The
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has vowed to issue
a warrant of arrest on the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin
Emefiele if he fails to appear before its committee on Thursday.
Gbajabiamila said instead of the House
adjourning plenary till February 28 for the elections as planned, the lawmakers
would reconvene on Tuesday to take an action against Emefiele and other bank
chiefs who fail to show up.
The Speaker, who noted that Emefiele is his
friend, pointed out that he would not hesitate to demand the Inspector-General
of Police to effect the CBN governor’s arrest and forceful appearance before
the House.
The House had set up an ad hoc committee to
investigate the scarcity of the new naira at the Deposit Money Banks, also
known as commercial banks, leading to tension over the January 31 deadline set
by the CBN for the exchange of the old notes with the newly designed ones.
Chairman
of the committee, Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, at the plenary on Thursday, informed the
House about the non-appearance of the CBN chiefs before it on Wednesday. He
noted that the committee had rescheduled the meeting to 1 pm on Thursday.
However,
Gbajabiamila also informed the House that the CBN had written to the Clerk,
informing the House of Emefiele’s inability to appear before the committee on
Thursday.
The
Speaker said the House would exercise its powers as contained in Section 89 of the
1999 Constitution. Gbajabiamila also noted that
the CBN Act allows the admittance of an old naira note by banks, even after it
had ceased to be legal tender.
The
House had on Tuesday called on the President, Muhammadu Buhari, over the
brewing crisis occasioned by the January 31 deadline.
Apart from asking the CBN to extend the window
for swapping the old notes with the newly redesigned one by six months, the House
had invited the banks to a meeting on Wednesday over the scarcity of new naira
notes.
The Managing Directors/Chief Executive
Officers of the banks, under the auspices of the Bankers’ Committee, were to
meet with an ad hoc committee of the House to be chaired by the Majority
Leader, Alhassan Ado-Doguwa.
The House had particularly resolved that the
banks should be invited to explain the alleged supply shortage from the CBN,
after which the lawmakers would invite the leadership of the apex bank for
questioning.
The House “call on President Muhammadu Buhari
to intervene in the insistence of the CBN on the tight deadline for the
implementation of the cashless policy and currency swap.”
The lawmakers also urged the CBN to extend the
implementation of the cashless policy “to at least six months as well as review
the daily withdrawal limit and the charges therefrom.”
The
resolution follows the unanimous adoption of a motion of urgent public
importance moved by a member of the House from Katsina State, Sara Soli, at the
opening of the plenary on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, the CBN failed to appear before
the committee, with both sides blaming it on short notice.
0 Comments