Printing Of N60b: NEC Affirms Fg’s Position

The National Economic Council has affirmed that N60 billion or any other amount was not printed to shore up allocation for the month of March as wrongly insinuated in some quarters. 

After the initial hullabaloo that trailed the claim of Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, which has since been faulted by the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, the NEC met with the apex bank governor, Godwin Emefiele; and the finance minister on Thursday.

NEC, chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, with all 36 states governors as members, received presentations from Emefiele and Ahmed.

The Vice-President as well as the governors having critically reviewed the matter took a position today at the meeting that no amount was printed as claimed earlier by the Edo governor.

The Council expressed satisfaction with clarifications made by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum represented by its Chairman, Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, the finance minister and the CBN governor.

Both the minister and the CBN governor stated to the Council that the allegation of the printing of money to augment allocation was outrightly false.

The NGF also supported the conclusion and NEC affirmed same as the highest constitutional body tasked with economic affairs in the country, according to the Spokesman of the Vice President, Laolu Akande.

On the resolution of security concerns in parts of the country, the Council unanimously affirmed the unity of Nigeria and said it would adopt the report of the national town hall meeting on national unity and security held recently in Kaduna.

The Council, while welcoming the outcome of the town hall meeting, urged all states to hold wider consultations across the country and report back to NEC the outcome of the meetings. After this, a national consensus would be reached on the recommendations which included the adoption of State Police among other matters.