on Section 84(12) of the Electoral Act will not stop at the outcome of the “forum shopping” in Abia State, and therefore advised that all political appointees who are seeking to contest their party primaries should not ignore the provisions of Section 84(12) until the Supreme Court has settled the matter.

Meanwhile, yesterday, the House of Representatives and Senate stated that they will appeal the judgment of the Federal High Court, Umuahia asking the Attorney-General to delete Section 84(12) of the Electoral Act, 2022.

April 1, 2022 0 comments

Headlines

ASUU: Union Threatens To Revoke NITDA Leader Certificate Over UTAS Failure

by Leading Reporters April 1, 2022

written by Leading Reporters

The Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has threatened to begin the process of revoking the degree certificate of the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency, Kashifu Inuwa.

In a tweet by the union, it revealed that the revoking was a result of the failure of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution in the tests carried out on the proposed payment platform by the NITDA leader.

Inuwa had on March 9, 2022, claimed that UTAS failed the “integrity test, vulnerability test (security integrity), User Acceptance Test (UAT) and stress load test, as well as the hardware requirements” as directed by the Minister of Communication, Isa Pantami after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting.

ASUU has in fact called the claim of the NITDA boss an “unguarded statement”.

UTAS is the payment platform proposed by ASUU to replace the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).

April 1, 2022 0 comments

Investigation Headlines

How Staff of Nigeria High Commissions defraud Nigerians as much as $500 for ‘special’ appointment for passport renewals

by Leading Reporters April 1, 2022

written by Leading Reporters

Nigerians, both at home and overseas are paying the price of leadership without morality and empathy. While Nigerians at home continue to bemoan untamed perennial corruption by public office holders, those living overseas are not left out from official exploitation by those saddled with the responsibility of protecting and aiding their fellow countrymen in distant shores. LeadingReporters investigation revealed that Nigeria High Commissions overseas compel Nigerians who are desirous of having their international passports renewed to part with as much as N250,000 to secure a not-too-distant date for data capturing.

LeadingReporters, following complaints by some Nigerians living in diaspora, launched an investigation into series of allegations of exploitation by staff and officers in Nigeria high commission, especially the passport departments. This online media platform uncovered a well-planned-out strategy with which these staff of embassies, especially the diplomatic attaches from Nigeria immigration service hoodwink their fellow countrymen overseas into parting with their hard earned money.

How do they perpetrate this illegality? Those in charge of capturing the applicants’ data intentionally lock appointment date for as long as six months, claiming that all the dates have been booked. After paying all necessary official fee for passport renewal, applicants are given a website to book for appointment for data capturing. The website, upon opening displayed dates that have been booked and locked. This means that the applicants may have to wait for up to six months to be attended to.

For instance, a visit to the passport renewal site of Nigeria Embassy in Abu Dhabi leaves a message that the mission would only attend to passport application on appointment basis ONLY for Tuesdays and Thursdays. In the site, applicants are asked to select a month then choose a spot for their passports renewal. A click on the month and date of an applicant choice would reveal that such date has been booked and locked.

LeadingReporters made an attempt to book a mock-appointment via the Embassy’s sign up site https://signup.com/client/invitation2/secure/6787879060110/true#/invitation. The site showed that all other months and days have been booked up to September 7^th, 2022.

We targeted some countries with high level of complaints by applicants. Countries like United Arab Emirates, Turkey, and other European and African countries. LeadingReporters Dubai correspondent who was detailed to act as an applicant. She visited the office and was told that with a whopping $500, she could get an earlier appointment within the next week .

When she asked the officer how he hoped to do fast track it for her since other applicants have booked up till September 7. She was told that all she needed to do was to pay the bribe and she would have her capturing done within 7 days. It was at that point that she was told by the officer who already has developed an emotional feeling for our correspondent that they (the staff in charge of data capturing) intentionally locked those dates and sell them eventually to applications who are willing and able to pay their way through.

