By Halimah Olamide
Former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria Godwin Emefiele, has accused the special investigator appointed by President Bola Tinubu to probe the apex bank under his watch, Jim Obazee, as spreading falsehood.
Emefiele, who two days ago met his bail conditions, said though he has been advised not to respond to allegations in a special report submitted by Obazee, he is compelled to tell Nigerians that the investigator has gone ahead to cook up stories about alleged misdeeds at the ban.
In the statement he released on Sunday, Emefiele said, “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 provisions 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.
“Moreover, the former President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, has stated on a number of 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.”
“On the issue of $6.23 million unauthorised withdrawal from the CBN vault, purportedly under a false presidential directive bearing the signatures of former President Muhammadu Buhari and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Boss Mustapha, Emefiele stated, “I had no knowledge of such a directive from the former president and the former SGF.” emphasising that it was his first encounter with such documentation.
Regarding the management of 593 bank accounts in various global locations, Emefiele clarified, “I had no knowledge of these accounts, and they simply do not exist.”