Adebayo Shittu, a former Minister of Communication during the tenure of former President Muhammadu Buhari, expressed that the Buhari administration was rife with manipulations and deceitful approvals. Shittu made these remarks during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Tuesday. He revealed that individuals closely associated with Buhari exploited their positions to their advantage, resulting in a detrimental impact on the country’s economy. Shittu emphasized, “It is worth noting that there were numerous instances of manipulations, and reports suggest that many of the so-called approvals were not authorized by President Buhari himself.” In response to allegations that the Buhari government engaged in money printing to sustain the economy, Shittu reiterated, “There were widespread manipulations and deceptive approvals that were not sanctioned by the President. I can confidently assert that a large portion of these activities escaped his scrutiny. Certain individuals within the President’s inner circle leveraged their connections to the President and colluded with the former CBN governor.”
Shittu urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to thoroughly investigate the matter. He stated, “I implore the EFCC to conduct a comprehensive investigation into how these irregularities occurred without the President’s knowledge.”
It is worth mentioning that presidential spokesperson Ajuri Ngelale also disclosed that numerous approvals for fund disbursements from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) under Godwin Emefiele were not endorsed by Buhari. Ngelale highlighted, “President Bola Tinubu has repeatedly emphasized the discrepancies that took place under the previous administration. It is essential to acknowledge that he (Tinubu) recognizes more than anyone else that several approvals within the CBN that contributed to the current situation were not authorized by President Muhammadu Buhari and were done without his knowledge.”
Emefiele was appointed as the CBN governor by former President Goodluck Jonathan. Upon assuming office in 2015, Buhari chose to retain Emefiele as the head of the apex bank. However, Emefiele was relieved of his duties in June and is currently facing corruption-related charges.
