by Azeez Adeniyi

Central Bank of Nigeria governor, Godwin Emefiele has said he would not appear before the House of Representatives over the $50m recovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission from an apartment at Osborne Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos.

The lower chamber had launched an investigation into the discovery, being conducted by House Committee on National Security and Intelligence chaired by an All Progressives Congress lawmaker from Zamfara State, Aminu Sani-Jaji.

The committee had summoned Emefiele thrice but he had refused to show up.

It also invited the suspended Director General of the National Intelligence Agency, Dr. Ayo Oke; the Acting Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu; and the National Security Adviser, Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno (retd.) to testify.

At the third sitting on Wednesday, the officials refused to appear before the committee.

Emefiele in a letter to the lawmakers said it was inappropriate for him to come because he would be in breach of the National Security Agencies Act.

In the letter, which was read out to members by Sani-Jaji, the CBN governor argued that the Act prohibited the disclosure of security information publicly.

He also said a committee headed by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo was already investigating the issue.

Sani-Jaji in his reaction said Emefiele was acting like ‘someone who lacks the capacity to differentiate between a legislature and the executive arm of government’.

Sani-Jaji stated, “This CBN governor doesn’t even know that there is something called separation of powers.”