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President Muhammadu Buhari says it’s not in his place to determine if the political ambition of Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele, infringes on any laws that affects his productivity.
Buhari stated this on Tuesday during his interview with Bloomberg.
There have been debates around the central bank’s independence following the governor showing interest in running for presidency, however, Buhari was of the opinion that his is to appoint and the appointment is subject to confirmation by the Nigerian Senate.
According to the president, “Ultimately, it will be for the CBN’s board of directors to determine whether a CBN governor’s actions have fallen foul of the laws in place to ensure he can most effectively carry out his duties”.
President Buhari, however, asserted that there is a subtext to the accusations, stressing that “because the governor follows a model outside of the economic orthodoxy, he is labelled political”.
He further argued that the orthodoxy has proved wrong time and again.
“Instead, the governor is following an alternative economic model that puts people at the heart of policy.
“Nigeria should be free to choose its development model and how to construct our economy, so it functions for Nigerians,” President Buhari buttressed.
Reacting to questions regarding security, the president said that his administration is the only one in Nigeria’s history to implement a solution to decades-long herder/farmer conflicts, exacerbated by desertification and demographic growth.
He explained that the National Livestock Transformation Plan, putting ranching at its core, is the only way to deplete the competition for resources at the core of the clashes.
According to him, governors from some individual states have sought to play politics where ranches have been established; but where they have been disputes have dramatically reduced.
Speaking further as to the war against terror, President Buhari explained that in 2015, Boko Haram held territory the size of Belgium within the borders of Nigeria, adding that today, however, the terrorists are close to extinct as a military force.
Buhari while reaffirming that a leader of ISWAP was eliminated by a Nigerian Airforce airstrike in March, noted that the jets acquired from the US and intelligence shared by the British were not provided to previous administrations and stand as testament to renewed trust re-built between Nigeria and her traditional western allies under his government.
