A group under the auspices of Network for Election Education, Sensitization and Awareness has called for the sack of the Controller General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali (Retd) and the Central Bank Governor ,Mr. Godwin Emefiele for failing to use their offices to improve standard of living of poor Nigerians.
According to the group , Nigerians are facing untold hard because the duo are working out of the policy thrust of the President Muhammadu Buhari led All Progressives Congress (APC) government
Addressing a press conference on State of the nation ahead the 2023 general elections at his Kaduna office , National Chairman of Network for Election Education, Sensitization and Awareness ,Engineer (Kailani Muhammad said after a careful scrutiny of the two critical sectors on issues of performance and execution of government policies ,they have failed and should resign or be sacked immediately .
Kailani who started with the Custom Boss said , his recent allegations against the NNPC Ltd and its Group Chief Executive, Mele Kyari, without proof to substantiate is a clear evidence that he has overstayed his welcome in office .
He further said , ” The accusations he leveled merely suggested how desperate he was at covering his failings as Controller General of the Nigeria Custom Services due to his inability to tame the wide allegations of corruption in the service, as well as his poor handling of the nation’s borders.
“The Custom Services under him is regrettably in its worst period, unable to root out the corrupt practices and to manage the nation’s borders very well.
“At a point in time, a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Fadahunsi, and the Vice Chairman Senate Committee on Customs Senator Fadahunsi had to call on President Muhammadu Buhari to relieve Hameed Ali of his position in order to save the organization from further drift.”
He However said ,”While the custom services continue to drift under Hameed Ali’s watch who apparently uses “military approach” to the organization that requires professional handling, Kyari has positive things to offer to the country, hence the best option is to ease Hameed Ali out and have a professional that can manage the organization very well as a round peg in a round hole.”
While noting that the NNPC is now a private venture, operating as a business body in line with the best global practices, he said Mele Kyari who has been driving the organization with efficiency, passion and determination to turn it around as one of the best Petroleum Company in the world is still holding forte, a development that is giving hope to every stakeholder in the industry and at international level.
He posited that the Kyari administration has propelled NNPC to greater heights and the organization is being run as a successful profit venture.
Speaking on the dwindling fortune of naira , Kailani said the Central Bank Governor , Emefiele has failed to demonstrate competence to save the nation’s currency from further devaluation, making life so difficult to the common man.
” This is part of reasons we have asked President Buhari should show him way out for his ineptitude, inefficiency and ineffective handling of the apex bank.
According to him,the situation is becoming unbearable for the common man because price of food ; transportation, and basic necessities of life
For him, it is unacceptable that the official exchange rate of Naira to a dollar now at above N400, while in the parallel market it reached up to N700 and heading towards N1,000 so rapidly
He however, commended the Senate for taking measure to address the problem .His words: “It is a welcome development that the Senate has moved positively to whittle down the powers of the CBN Governor by revisiting the law that established the Apex Bank.
“Now that the Senate has taken up the issue appropriately by moving to amend the law establishing the apex bank, Emeifele should either shape up or ship out honourably.”
“He has apparently failed to rise to the challenges of his office. Rather than focus on making the nation’s currency strong in the global economy, he regrettably, at a time became so partisan politically by wanting to become the next president and was very unmindful of his responsibility as the head of the nation’s apex bank. “