CBN: Senate to screen Emefiele in March

The Senate said on Sunday that the two nominees submitted by President Goodluck Jonathan to it for consideration as new Governor and Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, would be screened when the upper chamber resumed plenary on March 11.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Information, Media and Public Affairs, Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe, stated this in a telephone interview with our correspondent in Abuja.

He explained that the Senate could not act on the letters from the Presidency on the issue  because it was received on the day the  red chamber suspended plenary to enable the Senate committees to attend to the 2014 budget defence by the various agencies of government.

Abaribe said, “I don’t know the exact  date for the screening yet because we have suspended plenary until March 11.”

Jonathan had on Thursday last week  asked the Senate to confirm the appointment of the Chief Executive Officer/ Group Managing Director of Zenith Bank Plc, Mr. Godwin Emefiele,  as the new Governor of the CBN.

Jonathan also asked the upper chamber to confirm the appointment of an Executive Director of the First Bank Plc, Mr. Adekola Adelabu, as the Deputy Governor of the apex bank.

While Emefiele would replace Mallam Lamido Sanusi who is currently on suspension, Adelabu would take over from Mr. Tunde Lemo, who will soon retire from the bank.

The President, who stated this in two separate letters to Senate President David Mark,  explained that he was acting based on the provisions of Section 8 (1) and (2) of the CBN Act,  2007.

He said the action became necessary “in view of the fact that the tenure of the current CBN governor will end on June 1, 2014.”

The Senate in a reaction, declared that Jonathan acted within the ambit of his statutory function by suspending Sanusi.

Abaribe, while reacting to the suspension, said Jonathan by suspending Sanusi was well within the range of his statutory function as President.

He said, “The President only suspended Sanusi, he did not sack him. So, he acted accordingly.”

However, Abaribe informed that the only communication to the Senate in relation to the CBN was the forwarding of the name of the new CBN governor for confirmation by the Senate as well a new deputy governor.

“The new governor will only assume office at the expiration of Sanusi’s tenure in June,” he added.

Copyright PUNCH.