The officer told our correspondent during a lunch date that they could charge as much as $700 and $1000 depending on the level of urgency. “Money makes things happen”. He told our correspondent.

April 1, 2022 0 comments

Headlines

Train Attack: Rotimi Amaechi heaps blame on the presidency; claims he forewarned FG

by Leading Reporters March 31, 2022

written by Leading Reporters

Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, the Minister of transportation has said that the terrorist attack on the Abuja-Kaduna train would have been avoided if the Federal Government had hearkened to his warning on same. The Minister, following the attack said that he has severally warned of possible attack on the train and rail facilities, but for the insincerity of his colleagues in government who misconstrued his genuine demand for more money.

“When you come with sincerity to government and your colleagues and people are stopping you, it is annoying.”

The minister said that it was imperative to have necessary digital security and crime prevention equipment that could forestall event as was witnessed few days ago where many Nigerians lost their lives and others kidnapped by terrorists.

Addressing journalists after visiting the scene of the incident on Tuesday, the expressed dissatisfaction over the incident, which he claimed, could have been averted with relevant digital security equipment in place.

“We knew what the problem would be. We knew we needed to have digital security equipment. We applied for it. But it was not granted us”.

“Because if we had those equipment, you will see nobody on that track. And I warned that lives will be lost. Now, lives are lost. Eight persons dead, 25 persons in the hospital.

“We don’t know how many persons have been kidnapped. And the cost of that equipment is just N3 billion. The cost of what we’ve lost is more than N3 billion.

The Minister said that to fix it would cost Nigeria more now to get the destroyed facilities fixed, and even to get the digital security instruments, going by the rising cost of dollar.

“All the things on that track now, will cost us more than N3 billion. And now even the things we said give us approval to buy – at the time we asked for it, dollar was N400, now it is N500.

March 31, 2022 0 comments

Exclusives Headlines

Video: Again, Fire Engulf Karimo Market for the Third Time, Traders Count Losses

by Leading Reporters March 31, 2022

written by Leading Reporters

Again, Fire Engulf Karimo Market for the Third Time, Traders Count Losses

Traders in Karimo Market, Abuja were left with nothing when fire broke out around 12:30am on Wednesday night.

According to eyewitness, over 500 shops were razed in the inferno which lasted hours before the men of the fire service put it under control.

Speaking exclusively with Leading Reporters, a neighbor to the victim stated that.

“My neighbor has a shop in the market and we were called around past 12: am yesterday night, we rushed there and saw that everything in the shop was burnt down”

“When it happened last year, we were able to recover some valuables because it happened in the daytime, but unfortunately, this happened in the midnight, we lost everything to the fire”.

Again, Fire Engulf Karimo Market for the Third Time, Traders Count Losses

“The fire burnt the yam section of the market down to the mosque, over 500 shops worth million of Naira has gone down the drain again”

This incident is coming barely year when the market was burnt down.

The first happened in 2017, the second 2021 and 2022.

March 31, 2022 0 comments

Headlines

APC National Convention: Ameachi Doles Out $10m To Support Sen. Abdullahi Adamu Candidacy

by Leading Reporters March 26, 2022

written by Leading Reporters

The Honourable Minister of Transport, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, is allegedly on a spending spree to support his preferred candidate, Senator Abdullahi Adamu who is running for the office of the Chairman of the ruling All Progressive Congress. Discreet information availed LeadingReporters revealed that the Minister is said to have so far availed a whopping sum of N600m as a ‘welcome package’ for All Progressive Congress delegates who are currently in Abuja for the ruling party’s national convention holding in Eagle Square.

A discreet source who is in the know told LeadingReporters that the cash-spree is to ensure the emergence of Senator Abdullahi Adamu as the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressive Congress party.

Amaechi is believed to be one of the presidential aspirants of the party who is believed to be seriously working from behind the scenes towards actualizing his presidential ambition.

