By News Proofs
The groups made the demand at a joint press conference held in Abuja on Tuesday, December, 20, 2022.
The Convener, Tobias Ogbeh, who addressed the well-attended conference, said the call became necessary following the abrupt indictment of the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele for terrorism, financing, sundry economic crimes and abuse of office by the Department of State Services (DSS).
The groups said: "Gentlemen of the press, we thank you for honouring our invitation to this all important press briefing during which we shall be adding our voice to those of individuals and organizations that have weighed in on a matter of great national importance. In this instance, we are referring to the indictment of the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele for terrorism, financing, sundry economic crimes and abuse of office in a manner that has hurt the interest of Nigeria and the wellbeing of citizens.
"We consider this indictment weighty, coming from the Department of State Services (DSS), which is convinced of what it had found to the extent that it approached a court for leave to apprehend the near fugitive CBN Governor. We invite you to note that the crippling fuel shortage in the country has partly eased after that agency read the riot act to marketers that were using fuel queues to sabotage the nation. This show that the DSS is out to dismantle the structure of economic terrorists in our midst. It is for this reason we are not surprised when the wheel turned to Emefiele.
"Our groups noted that instead of challenging the DSS with proof of his innocence, Mr. Emefiele is rather banking on organized protests by his associates on the streets. It is equally obvious that the CBN Governor is attempting to alter the issue at hand by turning the entire issue of his involvement into a media drama in the expectation that he can distract Nigerians from demanding action on his indictment.
"In our view, there have been a handful of seemingly unrelated issues that we believe Nigerians must now demand that Mr. Emefiele provides explanations for. Taken in isolation these are like routine matters but when interrogated against the background of the DSS indictment the consequences are alarming because it is obvious we had entrusted the most sensitive part of our national life to a man that has no qualms with making profit from anywhere.
"First, national intervention programmes handled by the CBN were largely used to benefit people known only to Emefiele and his associates. The programmes were also likely exploited as cover to funnel funds to questionable recipients, which could explain the how and the why of terrorists not running short of funds to sustain their logistics for the war they have been waging against Nigeria. We are now no longer amazed that the banking sector had not been helpful in tracking terrorism financing, including the baffling scenario of bandits receiving ransom into bank accounts from where they convert same into forex and export abroad.
"Let us not forget that against the norm and global best practice, a servicing CBN Governor went partisan and was for a remarkable length of time a presidential aspirant of the All Progressive Congress (APC). Please note that this partisanship is most likely at the root of Emefiele’s anger. He had engaged in some of the crimes the DSS now wants to arrest him for as a means of creating scenarios to campaign with but after being rejected and told off by the public opinion, he became vindictive to the point where he no longer cares whether his actions destroy Nigeria or not.
"Emefiele’s economic sabotage is well documented as it has plunged Nigerians into untold suffering. We have watched in alarm as he moved from one deliberate and calculated monetary policy bungle to the other. While these may seem like ineptitude or crass incompetence on the surface, we now know that these destructive policies were implemented to enable Emefiele’s associates to benefit from the damage he is causing the country.
"The latest of these misadventures is the introduction of re-coloured 200, 500 and 1000 naira notes, which Emefiele’s associates have again hijacked to the detriment of citizens. Contrary to the assurances he gave President Muhammadu Buhari to secure approval for the exercise, commercial banks ran short of available notes within six hours of the December 15 200 take off date while all the touted benefits were proven untrue within 48 hours.
"What we find most baffling is the temerity with which Mr. Emefiele is attempting to precipitate civil unrest with the draconian cash withdrawal policy that is programmed to inevitably incite nationwide protest and breakdown of law and order. The cashless policy is desirable but should be demand driven, which means Nigerians should be allowed to grow into the culture of electronic transaction and not coerced into it in a manner that will cause them to revolt. But it seems Emefiele is precipitating a mass revolt with the draconian measures announced so far, which can only indicate he is working for an interest other that of the Federal Government of Nigeria. Could he be working for the opposition?
"On the strength of the foregoing, Stand Up for Nigeria with the National Conscience Movement is hereby demanding that Mr. Godwin Emefiele resigns his position as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria within the next 24 hours. If Mr. Emefiele has not resigned upon the expiration of our 24 hour ultimatum, we shall reconvene to unfurl measures that will ensure he complies. We are confident that Nigeria will not enter the year 2023 with Emefiele at the helms of affairs at the CBN."
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