The Presidency has dismissed as false and inaccurate reports that the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, could not account for N89.1 trillion in Stamp Duty payments collected by the bank.
According to reports, Gudaji Kazaure, a member of the House of Representatives from Jigawa, allegedly accused the CBN governor of attempting to conceal facts surrounding the collecting of the contentious sum in a viral video.
He further claimed that he was refused access to give a preliminary report of a committee formed by President Muhammadu Buhari to investigate suspected stamp duty payments withheld by the CBN.
In the viral video, Kazaure also requested the president to either allow him to give his report to Congress or to him or immediately order a thorough investigation of the alleged stamp duty funds.
However, Malam Garba Shehu, the president’s Senior Special Assistant on media and publicity, described the Kazaure’s Committee as illegal, saying the committee was dissolved on the directive of Buhari.
The statement read in part: “In the first instance, the committee on the alleged loss of stamp duty funds he is talking about is an illegal committee, it was dissolved on the directive of the president.
”Anyone familiar with our constitution will find it curious that a member of the Parliament is the Secretary of an Executive Committee.
”It suffices to say that the entire net worth of the nation’s financial sector, the assets of the banking sector put together are not worth N50 trillion, not to talk of the kind of money he is talking about.
”CBN assures that there is absolutely no problem, whatsoever, with money from Stamp Duties.
”There is a committee duly set up by the president in June 2020 chaired by the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice and the Secretary is the Chairman of the Federal Internal Revenue Service, FIRS that is currently reconciling the stamp duty accounts.”
Shehu stated that the task was not complete, adding, “as it is, there is nothing to lend weight to outlandish claims leveled against the government.”
The presidential adviser also claimed that previous examinations into the stamp duty accounts by government ministries and anti-corruption authorities had unearthed nothing unusual.
He said:” Following speculation and the many allegations, earlier investigations were commissioned by government departments and agencies. READ: Reactions as DMO Defends Nigeria’s Rising Public Debt
”These included the Ministry of Finance, the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Service, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation and nothing sensational had been discovered by them. Issues of reconciliation are being handled.
”As for Hon. Gudaji seeing the president, I like to assure that there is nobody that can stop him from seeing the number one citizen. Gudaji is a friend of the president.
”He sees him as many times as he wants and he is welcome to come and see him again and again.” # Alleged N89.1trn Stamp Duty: FG Defends Emefiele
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