The source said that Amaechi is doing everything possible to ensure the emergence of the former Governor of Nasarawa State, Senator Adamu Abdullahi, who by Amaechi’s calculation would aid him to seamlessly pick the party’s presidential ticket.

However, Amaechi loyalists and close associates still believe that erstwhile Governor of Rivers State has many hurdles to cross. One of such huddles is said to be a criminal case leveled against him by Nyesom Wike-led Rivers State Government. Wike has previously constituted a commission of inquiry to probe into the era of his predecessor. The commission, after their investigation alleged that Rotimi Amaechi embezzled N96billion and criminally sold Rivers State property unilaterally when he served as Governor. The Transport Minister was unable to stop the probe, using the instrumentality of the court. The case is currently in Supreme Court of Nigeria. The apex court has fixed May 2 for hearing on the matter.

Another factor feared may clog the wheel of Amaechi’s presidential ambition borders on certain secret information linked to Amaechi, including a recorded audio tape where Amaechi was heard tongue-lashing President Muhammadu Buhari, and calling him unprintable names. He was said to have shared very secret information regarding the President’s penchant for foreign loans. Although it was learned that Amaechi was able to suppress the spread of the tape, using a popular Auchi based clergy, there are indication that the information is already in the hands those who may use it as a political weapon come 2023.

March 26, 2022 0 comments

Headlines

APC Convention: Amaechi Presented Deceased Persons, Defectors As Delegates

by Leading Reporters March 26, 2022

written by Leading Reporters

The Rivers State chapter of the party is embroiled in a scandal as the Sen. Magnus Abe-led faction of the party has alleged the inclusion of dead persons and those who had left the party on the list of authentic delegates from Rivers State.

The group is accusing the Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, of inclusion of the names even as the leadership of the Rivers APC has described the action as “an obvious overnight”

Abe’s group has already submitted a petition jointly signed by former Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General of Rivers state, Barr Worgu Boms, Senator Magnus Abe and Senator Wilson Ake among others, saying that it observed the deliberate inclusion of deceased persons on the delegates’ list already submitted for the convention by the Minister.

APC Convention: Amaechi Presented Deceased Persons, Defectors As Delegates

“We examined the list and found that it was inflated by adding names of deceased persons and persons who were never principal officers in the Rivers State House of Assembly (two categories of invalidity and nullity of delegates) status are attached to over twenty persons on the list in three broad categories of deceased persons, impostors, and persons who are no longer members of the APC”.

According to the petitioners such names as Chief D.U. Anucha, Hon. Apollos Amadi, Hon Martins Mannah, Hon Andrew Miller and Hon Felicia Tane who are included in the list had since died, yet they were named as delegates for the convention.

In another category, the petitioners stated that some of the names included on the lists were never in the position ascribed to them by the Minister and therefore should be regarded as imposters.

“They were so presented so as to bring them into the delegates’ category since being a member of House of Assembly is not. We do not say that they were not in the state legislature on the dates listed against their names. We state that it is not true that they were principal officers as claimed”.

The Abe faction of the party claimed that members like Hon Samuel Oguru, Hon Bob Fredrick, Hon Victoria Nyeche, Hon Collins Ordu, Hon Onari Brown and Hon Ibroma Kitchner were not principal officers in the Rivers state House of Assembly as described by the list.

Also in that category are Hon Gift Wokocha, Hon Lucky Odili and Hon Ishmael Singer on the delegates’ list in the category of present and past principal officers of the State Assembly.

Others are Hon Maureen Tamuno, Hon Chidiebere Okwu-Worlu, Hon Belema Okpokiri, Hon Charles Anyanwu and Hon John Bazia.

The petitioners said a letter they got from the Clerk of the Rivers state House of Assembly denied the claim that the above names were principal officers of the House when they were members.

Also, the petitioners alleged that three persons whose names appeared on the list had since defected to the PDP, hence are no more members of the APC in Rivers state and wondered why they should be included in the delegates’ list.

