Following controversies around the money printed by the Federal Government to the tune of N50-60 billion to support states’ allocations in March, the People’s Democratic Party has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to sack Minister of Finance, Hajiya Zainab Ahmed for “attempting to mislead Nigerians”.
Recall that, while Zainab denied claims of the federal government printing money for states to share, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Godwin Emefiele, said: “there’s no need for all the controversy around money printing as the concept of printing of money is about lending money.”
However, in a statement released on Friday 16 April by PDP’s spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan, the opposition party said “the admission by CBN Governor, Emefiele, that the apex bank has been printing money at the bidding of government, has vindicated its earlier stand that the Buhari-led APC administration is characterised by concealments, deceit, and falsehood.”
The statement read; “The PDP asserts that the admission by CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, that the apex bank has been printing money at the bidding of government, has vindicated its earlier stand that the Buhari-led APC administration is characterised by concealments, deceit, and falsehood.
“The PDP flays the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Hajiya Zainab Ahmed, for attempting to mislead Nigerians by denying the revelations by the Edo State, Godwin Obaseki, that N60 billion was printed in March to support federal allocation to states.
“A situation where the Federal Government cannot articulate and implement policies favorable to wealth creation but resorting to borrowing and indiscriminate printing of currency notes, only goes to further confirm that the Buhari administration lacks the credibility and capacity to run a nation.
“The PDP calls out Buhari to come clean on the amount that has been printed so far by the CBN to finance the deficit caused by the financial mismanagement of his government as well as what the funds had been used for.
“Furthermore, for failing the full disclosure test, the PDP demands that the Minister of Finance should immediately be relieved of her position, while the President accepts responsibility for the indiscriminate printing of currency in our naira.”
