Whistle-blower George Uboh, Godwin Emefiele
By Our Reporter
The Chairman of George Uboh Whistleblowers Network, George Uboh has narrated how he spent 101 days in detention in 2019 on the order of the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele for exposing his (Emefiele’s) financial corruption.
Uboh narrated his ordeal to newsmen on Monday at a press conference held at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Utako, Abuja
He urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the International community to prosecute Emefiele for unleashing financial genocide on Nigerians due to his failed presidential ambition.
Addressing journalists in Abuja on Monday, Uboh said the cashless policy and naira swap by the apex bank under the watch of Emefiele was a crime against humanity and must be brought to justice.
He also asked law enforcement agencies to collaborate with the whistleblowers in solving crimes and recovering stolen funds.
Uboh highlighted the significance of whistleblowers in exposing corruption and wrongdoing and emphasised the need to shield them from retaliation.
He further urged the implementation and strengthening of the whistleblower policy, with the establishment of an independent office to safeguard and compensate whistleblowers.
He said his anti-corruption crusade network exposed Emefiele’s corruption regarding a forex fraud of over $3 billion via letters written to Emefiele on or about April 1, 2019.
According to him “On May 15, 2019, the day Emefiele appeared before the Senate for screening and clearance for his second tenure, I was arrested in my Maitama office. I was detained for 101 days for defamation of Emefiele’s rotten character. The then Chief Judge, FCT Ishaq Bello refused to hear my bail application. DIG Mike Ogbizi verbally denied me bail after I fulfilled the administrative bail granted to me by his men at force CID
“We conclude that Emefiele has committed a crime against humanity-the Nigerian masses. We hereby call on the international community to take cognizance of this crime as recognised by Nigeria’s Supreme Court. Emefiele unleashed financial genocide on the masses because he failed to become Nigeria’s President.
“We humbly request that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu directs law enforcement agencies to work with whistleblowers in order to solve crimes swifter, trace and recover mind-boggling funds stolen or trapped.
“Whistleblowers play a vital role in the fight against corruption, and it is crucial to protect them from adverse treatments and compensate them.
“Whistleblowers play a vital role in the fight against corruption, and it is crucial to protect them from adverse treatments and compensate them.”
He also demanded for the implementation of the whistleblower policy initiated by his the past administration, with an office (not domiciled in any ministry for sake of conflict of interest) to be headed by someone who has the capacity and passion to imbibe all the tenets of whistleblowing.
“On or about March 3, 2023, the Supreme Court directed the CBN to continue to receive the old notes in conjunction with the new notes. The court held that the directive for the redesign of the new notes and withdrawal of the old notes without due consultation is invalid.
“The court also condemned the disobedience of the court’s 8 February order that the old N200, N500, and N1000 notes should continue to circulate alongside the new ones; that the broadcast of 16 February, 2023 that only N200 notes should remain legal tender made Nigeria’s democracy look like a mere pretension while democracy is replaced with autocracy.
“It is not in doubt that the President refused to comply with the order of the court that the old 200, 500, and 1,000 naira notes should continue to be legal tender,” the court said. “Interestingly, there is even nothing to show that the directive for the release of N200 notes was implemented; that the policy has led to scarcity of currency notes, bringing untold hardship to millions of citizens in an economy significantly driven by the informal sector with a large proportion of unbanked persons.
“Given the Supreme Court’s order calling the policy surrounding the new notes undemocratic, autocratic, and recognizing the cruel and unusual punishment the policy has caused and is still causing the masses, we conclude that Emefiele has committed crime against humanity-the Nigerian masses” Uboh added
