The Council of Ethnic Youth Leaders of Nigeria, on Wednesday, an alleged plot by some individuals to discredit the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele over the economic recovery plans of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.)
The Council at a news conference in Abuja claimed that the detractors planned to paint very bad pictures of the economic situation of the country as a cover to allegedly launch a smear campaign so that the President would sack the CBN Governor.
The CEYLON noted that the individuals wanted to use misinformation and fabricated stories to pressurize the President to sack the CBN Governor.
Speaking on behalf of the Council, the President of the Middle Belt Youth Council, Meliga Godwin, called on all the security agencies to immediately investigate these acts of economic sabotage with a view to nipping it in the bud.
The Council further alleged that the detractors were offered N2m to join in the fight against Emefiele.
He said, “It has come to a time when credible youth leaders will speak up against the ills in the society and expose it so as to bring it to a permanent end.
“Some individuals approached us to discredit Emefiele.”
He added, “Sometime in August 2021 we the leadership of the Council of Ethnic Youth Leaders of Nigeria were approached by two persons.
“The mission they disclosed was that of painting very bad pictures of the economic situation of the country as a cover to launch smear campaign asking for the sack of the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
“They ultimately claimed to be representing interests in the government who would want to use misinformation and fabricated stories to pressure the President to sack the CBN Governor and pledged that they had secured funding for the project.
“They further disclosed that the project to smear the CBN Governor and lobby for his sack would be hydra-headed which would include among other things, Court actions, which they believed they would get a compliant judge to issue orders against the CBN Governor.
“Other avenues they are pursuing are, press conferences from different groups coordinated to put pressure on the Governor and the President with the groups passing a vote of no confidence and calling for the sacking of the Governor.”
The Council added that the ultimate plot would be “a massive rally at the CBN Headquarters on the 29th of September, 2021 aimed at disrupting all activities of the bank for that day and the following day leading up to the public holidays to mark the Independence anniversary.
Godwin said, “They sought our support, cooperation, and collaboration particularly in the areas of the press conferences and mobilization for the rally.
“They pledged to pick the bills for the project and asked that a comprehensive bill be submitted to them within 48 hours for their considerations with their masters.
“For the audience granted them, they immediately made available the sum of N2, 000, 000:00 (Two Million Naira) only, which they said was for kola and for transport for members to coordinate our meetings to agree on the bill to be presented to them.
“However, upon the meeting of the entire leadership of the Council, we unanimously agreed not to accept their proposal and not to align with them on the basis that the economic policies of this administration was beginning to take shape and the figures for the growth of the GDP were looking positive.
“We also agreed that the policies of the Central Bank including the stopping of sales of Forex to BDC’s just announced by the CBN should be given reasonable time to kick in without disruption.
“We outrightly rejected their kola and transport largesse and informed them that having given it thorough consideration, we would not do their bidding and asked them to come and take it back as we would not join to pull our country down.”
A northern socio-political youth group, ‘Arewa Youth Assembly has been calling for the sacking of Emefiele.