Senate President, Godswill Akpabio asserted during a thanksgiving service hosted by Senator Barinada Mpigi in Koroma, Tai Local Government Area of Rivers State on Sunday, that the current administration, under Bola Tinubu’s leadership, inherited a dire economic situation caused by policies implemented by the former governor of the Central Bank, Godwin Emefiele.
Akpabio emphasized the severity of the economic challenges faced upon assuming office, likening it to a state of turmoil.
“So, the kind of debt and economic mess that we are in, a lot of people will not understand but I remember President Obama saying that you cannot know Washington until you get to Washington.
“So, by the time we went in to look at the economic situation of the country, it was terrible. You know that the former governor of the central bank, we did not even know what to charge him with. Whether to charge him for putting foam on top of the bill or to charge him for illegal possession of firearm or to charge him for printing notes without income, I don’t know what we are going to charge him with.
“But what we can is that yes there is hunger today because of the policies and actions that they took, and we recognise that, and I think every political party should recognise that there is hunger, and we are battling to ensure that Nigerians sleep with their eyes closed,” Akpabio said.
Acknowledging the prevailing hunger in the country, Akpabio attributed it to past policies and actions, affirming the government’s commitment to addressing insecurity and ensuring adequate food supply for Nigerians.
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He urged patience from the populace, emphasizing that the deep-seated issues accumulated over several decades cannot be resolved within a short timeframe.
“Yes, there is insecurity, we are battling to ensure that Nigerians can take three square meals a day. But be rest assured that we campaigned for this job, we campaigned around the country, we will not let you down, we will get to the bottom of it, all we need is your patience.
“That rots that have happened in Nigeria for so many years for almost 60 years cannot be solved in six months,” he said.
Meanwhile, following Emefiele’s removal as the CBN governor by Bola Tinubu in June 2023, the former governor faces prosecution by the Federal Government on charges related to financial crimes.
The charges against Emefiele were recently amended, increasing from six to twenty counts, including allegations of breach of trust, forgery, conspiracy, and procurement fraud.
