The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, has hurriedly abandoned his role in the delegation of President Muhammad Buhari in the US following a public admonishing he got.
A Presidency source told SR that Mr. Emefiele asked to see President Buhari and then requested to leave for an “important” meeting in London. The President is said to have granted the request.
On Monday, the president had warned his aides against smuggling Nigerian businessmen into meetings during his visit. But Emefiele disobeyed that order. And later that evening, Buhari openly lambasted the CBN governor for smuggling the former Managing Director of Zenith bank, Jim Ovia, into a dinner organized by the US Chamber of Commerce.
Presidency sources said the CBN governor’s request to leave Washington DC came as a surprise, as he had not previously informed President Buhari of any other meeting he had to attend, especially one that would deprive the President of a prominent member of his delegation.
It is unclear as of the time of publishing this report if Jim Ovia, who was the beneficiary of Mr. Emefiele’s efforts, has also left the United States out of embarrassment.
