The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), made up of the governors of the 36 States, have set up a 6-member committee to work with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) towards addressing anomalies in the country’s monetary management and financial system.
The committee arose from the first meeting of the governors in 2023 which was held in Abuja on Thursday, January 19.
The 6-member committee is to be Chaired by the Governor of Anambra State, Professor Charles Soludo, with the Governors of Akwa Ibom, Ogun, Borno, Plateau and Jigawa States as members.
A communiqué from the meeting said that the committee will engage the CBN in addressing anomalies in the country’s monetary management and financial system.
The Governors’ Forum, chaired by the Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, received a briefing from the Governor of CBN, Godwin Emefiele on the Naira redesign, its economic and security implications including the new withdrawal policy.
Governors stressed that they were not opposed to the objectives of the Naira redesign policy. “However, we observe that there are huge challenges that remain problematic to the Nigerian populace.
“In the circumstances, Governors expressed the need for the CBN to consider the peculiarities of States, especially as they pertain to financial inclusion and under-served locations.”
They resolved to, among others, work closely with the CBN leadership to ameliorate areas that require policy variation particularly the poorest households, the vulnerable in society and several other citizens of the country that are excluded.
The Governors also agreed to collaborate with the CBN and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) in advancing genuine objectives within the confines of the laws.
They however queried the recent NFIU Advisory and Guidelines on cash transactions, saying that such guidelines were outside the NFIU’s legal remit and mandate.
