Reps Adhoc Committee recommends warrant of on Emefiele as he fails to appear before reps despite threats.
The House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee investigating the CBN cash swap policy has thrown its weight behind the Speaker of the House of Representatives,Hon Femi Gbajabiamila to issues a warrant of arrest to the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria,CBN for failure to honour invitations to appear before it.
Chairman of the Committee ,Rep Alhassan Doguwa, who said his Committee would recommend to speaker to issue a warrant of arrest against Godwin Emefiel, made the position known in an interactive meeting on Thursday with Operators of Banks across the country.
Members of the Adhoc Committee told bank operators that banks are under obligation to continue to accept old naira notes even after the expiry date .
The House of Representatives had on Tuesday, directed CBN to extend the deadline for the withdrawal of old naira notes from circulation from January 31 to July 31st, 2023
The Green Chamber also set up a committee to meet with the Emefiele and top officials of CBN, as well as the Operators of Banks to find out reason behind the scarcity of the new naira notes.
However, the CBN governor or his representatives, failed to appear before the committee on Wednesday, but wrote to the committee that the letter of invitation was received late.
The committee, again, wrote to CBN inviting the Governor to appear on Thursday but the house received a letter from the CBN deputy governor, corporate services, that the CBN governor is among a delegation of President Muhammadu Buhari to Senegal.
Expressing dismay over the response of the apex bank, Gbajabiamila asked Doguwa to convene the meeting as earlier scheduled and inform the house if the CBN governor fails to appear.
But at the meeting with the MDs of banks on Thursday, CBN governor or his representatives were absent.
Addressing invited guest during the meeting, Doguwa said the failures of the head of the CBN to appear before the lawmakers, has disrespected the national assembly,adding that CBN is lying to the house as the trip was over and that the president is currently in his hometown .
The Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila said he will issue the warrant of arrest against Emefiele next Tuesday.
