Presidency Breaks Silence On CBN Governor, Emefiele’s Study Leave

The Presidency has announced that it is unaware of any decision by President Muhammadu Buhari to grant study leave to the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, made the disclosure in a chat with Daily Trust on Saturday.

Shehu stated that his position, as reported in another national newspaper last Saturday, had not changed.

He had previously declared, “If the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, has been granted study leave supposedly by President Muhammadu Buhari, this is unknown to us. It is also unknown to the President’s secretariat headed by the Chief of Staff.”

An online news platform, SaharaReporters, had reported that President Buhari had allowed CBN Governor Emefiele to take study leave, enabling him to leave Nigeria before the inauguration of the president-elect, Bola Tinubu, scheduled for May 29.

The report came amidst allegations of corruption and terrorism financing against Emefiele.

The platform further stated that the Department of State Services (DSS), which had previously made unsuccessful attempts to arrest and detain Emefiele over these allegations, was dissatisfied with the possibility of the CBN governor escaping justice.

Emefiele, who had sought the presidential ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), was accused by Tinubu of introducing the Naira redesign and cashless policy through the CBN in an attempt to undermine his presidential ambitions.