Weeks after suspending the governor of Nigeria’s central bank, CBN, President Bola Tinubu has appointed a financial investigator Jim Obazee to look into the institution, according to a copy of a letter the president released on Sunday.
Godwin Emefiele was arrested by state security after being suspended by Tinubu on June 9 for allegedly misusing funds and committing a “criminal breach of trust.” Emefiele appeared in court last week to contest charges of illegally possessing a gun and ammo.
In a letter dated July 28, Tinubu named the chairman of Nigeria’s Financial Reporting Council as special investigator of the CBN and other state-owned companies. According to the letter, the investigator must give the president weekly reports.
“You are to investigate the CBN and related entities using a suitably experienced, competent and capable team and work with relevant security and anti-corruption agencies to deliver on this assignment,” Tinubu said.
Jim Obazee is to “provide a comprehensive report on public wealth currently in the hands of corrupt individuals and establishments.”
The letter’s veracity was confirmed by a source close to the presidency. In a move he hopes would spur growth, Tinubu has started the nation’s most audacious reforms in decades. These include eliminating a fuel subsidy and loosening limitations on foreign exchange trading.