The Nigeria Economic Advancement Forum (NEAF) has tackled Vice President Yemi Osinbajo over what it considers consistent attacks on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and its Governor, Godwin Emefiele.
The group has questioned the VPs recent comments regarding the CBN and President Muhammadu Buhari’s economic policies.
The group, in a statement by Abduljamid Musa and Mercy Daniel, the National Chairman and National Secretary, respectively, maintained that ‘the mission and intentions of Vice President Osinbajo can barely be disguised.’
According to the group, it is worrisome that ‘the vice president is opting to “break ranks with President Muhammadu Buhari and his government.’
It added that ‘the just ended Mid-term Performance Review Retreat for Ministers, Managers of Nigeria’s economy and other top officials of government was an inappropriate platform for Osinbajo to have asked the CBN governor to adjust the naira exchange rate to be as reflective of the market as possible to boost supply, pretending not to know the cocktail of factors that led to that, as an official of the administration with unfettered access to privileged information.
‘We condemned the vice president for saying that the naira exchange rate was artificially low and discourages foreign capital inflow to the country.’
The Forum further noted that the CBN has since the pandemic, been working assiduously to stem the rapid fall of the naira against the dollar positing that, the CBN under Emefiele has often explained that no currency is managed at fixed-rate value and that the value of any currency is to the degree of the strength of the economy of the concerned nation.
To drive home its point the group also gave a long list of the economic policies spearheaded by the CBN under Emefiele and carpet the VP for turning the ‘solemn Forum into a soapbox of sorts to grandstand, or better still campaign, this time against his boss, the President and by extension, the administration.’
The group then called out the VP on his ‘sudden, populist pretensions against a soft target such as the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele.
