By Ken Chiwendu
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila says the House will not hesitate to recovene before the 25 February if the Central Bank of Nigeria CBN fail to find lasting solution to the persisting challenges owing to new naira policy in the country.
Gbajabiamila disclosed this during a town hall meeting with some ethnic groups in Surulere, Lagos State.
He disclosed that the CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele had turned down several invitation to clear the air on its naira swap policy but that he ( Emefiele) appeared before the adhoc committee at a point where he would have been compelled by an arrest warrant to appear. before the House.
The Speaker however said that the House would continue to monitor the CBN’s policy implementation closely following its committee’s meeting with Emefiele on the issue adding that the House would have no option but to reconvene before the commencement of the February 25 elections if the difficulty persists
“The House of Representatives intervened on several occasions. We summoned the CBN Governor the first time and again, but he refused to answer, because we had many hard questions for him.
“It was until I issued the threat of warrant of arrest before he came, and I would’ve signed that warrant; it would have been the first time in the history of National Assembly that a CBN Governor would be arrested. I would have done it.
“Many have argued on the independence of CBN, the autonomy of CBN. That does not make CBN above the law.
“The Constitution gives the House the power to issue an arrest warrant against anyone. We can summon anybody, and that was exactly what the House was going to do until the CBN Governor came.
“So, we are watching, and we are monitoring very closely. If need be, we will reconvene the House, even though we’ve all been away for our elections. I will call the House back, if need be.”
Gbajabiamila also explained to the people about the concern of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress APC for the plight of Nigerians in the ongoing hardship brought by naira swap as he was the first to condemn it boldly and named those behind it while the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP commended the CBN for the policy and warned against further extension of deadline .
“On the currency swap, let me explain something to you. We are all very intelligent people. Many are suffering, we have paid your salary, and you cannot withdraw it; people cannot eat, what kind of thing is that?
“But I have news for you. There’s one man who is running for President of this country, and that man has courage and audacity.
“This man came out boldly and identified the problem, that the fifth columnists, in cooperation with the PDP are the ones trying to sabotage this election.
“Many have said he’s talking about Buhari, but he told them ‘no, I’m not talking about Buhari; I’m talking about fifth columnists.’
“If you don’t know the meaning of fifth columnists, go and check your dictionary. Fifth columnists infiltrate people, they even infiltrate families, otherwise how do you explain this type of policy?
“The President, being a compassionate person that he is, has asked for a few more days to look at everything that is going on and see if anything could change.
“We pray that things will change. If nothing changes, we will intervene again, but be sure of one thing: that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu stands with you and stands with Nigerians in their suffering.
“He was the first to shout that what is going on? He has cried, he has begged, he has screamed that people are suffering, what did the PDP Candidate say? He said, ‘no, CBN don’t listen to them; you must not extend this thing; let people continue to suffer.’ That is what the PDP candidate said. He said it publicly.
“So, you have the tale of two Presidential Candidates: one who stands with the people and says this currency swap must stop.
“The second one says, ‘no, it cannot stop, it’s a good policy. CBN, don’t listen to him. Let the people continue to suffer.’ I leave the rest to you to determine who is with you and who is against you,”
