December 22, (THEWILL) – Lord Daniel John Hannan, the Baron of Kingsclere, a member of the UK House of Lords and Adviser to the UK Board of Trade has called for global support for the independence of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and its Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, following the attacks on the governor by Nigeria’s secret police, Department of State Services (DSS) over the redesign of the naira and the implementation of the cashless policy of the reserve bank.
THEWILL writes that the DSS had in a secret court application which was struck down by the head of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, sought the approval of the court to arrest and detain Emefiele over a phoney charge of being a terrorist and financier of terror.
According to a statement by Lord Hannan Wednesday which was obtained by THEWILL, the Trade Adviser said he raised the issue during Wednesday’s session at the House of Lords.
“The rule of law, due process and the independence of public officials: these values matter. They bind us together as Commonwealth nations.
“I am not Nigerian. It is not for me to say whether it was time for a redesign of naira notes, or whether such a change will make elections cleaner. But I do feel that friends of Nigeria, and friends of Nigerian democracy, should defend the rule of law there.
“At a time when democracy is in retreat globally, we all have a stake in Nigeria’s success. The country is Africa’s greatest economy, Africa’s greatest population and Africa’s greatest hope.
“That is why I have raised the issue of the attempt to detain the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, in Parliament. And that is why I hope that democrats on all sides will join Nigeria in supporting the independence of its institutions in the run-up to the 2023 election – including, of course, the central bank,” the statement said.
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