Former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mr Godwin Emefiele has described allegations of stealing and ownership of several foreign bank accounts levied against him as false.
Emefiele, who only regained his freedom from the Kuje Correctional Centre after meeting his bail condition faulted the report credited to Mr. Jim Obazee who was appointed by President Bola Tinubu to investigate his leadership at the apex bank.
In a statement on Sunday seen by Crux News, the former CBN chief said: “I have gone through the publications, and I say boldly that the contents of the said publications are false, misleading and calculated to disparage my person, injure my character and to serve the selfish interest of the private investigator.”
The embattled former CBN governor was reacting to publications by the Punch Newspaper and Premium Times online news platforms.
“Because of my present situation, I have been advised by my lawyers not to say anything in respect of the matters which have been submitted to the court for adjudication. However, I need to address some of the issues raised in the publication which are barefaced lies told by the investigator in order to achieve his satanic agenda.
“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 a presidential approval, and the said approval was handed over to the same Jim Obazee during the process of his investigation in the presence of senior CBN officials and his own investigative team,” Emefiele said.
He recalled that former President Muhammadu Buhari 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 queried.
He further disagreed with the report that the sum of $6.23 million was withdrawn from the vault apex bank based on a false presidential directive bearing the signature of the former President Buhari, and that of the former Secretary to the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), Mr. Boss Mustapha.
“About two weeks ago, Jim Obazee in the company of a certain Deputy Commissioner of Police from Force CID came to Kuje to ask me questions in respect of the said document in the presence of my lawyers. I stated verbally and in writing that I had no knowledge of such a directive from the former president and the former SGF.
“In fact, I told them that that was the first time I would be seeing the documents. On this, I challenge Jim Obazee to publish the said documents and also the statements that I made to them,” Emefiele charged.
On the issue of opening 593 bank accounts in different parts of the world, the ex-CBN boss stated categorically that he was not involved in the opening of these accounts and has no knowledge of their openings, stating that 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,” he said.
The former CBN governor therefore joined well-meaning Nigerians who have spoken on the matter and have demanded a thorough and transparent investigation of all these alleged frauds.
“Meanwhile, I have instructed my lawyers to immediately commence a legal process to clear my name from the defamatory statements contained in the report and by extension the publications,” Emefiele said.