Hon Fred Igwe, Hon Aboko Agolia and Senator Osinakachi Ideozu, had since left or were not even members of the APC and therefore calls for questions why such names should be found on the list.

The petitioners however urged the convention committee to expunge such fake names from the list for the sanctity of the convention and the dignity of the party in particular.

Reacting to the allegation, Darlington Nwauju, Deputy Spokesman of Rivers APC described the inclusion of the controversial names as an obvious overnight saying that it was a pity that Senator Abe’s style of painting Rivers APC in bad light has not changed.

He explained: “The State Exco of the APC was only inaugurated on the 7th of February 2022 and inherited a list of delegates which only required to be updated”.

‘What would it have taken Senator Abe as a member of the Accreditation Committee to draw the attention of State Exco to an obvious oversight? Must he and his group of friends always seek media attention?

“We see this as Senator Abe’s way of showing his group’s frustration at the outcome of the party’s decision to adopt the consensus method in choosing party officers in the 26th of March National Convention”, Nwauju stated.

March 26, 2022 0 comments

Headlines

BREAKING: Terrorists Storm Kaduna Airport, Stop Aircraft From Taking Off

by Leading Reporters March 26, 2022

written by Leading Reporters

Palpable tension in Kaduna State as bandits stormed Kaduna airport and stopped an aircraft from taking off from the Airport.

Findings gathered that the aircraft was scheduled for Lagos on Saturday, when the Terrorists stormed the runaway forcing the officials of the airline and passengers to run for safety.
According to source who pleaded for anonymity disclosed that a staff of Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) was also shot and killed by the bandits.

Even though, news about the shooting of the airport staff is still scanty but it was learnt that the deceased was shot around the runway by one of the Terrorists

It was gathered that the aircraft which was billed to take off at 12.30pm on Saturday could not because of the presence of the bandits around the runway of the airport.

‘’As I speak to you now, there is already military presence to beef up security , though most of the staff are scared with the killing of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) staff, the source said.

As at the time of filing the report, more than 10 military trucks have been deployed to the airport to reinforce the security network around the airport.

It would be recalled, that last year, bandits stormed the staff quarters located within the vicinity of the airport and kidnapped 10 staff of FAAN and NAMA.

Also, the security agencies our the airport are yet to react at the time of filing the report.
News credit: tribuneonlineng.com

March 26, 2022 0 comments

Headlines

2023: Party calls for Emefiele’s resignation as campaign posters flood APC convention

by Leading Reporters March 25, 2022

written by Leading Reporters

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) demands the immediate resignation and investigation of the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Godwin Emefiele, following his appearance in All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign posters which confirms his partisan affiliation and entanglement with the APC.

The PDP asserts that the appearance of the CBN Governor; the banker of the federation, who by law, ought to be non-partisan and apolitical, in APC campaign material is the height of impunity of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC administration, which amounts to poking its fingers in the eyes of Nigerians and daring them to do their worse.

This action by Mr. Emefiele is contrary to the provision of Section 9 of the Central Bank of Nigeria (Establishment) Act which provides that “the governor and the deputy governors shall devote the whole of their time to the service of the bank and while holding office, shall not engage in any full or part-time employment or vocation, whether remunerated or not…”

Campaign posters publicising Governor of Central Bank, Godwin Emefiele, as presidential aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have flooded Eagle Square in Abuja, venue of the APC national convention scheduled to hold tomorrow.

By engaging in partisan politics to the extent of appearing in APC campaign posters, Mr. Emefiele has knowingly and deliberately violated the provision of the CBN Act stated above.

Mr. Emefiele has also desecrated the sanctity of his office as CBN Governor, compromised the integrity of the apex bank, stripped it of the confidence reposed in it by Nigerians and the International Community and as such, cannot legitimately continue to hold and function in that office.

