From Okwe Obi, Abuja
Concerned Citizen Movement for a Better Nigeria, a civil society group, has given the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, 48 hours to either resign and run for president or he should focus on his job at the apex bank.
The group’s president, Moses Sambo, said in a statement that it was unfair for Emefiele to allegedly nurture a presidential ambition while occupying a sensitive post that is key to the economic stability of the country.
‘It is disturbing to see a situation where a Central Bank Governor will be having the ambition to become the president while he has been unable to stabilise the economy,’ Sambo stated.
‘As a group, we frown at this and give the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele 48 hours to disassociate himself from all those sponsored presidential campaigns projecting him to contest in 2023,’ he said.
Sambo recalled that in 2014 when Emefiele was appointed CBN Governor, $1 was exchanged for N183 but under his watch, $1 exchanged for N413.
He noted that due to the crisis in the Nigerian economy, the public have been subjected to untold hardship as the prices of food and other commodities have skyrocketed by over 50 per cent.
He added that instead of faceless groups to push the CBN Governor into the presidential election, they should rather push him into stabilising the economy and reducing hardship in the country.
‘Emefiele should be more concerned about accountability in office and delivering on his mandate instead of meddling into politics.
‘I strongly believe that Emefiele has a duty to perform as the CBN Governor, and President Muhammadu Buhari has given him the mandate to stabilise the economy, which he must focus on and perish his presidential ambition.
‘In 2014 when former President Goodluck Jonathan appointed Emefiele as the CBN Governor, our Exchange rate was $1 to N183, but look at now, $1 exchanges for about N413, this is not good.
‘If this continues this way, our economy will collapse because the man in charge of stabilising the economy is being distracted by politics.
‘It is either he resigns and joins politics or he denounce presidential ambition and focus on reviving the nation’s economy which has collapsed under his watch,’ Sambo stated.