Senate Confirms Emefiele As CBN Governor

The Senate, yesterday, approved the reappointment of Godwin Emefiele as governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for another five-year tenure.
The confirmation, which was done at 11.30, yesterday morning, followed the consideration of the report of the Senator Rafiu Ibrahim, PDP, Kwara South-led Committee on Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions.
The report ordinarily would have only been laid for consideration in another legislative day, but the report was laid, considered and approved today.
The CBN governor had, last Wednesday, appeared before the Senate committee for screening.
It would be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari had last week written the Senate, intimating the senators of his reappointment of the governor of CBN, Godwin Emefiele, for another five-year tenure.
Buhari, in a letter to the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, dated May 8, 2019, said that the reappointment followed the expiration of Emefiele’s first tenure.
The letter entitled “Renewal of the appointment of Godwin I. Emefiele as governor of Central Bank of Nigeria” was received in the Office of the Senate President on May 9, 2019.
Saraki read the letter on the floor of the Senate.
The letter read: “In view of the expiration of the first tenure of the current Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria on June 2, 2019, and pursuant to the provisions of Section 8 (1) and (2) of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act 2007, I hereby present for confirmation by the Senate Mr. Godwin I. Emefiele for re-appointment as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria for a final term of five (5) years.
“It is my hope that the Distinguished Senate will consider and confirm the nominee in the usual expeditious manner.
“Please accept, Mr. Senate President, the assurances of my highest consideration.”
Meanwhile, the Coalition for Good Governance and Change Initiative, a civil society organisation, has staged a “thank you” rally in appreciation to President Muhammadu Buhari for reappointing Godwin Emefiele as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Godwin Emefiele, for another term.
The group led by Coalition for Good Governance and Change Initiative sent an open letter addressed to the president, commending him for defeating what it tagged “ethnic and religious bigotry” with Emefiele’s reappointment.
In the letter, the coalition’s National Coordinator/Convener, Okpokwu Ogenyi, said security and the economy were too sensitive to consider ethnic or religious coloration and the president had proven that these two sectors were very dear to his heart, hence, his reappointment of Emefiele.
The group, therefore, called on other Nigerians to rally round the president as he “strives to boost the nation’s economy and as well make Nigeria a terror-free nation”.

Nneka Amaechi-Nnadi, Abuja