Godwin Emefiele, governor of the
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), says the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC), is investigating the approval of the gas processing deal
with Process and Industrial Development gas processing deal.
Emefiele made this known on
Monday while fielding questions from journalists on Monday before the
commencement of the presidential retreat for ministers-designate at the State
House Conference Centre.
“I am not scared at all and I
think it is also important that this question has come up,” he responded when
asked if he was scared of the impact of the judgement of the nation’s foreign
reserves.
A British court had given
P&ID the go-ahead to seize Nigerian assets worth $9 billion over the
government’s inability to meet its side of an agreement to build a gas
processing plant in Calabar, Cross River.
“Since the news about the
judgement broke out late on Friday, we have been discussing with our counsels,
and they have advised that there are sufficient and strong grounds on the basis
of which we could file a stay of execution and also an appeal against that
judgement.
“There are certain anomalies in
the process leading to the award of that contract which is currently being
looked into by the EFCC and I believe that the EFCC themselves have their own
investigation reports about that.
“So, we will follow through and
aggressively too on ensuring that the execution of that judgement is stayed and
that the appeal succeeds at every level both within Nigeria and abroad.”
In a statement released on
Saturday, Reno Omokri, an ex-aide to former president Goodluck Jonathan, had
alleged that a cabal loyal to now-deceased former president Umar Musa Yar’adua
signed the deal in January 2010 while Jonathan became acting president in
February of the same year.
Emefiele assured that the CBN
will move strongly to defend the country’s reserves as the judgement would have
some impact on monetary policy.
“It is important for me to use
this opportunity to assure our friends, local and foreign investors who called
to expressed solidarity with us, not to express concern but to say that there
is no need for anybody to worry. We know that the implication of that judgement
has some impact on monetary policy and that is why the CBN is going to step
forward and very strongly too to ensure that we defend the country and defend
the reserves of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
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