31st January, 2023
The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, has finally appeared before the House of Representatives.
Emefiele appeared before the House five days after the speaker Femi Gbajabiamila vowed to issue a warrant to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to compel him and chief executives of CBN to honor summons of the lawmakers over controversies trailing the introduction of new naira notes.
The House of Reps had on Jan. 24 summoned the bank chief executives and CBN Governor.
The House also shelved its plan to go on break for the presidential and National Assembly elections over the CBN governor’s failure to answer the last summons issued to him by the committee.
Reacting to Emefiele’s no-show on January 24, The Speaker partly said, “I have no choice now. On Tuesday when we resume, we will invoke the provisions of Section 89 of the Constitution. The President has been very clear. The President gave the approval based on what he knows and what he has been told.
“We also know the President to be a man of the people. He gave his approval based on what he had been told. But we are saying – what the motion is saying – is that after the President gave his approval, how does the money get to the people? The money is not getting to the people. That is what we sought to clarify and that is exactly what we are going to do.
“So, on Tuesday, this House will follow its procedure – the normal procedure – and invoke the provisions of Section 89 to compel the governor of the CBN and the directors.”
However, on Tuesday afternoon, Emefiele and other executives showed up before the House.
Please watch the video of Emefiele at the House below.