Buhari hailed for renominating Emefiele, asked not to fire service chiefs

President Muhammadu Buhari has again received a pat on the back over the reappointment of Godwin Emefiele as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for a final five-year term.

The Association of Nigerian Scholars in Diaspora, an umbrella organization of scholars in the Diaspora, which gave the commendation, noting that reappointment of Emefiele as the apex bank governor’s governor was indeed a welcome development that depicts a strong political will by the government of Nigeria towards re-positioning Nigeria to take its pride of place in the comity of nations.

The Association of Nigerian Scholars as a prelude delegated its committee on economic development that consists scholars versed in Economic Development to assess the tenure of Godwin Emefiele as the CBN governor in Nigeria and discovered that the Nigeria economy indeed gained substantial traction in the last four years and also commended the dexterity with which the governor of the CBN handled our economic crisis.

Bitrus Gwamna, president of the group ,in a statement on Sunday said it would have been counter-productive if President Muhammadu Buhari had effected a change in the leadership of the CBN, especially in this critical stage of our existence because the country just exited recession.

The group also cautioned the presidency against replacing the current security chiefs the country.

The statement reads:

The Association of Nigerian Scholars in Diaspora consequently wishes to charge President Muhammadu Buhari to continue to bring on board more seasoned individuals to assist in Nation building regardless of their ethnic or religious affiliations.

The reappointment of Godwin Emefiele as the governor of the CBN is indeed a step in the right direction, which should be replicated in other critical sectors such as security.

The Association of Nigerian Scholars in Diaspora also notes the invaluable efforts of the security agencies in curtailing the activities of criminal elements that have attempted to hold the country to ransom through their nefarious actions and inactions.

Worthy of mention is the role of the Nigerian Army in the fight against terrorism in Nigeria. The position of the Association of Nigerian Scholars in Diaspora is that the military hierarchy indeed displayed capacity and competence in arresting the various security challenges that almost brought the country to its knees.

Consequently, the position of the Association of Nigerian Scholars in Diaspora is that the various heads of the security agencies in Nigeria should be supported and not replaced in the critical point of our existence.

This is in our opinion is so, upon a careful assessment of how the Nigerian military has carried on with the fight against terrorism in North East Nigeria, as well as other militant groups in other parts of Nigeria.

The Association of Nigerian Scholars in Diaspora having assessed the performances of the Service Chiefs in Nigeria, unanimously agreed that President Muhammadu Buhari would indeed write his name in gold if he extended same gesture in the economy by the reappointment of Godwin Emefiele as CBN governor to the current set of Service Chiefs who by all parameters have performed creditably well in onerous task of keeping the country safe and secured.

It is necessary so due to the volatile nature of the security situation in Nigeria. And an attempt to tinker with the current security architecture might have some consequences, which in our opinion might rubbish all the gains that have been made in the fight against terrorism in Nigeria.

It is, therefore, the position of the Association of Nigerian Scholars in Diaspora that the Service Chiefs should be retained so that can consolidate in the gains made in the security sector in Nigeria.

The Association of Nigerian Scholars in Diaspora is in tandem with the position of the Senate of the National Assembly of Nigeria on the reappointment of Godwin Emefiele as the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

The Association of Nigerian Scholars in Diaspora wishes to state that President Muhammadu Buhari deserved commendation in the areas of the economy and security with the quality of appointments made so far, and having the will to resist political pressure to effect a change in the leadership of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

The Association of Nigerian Scholars in Diaspora sees the current Service Chiefs as the best in the annals of the country and highly recommends that just like in the case of the Central Bank of Nigeria, the status quo should remain for consolidation of the gains already made in the past four years in the sensitive security sector in Nigeria by the present administration.