Laolu Akande, spokesperson to former Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, has backed the suspension of Godwin Emefiele as governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
On Friday, President Bola Tinubu suspended Emefiele and directed that he transfers his responsibilities to the deputy governor, operations directorate.
Folashodun Adebisi Shonubi, the deputy governor, is expected to act as the CBN governor pending the conclusion of an investigation ordered by the president into Emefiele’s activities.
Earlier, the Department of State Services (DSS) announced that Emefiele is currently in its custody for “some investigative reasons”.
Reacting to the development, Akande, in a series of tweets, said persons of integrity would be “thankful” for the suspension of the CBN governor.
He said Emefiele failed to “redeem” himself despite being given a long rope, adding that his suspension brings relief.
“It was about time the CBN Governor faced suspension and investigation. All people of goodwill and those who value integrity, irrespective of political leanings would be thankful for this development,” Akande wrote.
“Emefiele was given a long rope but he failed to redeem himself. His shenanigans and the colossal damages he perpetrated at the CBN was to the utter detriment of the Nigerian people.”
In the latter days of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, Emefiele was criticised for the scarcity of naira notes triggered by CBN’s currency redesign policy.
In January 2023, Osinbajo said the cashless policy initiated by the CBN would go a long way to curb illicit election financing in the country.
