Emefiele Is Nigerian, Not Igbo, by Aliyu U. Tilde

It’s appalling to see some people, mostly from Emefiele’s Igbo tribe, attacking any critic who says anything wrong about Emefiele’s tenure or supports his arrest. One can easily discern this going through the comments on @realFFK’s post on the matter this morning.

I want to make three points here:

Emefiele is Nigerian. He belongs to all of us. He is ours. He was one of the longest serving Governors of our apex bank. That puts him above the ownership of his tribe. Please do not demean him.

2. Emefiele is human. In his capacity as Governor he must have done many right things and, of course, some few wrong ones. History will be kind to him on his right actions, while the law will serve him the appropriate measure of its meal for the few wrong ones. Many public officers have faced the same fate. So let’s calm down. I’d rather pronounce his good at this moment than attack the critic that mentions his wrongs.

3. Emefiele was unlucky. He served under a tolerant boss that couldn’t protect him from the temptations of power and money. The restraining commands of a leader on his subordinates are equal to the saving hands of a mother for her baby before a fire. Unfortunately, Buhari didn’t serve that motherly role as the President and many of his officials will suffer the fate of Emefiele as a result. Buhari’s philosophy on this is nonchalant: “Oho. When they come knocking, everyone will account for his action.”

As the suspended CBN governor faces his trial and as the former Accountant General and others before him did, let us all be on the side of a Nigeria of accountability and rule of law and not on the side of ethnicity or crime. When the AG was arrested, no northerner attacked any of his critics on Twitter. That is the standard to meet regarding Emefiele.

Dr. Aliyu U. Tilde
10 June 2023