Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State has asked President Muhammadu Buhari not to approve any study leave or whatever kind of leave for any officer critical to the take-off of the incoming administration of Bola Tinubu.
The governor specifically mentioned the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, who he said has been speculated to have requested leave and urged the President to deny the CBN governor such a request.
Matawalle hailed the President and his wife for making efforts to ensure a seamless transition and handover to the president-elect Bola Tinubu but lamented that some other officers in government are acting differently.
Focusing on Emefiele, the Zamfara governor accused the incumbent CBN governor of superintending over the mismanagement of the country’s financial and monetary systems. He insisted that the CBN governor must stay to give an account of everything that happened under him to the incoming administration.
“He is the one who initiated and implemented the recent disastrous Naira swap policy, the Naira confiscation program, which put Nigerians through untold woes and trauma and set our economy backward.
“Two of my brother-governors and I took the Federal Government to court over this ill-advised policy and fought resolutely until we got a respite for our people from Emefiele and company.
“This same Emefiele now wants to proceed on study leave when he has some 10 months left of his tenure apparently in a bid to evade rendering accounts. This is unacceptable. President Buhari should not countenance this.
“Emefiele must stay at his job to give full accounts of all that transpired under his watch to the incoming administration. He must answer all the questions the new regime may have for him particularly when he still has some months left of his tenure,” Matawalle said.
He also appealed to the President not to approve foreign postings or grant any foreign travels for any officer at any level in the outgoing government who may be critical or strategic to the smooth take-off of the incoming government.
