CBN Governor, Emefiele Excused From The U.S. Visit After Openly Disobeying Buhari
The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, on Tuesday hurriedly abandoned President Muhammad Buhari in the United States following his open admonishing of him on Monday. 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. Later that evening, he openly admonished 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 Mr. Ovia, who was the beneficiary of Mr. Emefiele’s efforts, has also left the US.
