Emefiele drops ₦25 billion damages on Akpabio for blaming him for Nigeria’s economic woes

Embattled former CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, has demanded the sum of ₦25 billion as damages from Senate President Godswill Akpabio over an alleged defamatory statement.

The demand was contained in a letter by Matthew Burkaa, counsel to Emefiele, which was made available to journalists on Wednesday, February 21, 2024.

Emefiele is also seeking a public apology from Akpabio following recent comments made by the Senate President regarding the former CBN governor’s tenure in office.

Recall on Sunday Nigeria’s Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, blamed Godwin Emefiele for the current economic woes and attendant hardship in the country due to certain monetary policies and actions he implemented during his tenure.

Akpabio had alleged during a thanksgiving service in Rivers State that certain monetary policies and actions implemented by Emefiele during his tenure have left behind a trail of multiple debts and an economic mess for the current administration to navigate.

Akpabio criticized Emefiele, highlighting the severity of the economic situation and emphasizing the challenges faced by Nigerians, including hunger and the struggle to afford three square meals a day.

“The kind of debts and economic mess that we are in, a lot of people do not understand”, he said, stressing that the “weak economy” inherited by the current administration is as a result of the policies implemented by Emefiele.

However Akpabio said the federal government is still undecided on which allegations to prosecute Emefiele for, citing options ranging from “illegal possession of firearm” and “printing notes without income”, among others.

Emefiele’s counsel noted the need for accountability in public statements, particularly from high-ranking officials, and called for a retraction of the remarks along with the demanded damages.