The Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Godwin Emefiele, is under intense pressure to lift ban on 41 items prohibited from sourcing forex from the Apex Bank to import.
Prompt News Online can authoritatively reveal that the Ministers of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, Trade and Investments, Dr. Okechukwu Elenemah, Comptroller General of Customs, Hameed Ali and some powerful traditional rulers are allegedly behind the pressure on the CBN helmsman.
It was gathered that these powerful top government functionaries and their collaborators outside government have vowed to get Mr. Emefiele removed from office.
Our findings however, revealed that President Muhammadu Buhari, who strongly believes that Nigeria must depend less on importation is behind the CBN Governor.
The President is also said to have resisted mounting pressure on him from the powerful cabal feeding fat on the ‘Old Order’s to sack Mr. Emefiele.
The 41 items banned from benefitting from foreign exchange at the Nigeria foreign exchange window are rice; cement; margarine; palm kernel/palm oil produce/vegetable oil; meat and processed meat products; vegetables and processed vegetable products; poultry-chicken, eggs, turkey; private airplanes/jets; indian incense; tinned fish in sauce (Geisha)/sardines; cold rolled steel sheets; galvanized steel sheets; roofing sheets and wheelbarrows.
Others are head pans; enamel wares; steel drums; steel pipes; wire rods deformed and not deformed); iron rods and reinforcing bars; wire mesh; steel nails; security and razor wire; wood particles boards and panels; wood fibre boards and panels; plywood boards and panels; wooden doors; furniture; toothpicks; glass and glassware; kitchen utensils; tableware; tiles-vitrified and ceramic; textiles; woven fabrics; clothes; plastic and rubber products, cellophane wrappers; soaps and cosmetics; tomatoes/tomato pastes; and euro bonds/foreign currency bond/share purchase.
Also, our findings revealed that CBN, is insisting that the ban on the items will help conserve foreign reserves as well as facilitate the resuscitation of domestic industries and improve employment generation.
But, in pushing for the unbanning of the 41 items from benefitting from Forex, the Ministers and Customs CG, Ali, are said to be citing the present economic hardship on the masses as reasons why they want the items unbanned by the apex bank.
Sources close to the Presidency told our correspondent that if Emefiele bows to pressure and lift the ban on the 41 items, the nation’s economy would be doomed, adding that the farmers and stakeholders in the small and medium scale sector who are gradually finding their feet in the country would be unable to function thus fast-tracking the nation’s journey to total economic collapse.
Also, the source posited that those urging the CBN boss to unban the prohibited items are “selfish and self serving”, adding that an attempt to lift the order on the 41 items would help to compound Nigeria’s economic problems.
“Their argument is that since Nigerians are facing difficult times now, these 41 items should be removed from the prohibited lists. They are embarking on campaign of blackmail to convince Mr. President to compel Mr. Emefiele to rescind the ban order.
“They are employing every means to achieve their selfish aims but I can tell you that the president would not agree to this temporary relief measure.
“The president strongly supports the CBN anchor borrowing program designed to grow the agricultural sector and we are having positive results. Kebbi and Lagos are growing rice. Other states are following suite.
And from statistics available, Thai rice Farmers were only able to import about 58,000 metric tons of rice to Nigeria in 2016 because we are gradually becoming self sufficient in rice production. This is the direction we should be looking and not going back to unban the 41 items that we can produce locally,” the source said.
The source who lamented the roles of the three Buhari appointees in undermining the president’s economic recovery programme, said “It is sad that Adeosun, Enelama, Ali and these unnamed traditional rulers are calling for this reversal.
“Who are they really working for? For the Nigerian people or for a few cabals serving their interests? This is the tragedy of our country.
“I can’t imagine a minister or any political appointee of this government calling for the unbanning of the 41 items under the prohibition list? This is really sad.”
