The Arewa Youth Assembly (AYA) has restated its call that the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, resign his position for not stabilising the country’s economy.
The group was reacting to a statement credited to Yerima Shettima of Arewa Youth Consultative Forum which said that it was not proper to call for the resignation of the apex bank’s governor.
The Speaker of the Arewa Youth Assembly, Mohammed Salihu Danlami, in a statement argued that the CBN governor seems to have exhausted all his ideas on economic stability, hence, the call for his resignation.
According to him, ‘we stand firmly by our words at the Arewa Youth Assembly in asking Mr Emefiele to resign his post as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria. This is necessary because every point raised against Mr Emefiele are factual and verifiable.
‘We want to state here categorically that, no amount of sponsored damage control which cannot proffer solutions to many economic woes an average Nigeria is subjected to daily, but will rather ignite the anger of the masses who are now finding it extremely difficult to even feed their families.
‘It is worrisome that Mr Emefiele and his co-travellers would hire attackers whose hundred could not stop a naked economy reality on the ground. This is a critical moment in the history of the Nigerian economy. We are not unaware that there are merchants in every crisis but we will not relent on our call for better Nigeria until we have competent hands managing it.
‘It is equally laughable to hear that our brother, Mr Yerima Shettima, who has been hiding under Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, could turn around to describe our call for Emefiele’s resignation as research not well carried out.
‘Can any sane person deny the current economic realities where our foreign exchange keep falling daily?
‘Can anyone deny the fact that Nigerians who are struggling to earn a legitimate living are finding it difficult to have access to foodstuff with skyrocketing prices each day they go to market?
‘Can anyone deny the fact that all the self-acclaimed interventions under the current CBN leadership have not reduced the number of unemployed youths across the country thereby leading to rising in crimes?
‘It is an open fact that naira was ₦170 against the dollar before Mr Emefiele’s emergence as the Governor of the CBN. But today, due to his weak policies, it is ₦550 against a dollar and still counting.
‘But, some myopic individuals will want to accrue this to the pandemic as if other countries of the world weren’t affected as well, it is disheartening and very disappointing that some youths of this generation can still throw the fear of God into the dustbin just for the sake of the money and defend this abnormality.
‘It was stated by Mr Shettima that Emiefele is stabilising the economy in more ways than one, and the question here is how??
‘Maybe Mr governor and his co-travellers forgot that we are aware that even the COVID-19 loans that originally should be made accessible to all Nigerians irrespective of their status have turned to the exclusive reserve of certain individuals in the National Assembly and cronies of Mr governor.
‘Maybe Mr Shettima who is a self-acclaimed research guru is not also aware that CBN allegedly failed to remit about N800 billion to the Federal Government. We thought he was going to mention that this was false or that it is also false that the CBN has not submitted her audited report to the office of the Accountant General of the Federation since 2010.
‘We have made our points clear, Mr Emefiele should resign and face his presidential ambition squarely as it is his exclusive right to do so and no amount of sponsored supporters of Mr Emefiele or any form of intimidation can stop us.
‘We call on the President and Commander in Chief to do the needful by sacking Mr Emefiele who is like a mole in his government if he fails to honourable tender his resignation. The clamour for a just and progressive Nigeria is on course and we are not backing out. We shall follow it to a logical conclusion,’ he added.