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Emefiele said politics shrouded naira redesign, witness tells court

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Folashodun Shonubi, a witness in the trial of Godwin Emefiele, former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), told a federal capital territory (FCT) high court that the naira redesign policy did not follow standard procedure.

 

Shonubi, who was acting governor of the CBN from June 9 to September 15 2023, said Emefiele admitted to intrigues and politics around the 2022 redesign policy.

 

“When we had meetings with the defendant (Emefiele), he said there were politics and intrigues around the whole exercise,” Shonubi said while being led in evidence by Rotimi Oyedepo, prosecution counsel.

The witness, who was the former deputy governor of operations of the apex bank, said the redesigned naira notes produced by the CBN under Emefiele were not the same as those approved by former President Muhammadu Buhari.

 

He said the memo presented to the president for the redesign was solely prepared by Emefiele.

READ  Naira redesign: Ekiti seeks to join suit against FG

 

Shonubi said the normal procedure was for the currency management department to recommend a redesign, after which a paper would be submitted to the committee of governors (COG) for consideration.

 

Upon the COG’s approval, the CBN board would make a recommendation to the president.

 

The witness said after the president’s approval was received, the bank would then set up an internal committee to execute the currency redesign.

 

‘CBN DIDN’T FOLLOW PROCEDURES’

Shonubi, a member of the COG and CBN board, told the court that Emefiele killed the recommendation for a redesign as made by the currency management department in early 2021.

 

“The CBN did not follow the procedures (for redesigning the currency). I was a member of the CBN board as deputy governor,” he said.

 

“The chairman of both the COG and board was the governor. In early 2021, the currency department recommended the redesign of the currency notes.

“A paper was presented to me, and on the instruction of the governor (Emefiele), it was stepped down.

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“In 2022, we again represented the paper and were asked to hold on.

 

“In mid-October 2022, the deputy governors were invited to a meeting in the office of the governor where he (Emefiele) informed us that he had presidential approval for the currency redesign.

 

“He showed us the memo, Mr president’s signature and instruction on the last page.”

 

Under cross-examination by Olalekan Ojo, defendant counsel, Shonubi said he was not aware of the discussions between Emefiele and the former president over the redesign policy.

 

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting Emefiele on a four-count charge bordering on illegal acts that caused public injury.

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JUST IN: NSIB locates wreckage of crashed helicopter in Port Harcourt

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The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) says its search and recovery teams have successfully located the wreckage of the ditched Sikorsky SK76 helicopter.

In a statement on Thursday, Bimbo Olawumi Oladeji, NSIB’s director of public affairs and family assistance, said the wreckage was identified during recovery dives conducted on Wednesday night.

Details later…

READ  CBN stops FOREX sale to Bureaux de Change operators, to revoke their licences
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Don’t Patronise Fake Oil And Gas Bodies, NUPENG Cautions

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The leadership of our Union has identified fraudulent advertisements from individuals falsely claiming to represent a dubious association of Transporters and Oil and Gas Marketers.

The association urge the public and government institutions to be vigilant against these unscrupulous figures, who seek to exploit the current economic landscape following the removal of fuel subsidies. The Union reaffirms its support for recognized associations in the industry and urges all stakeholders to reject these miscreants and their deceptive practices.

The open letter below:

The attention of the leadership of our great Union has been drawn to some advertisements on news media of some unscrupulous and dangerous individuals claiming to be members of one amorphous association they claim is both Transporters and Marketers of the Oil and Gas at the same time, and we wish to state that this association is nothing but assemblage of failed Rent Seekers in the Subsidy Regime and Irredeemable Smugglers of Petroleum Products disguising as businessmen and women.

READ  Despite Supreme Court order, CBN delists old ‎200, ‎500, ‎1000 naira notes as legal tender

 

The general public and government institutions are hereby warned and strongly . advised to be very wary of these individuals who are desperately seeking ways and means to continue to exploit Nigerians and collecting rents in other manners since the current administration removed subsidy from petroleum products and make
smuggling unprofitable for them.

 

The leadership of our great Union recognizes National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) as the legitimate umbrella body of Transporters in the Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry and Employers of Petroleum Tankers Drivers (PTD) of which our Union has Collective Bargaining Agreement with on behalf of Petroleum Tankers Drivers.

We also recognize Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Major Energy Marketers Association of Nigeria (MEMAN) as well as Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) as legitimate marketers of Oil and Gas products. These are associations of Marketers that are well known and respected in the downstream sector of the Nigeria oil and gas industry.

READ  BREAKING: Nigeria at risk of CBN-induced recession over naira swap, says NGF

There is also no ambiguity in the fact that the Nigeria Labour laws only recognize Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) as the umbrella bodies
for oil and gas Workers in Nigeria. These are the two organizations that represent and protect the job interests of the Nigeria oil and gas workers including Petroleum lanker Drivers (PTD) as prescribed in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Niger
AFFILIATED TO THE NIGERIA LABOUR CONGRESS (NLC) & Industrial Global Union
Ref:
SUPPORT OUR DREAM

GAS WORKERS

We implore all well-meaning Nigerians and government officials whose names these Usurpers and Rent Seekers are dropping to urgently disregard any invitation from them and publicly denounce them because they are purely mischief-makers, names Droppers and unscrupulous business individuals that can sell their families and country for money and are unfortunately part of those that plunge the country into the current economic woes and hardship that the country is currently battling and struggling with. Following numerous failed attempts to coerce our Union into collecting money for them at various petroleum depots, they have now resorted to these names-calling and cheap blackmail to further their insidious rent-seeking schemes.

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Our Solidarity remains Constant for the Union makes us strong!!!

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Finally, Joseph Wayas, ex-senate president, to be buried November 30 — three years after his death

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November 30 has been fixed for the burial of former Senate President Joseph Wayas, who died three years ago.

 

Wayas, who served as senate president from October 1, 1979, to December 31, 1983, died on November 30, 2021, at a London hospital after a protracted illness. He was 80 years old.

 

On July 10, his remains arrived in Nigeria after several controversies that followed the repatriation of his corpse.

 

Speaking on Thursday at a press briefing in Calabar, the capital of Cross River, Dorn-Cklaimz Enamhe, secretary of the central planning committee for Wayas’ burial, thanked Bassey Otu, governor of the state, and other individuals for repatriating Wayas’ body.

 

Enamhe noted that the committee, in collaboration with other authorities in Nigeria and the Nigerian High Commission in the United Kingdom (UK), worked together to ascertain the authenticity of the body.

 

He also appreciated the media for constantly reminding the nation that the body of the former senate president was yet to be buried.

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“Unfortunately, the body has been kept this long due to issues and disagreement among members of his family,” he said.

 

“We had to wait for these issues to be resolved, and as of today, they have been resolved; that is why we are going ahead with the burial.”

 

Nsa Gil, the chief press secretary to the governor of Cross River, added that the funeral would be held at the UJ Esuene Stadium in Calabar and later at the deceased’s hometown in Bassang, Obanliku LGA.

 

Senate President Godswill Akpabio and many other dignitaries are expected to attend the burial.

 

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