The Civil Society Organisations on Community Advancement and Humanitarian Empowerment Initiative (CSCHEI) called on President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday to make public the findings of Jim Obazee’s Special Investigative Report, probing the former Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele.
In the same vein, the CSOs also urged President Tinubu to extend the investigation to the activities of key revenue-generating institutions such as the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), the Nigeria Customs Service (NSC), and others for the purpose of ensuring financial stability for the country.
Director General of CSCHEI, Hon. Kunle Yusuff, who gave the charge in Abuja during a media parley with national leaders of CSOs, CBOs, and FBOs, also tasked President Tinubu with the need to engender a holistic reengineering approach towards tackling the menace of insecurity, as well as put in place a more people’s friendly tariff on electricity with a view to cushioning the socioeconomic hardship faced by Nigerian citizens across the country.
He observed that it was necessary for the Presidency to release details of the report so as to give Nigerians the opportunity dissect it and comprehend the magnitude of economic sabotage that played out during the immediate past administration under ex-President Muhammadu Buhari.
Recall that President Tinubu, shortly after assuming office in 2023, appointed Jim Obazee, a Chief Financing Officer of the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria, as a Special Investigator to probe the activities of the ex-CBN Governor, Emefiele.
The letter appointing Obazee had read, “In accordance with the fundamental objective set forth in Section 15(5) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), this administration is, today, continuing the fight against corruption by appointing you as a Special Investigator to investigate the CBN and Related Entities. This appointment shall be with immediate effect, and you are to report directly to my office.”.
While Emefiele is still undergoing litigation in court, the Special Investigator, having concluded its probe, recently submitted its findings to the presidency.
According to Hon. Yusuff, “We must commend President Tinubu for initiating a probe into the activities of the CBN under Emefiele. We also know that the Special Investigator has submitted its report, but that is not enough; the President should make the report public because many Nigerians would want to know what atrocities played out then.
“We, the CSOs, ought to also dissect the report and unravel how the regulatory bank fared during that period,” he urged.
While reacting to the prevailing socioeconomic challenges facing the citizenry, Hon. Yusuff, who decried the hardship being faced by Nigerians as a result of recent economic policies of the Federal Government, urged the present administration on the need to review the presidential food security policy and the recent hike in the electricity tariff.
“We also want to use this opportunity to further inform the federal government that Nigerians are facing a serious challenge to their livelihoods occasioned by the hard but necessary economic policies of the government.
“As a bridge between the government and the masses, it has become a compelling imperative for us to, at this juncture, call upon Mr. President, as a matter of urgency, to review the Presidential Food Security Committee.
“The government should also consider a more people-friendly tariff on electricity. The persistence of insecurity in the country demands a holistic re-engineering approach.
“The cost of public higher education is becoming relatively high for average Nigerians. It’s also important for CSOs to play an active role in reviewing the submissions of the Presidential Tax Reforms Committee.
“Civil societies will monitor and evaluate the 2024 budget implementations while joining various government establishments to fight corruption and encourage the government to fight insecurity.
“We acknowledge and appreciate Mr President’s efforts on the methodology adopted by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Hon. Minster Betta Edu. We would also like to thank Mr President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the engagement of Jim Obazee, the Special Investigator on CBN, and other government business entities.
“The report in the public domain showed that the consultant handled his mandates professionally. We CSOs in Nigeria really want to know the status of the special investigator reports, and most importantly, we are appealing to permit this bold and professional special investigator to further investigate NNPC, NPA, NIMASA, Customs, and others for our dear country’s financial stability.
“As we have all pledged our allegiance to National Unity, the registered civil society organisation under the umbrella of CSCHEI is ready and available to partner with and collaborate with the government at all levels on development, security enhancement, and corruption advocacy in accordance with the law of the land.
“To this end, we strongly identify with the education support intervention of students’ loan schemes. We are calling on the government to make the scheme robust, transparent, and accessible to needy Nigerians to enable us to generate a pool of educated young people with the necessary technical and managerial skills needed to galvanise the next generation and sustain the present momentum on the path of the Sustainable Development Goals.
“We also appreciate Mr President for his tenacity in projecting the image of Nigeria to the global community; we want him to put more effort into diplomatic engagements. We will also conduct our own parallel research, monitor, evaluate, rate, and report most of the appointees of Mr. President,” he urged.
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