This further confirms that under Mr. Emefiele, the CBN, as the custodian of our national economy, has become an appendage and cash cow of the APC in their reckless pillaging of our national resources, the resultant effect of which is now evident in the near collapse state of our economy.

The CBN Governor must therefore resign immediately and subject himself to investigation by anti-corruption agencies on various allegations of financial misfeasance including reportedly opening our national vaults to the cabal in the APC administration and operating a special fraudulent, corrupt and discriminatory foreign exchange regimes for APC leaders to fleece our nation.

Although the central banker has not announced that he will be contesting for the party’s ticket at the primaries, some individuals under the aegis of Green Alliance Movement have on Wednesday said they will purchase nomination forms for him soon.

Mr Emefiele’s tenure as the head of the central bank may be his strongest selling point but under his leadership, the central bank did not experience much growth or stability due to the downward spiral of the Naira.

To tackle the devastating currency devaluation, Mr Emefiele launched attacks against AbokiFX, an online platform that publishes aggregated currency exchange rates by black listing the website and declaring the operator Oniwinde Adedotun wanted. This action was outside the administrative powers of the central bank governor.

Mr Emefiele said that Mr Oniwinde’s reporting of exchange rates endangers the economy and embarrases the government. He went ahead to invite the blogger and his supporters to a fist fight should they disagree with his despotic decisions.

Mr Emefiele also initiated economic and financial policies in connivance with the Buhari regime. Several of these policies do not reflect public interest and the good of the general public.

In 2021 Mr Emefiele was dragged to court for allowing the Buhari regime continue borrowing flagrantly, after exceeding borrowing limit and not repaying previous outstanding. This action violated section 38 of the CBN Act.

“The total amount of such advances outstanding shall not at any time exceed five per cent of the previous year’s actual revenue of the Federal Government.

“All sections advances made pursuant to this section shall be repaid –

“(a) as soon as possible and shall in any event be repayable by the end of the Federal Government Financial year in which they are granted and if such advances remain unpaid at the end of the year, the power of the Bank to grant such further advances in any subsequent year shall not be exercisable, unless the outstanding advances have been repaid,” Section 38 (2)(3) of the CBN act reads in part.

Financial Analyst, Tosin Adeoti, commenting on his lawsuit against Mr Emefiele, berated the action as lawless.

“We are asking the court to declare that the Central Bank of Nigeria under the direction of its Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, can be held liable/accountable for their incompetence, for actions taken in the course of their duties which are unlawful, illegal, unconstitutional and indeed detrimental to the public interest.

“We realised that those who should do something about the humongous debts the country is piling are not saying anything. The National Assembly is not exercising its functions rightly. A lot of civil rights organisations are shying away rather than put pressure on the presidency to stop taking more and more loans. 91 per cent of the nation’s revenue was spent on paying debt in the first six months of the year. This is not sustainable and will only lead to the nation being unable to get funds for capital projects. This cannot be good for any country.

“The CBN under Mr Emefiele has been engaged in the illegality of lending to the Federal Government more than the prescribed five per cent of the government’s revenues of the previous year. In 2020, for instance, the (apex) bank lent the government N2.8tn which is 62 per cent of 2019 revenues! The bank further lent to the Federal Government even when it had yet to refund what was previously borrowed. Presently, the Federal Government owes the CBN N15.51tn – N14.86tn of this under the Buhari regime, contrary to the express provisions of Section 38 of the CBN Act.

“This isn’t academic. The lawlessness is responsible for the skyrocketing prices of items in the market and the instability of the naira. It’s the CBN’s job to provide this stability. Breaking the law has brought instability. The dollar exchange rate as of this morning (Thursday, September 16, 2021) was N565 per dollar. Nobody knows where it is heading next, whether up or down and how long that would be. Who wants to invest in such a volatile environment? All of these things are connected,” Mr Adeoti said.

March 25, 2022 0 comments

Newer Posts

Older Posts