Former President Muhammadu Buhari has explained why he chose not to remove Godwin Emefiele from his position as governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), despite facing allegations.
Buhari stated in a memoir titled “Working with Buhari: Reflections of a Special Adviser, Media, and Publicity (2015–2023)” written by his former presidential spokesperson, Femi Adesina, that there was no evidence against Emefiele.
Buhari praised Emefiele’s Naira redesign policy, which he believed contributed to a fair general election in 2023.
Buhari also mentioned that those who opposed the policy were individuals who possessed excessive wealth. In chapter 12 of the book, Buhari clarified that the scarcity of money was not intentionally imposed to punish Nigerians.
He continued: “Democracy allows people to express their will, and we did not attempt to control them. People understood the implications of their choices, and we did not force them.
“My state, Katsina, showed the beauty of the whole system. In the presidential poll, the APC lost, but they came back to win the governorship. Maybe they took things for granted earlier because it was my state, and they thought they would win easily. People do not like being taken for granted.
“I met Emefiele in office when I came, and unless there was firm evidence against him, it would be unfair and an act of injustice to remove him, acting on hearsay.
