E-Customs Probe: Lawmakers Disagree with Colleague over Threat of Arrest Warrant against CBN Governor

Udora Orizu in Abuja

Members of House of Representatives Joint Committees on Customs and Excise, Finance and Banking and Currency, yesterday disagreed with its lead Chairman Hon. Leke Abejide’s (ADC, Kogi) suggestion that a warrant of arrest should be issued against the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele, over his repeated absence at hearings organised by the parliament.

The committee is currently probing the debacle between CBN/Technical Committee on Comprehensive Import Supervision Scheme (CISS) and Adani Mega System Limited hindering the take off of Nigeria Customs Services E-Customs modernisation project.

At the hearing, Abejide frowned at the absence of the governor of the CBN, who was scheduled to address the lawmakers.

He said the parliament could not continue to tolerate this, hence a warrant of arrest should be issued.

However, his colleagues opposed the suggestion, saying that they should be given opportunity to air their opinion on the decision or vote on the issue.

The members angrily insisted that their voices must be heard, and this prompted, a member Hon. Sada Soli, to plead for calm and closed door session.

After deliberating behind closed doors for about 10 minutes, the lawmakers resumed and said they have withdrawn the earlier decision to issue a warrant of arrest on Emefiele.

Abejide said: “Please, everything has been withdrawn behind closed doors and we resolved to withdraw the warrant of arrest earlier issued against the CBN Governor. But if anyone tries to look down on the parliament we will go ahead.

“We communicated with him twice. He said we should give him time, that he was having meetings with some governors. Even the director in charge of this guideline is out of the country. He wrote us officially. They said they didn’t see the second letter that we wrote informing them about this meeting. Now they are aware.”