Cardoso Slams Emefiele Says His Policies Put CBN In Bad Light

Governor of the Central Bank Of Nigeria, CBN, Olayemi Cardoso, has berated his predecessor, Godwin Emefiele for undertaking policies which put the country’s apex bank in a bad light in the past few years.

Cardoso noted that the CBN suffered from corporate governance failures, diminished institutional autonomy, a deviation from the core mandate, and unorthodox use of monetary tools due to some policies of the ex-governor.

He made this known on Friday while delivering a speech at the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria’s (CIBN) 50th-anniversary event.

He said one of the significant challenges for the apex bank in the past few years was an inefficient and opaque foreign exchange market that hindered clear access and a foray into fiscal activities.

He said, “I am aware that events over the past few years have also put the CBN in a bad light. These issues can be attributed to various factors, such as corporate governance failures, diminished institutional autonomy of the Central Bank of Nigeria, a deviation from the core mandate of the Bank, unorthodox use of monetary tools, an inefficient and opaque foreign exchange market that hindered clear access, a foray into fiscal activities under the cover of development finance activities.

“There was also a lack of clarity in the relationship between fiscal and monetary policies, among other challenges.

“Hitherto, the CBN had strayed from its core mandates and was engaged in quasi-fiscal activities that pumped over N10tn into the economy through almost different initiatives in sectors ranging from agriculture, aviation, power, youth and many others. These distracted the Bank from achieving its objectives and took it into areas with limited expertise,” he said.

Cardoso, however, promised that the issues affecting the Bank would be tackled under his watch.

He said, “Under my leadership, the Central Bank of Nigeria will vigorously address these issues. We will tackle institutional deficiencies, restore corporate governance, strengthen regulations, and implement prudent policies. We assure investors and the business community that the economy will experience significant stability in the short-to-medium term as we recalibrate our policy toolkits and implement far-reaching measures.”