‘If He Were in China, Emefiele Would Face Firing Squad’ – Bayo Onanuga

President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, has asserted that if the immediate past Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, were in China, he and his associates would be facing a firing squad. This statement comes in the wake of a damning report by Jim Obazee on the Special Investigation into CBN and Related Entities, revealing alleged misappropriation of funds during Emefiele’s tenure.

The report accuses Emefiele of opening bank accounts without the necessary approvals from the apex bank’s Board of Directors and Investment Committee. It further claims that billions of naira were illegally lodged in approximately 593 bank accounts across the United States, United Kingdom, and China. Most notably, Emefiele is accused of depositing £543,482,213 in fixed deposits in UK banks without proper authorization.

Onanuga took to social media platform X to express his views, stating, “If Godwin Emefiele and his gang had committed these egregious misappropriations in China, they would by now be facing the firing squad for high treason.” These strong words underscore the gravity of the allegations and the potential consequences Emefiele might have faced in a different geopolitical context.

The unfolding controversy raises questions about financial governance and accountability within Nigeria’s central banking system, with stakeholders closely monitoring developments as the fallout from the report reverberates through the political and financial spheres.