The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has said no official of the apex Bank
engages or had engaged the services of any Private Jet operators since
2015.
Denying reports that the CBN Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele and members of
his family flew private chartered jet to the burial of his mother, Acting
Director, Corporate Communications, Mr Isaac Okoroafor, said in a
statement that neither the governor nor any of its top official had
engaged the services of chartered private Jets.
The Statement reads:
“The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has, for several years in the past,
used private and official chartered flights in making urgent travels to
meet needs in remote, not-easily- accessible locations or in cases where
timing might be critical to matters of urgent national importance.
“This practice was in place long before the assumption of office of the
current Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele. In fact it is on record that the
past two CBN Governors actively used chartered private jet services to
meet urgent national assignments.
“Indeed, in recognition of this critical need in its smooth operations,
the CBN had in the 1990s acquired a dedicated jet for this purpose and for
urgent currency movement. This was however taken over by the military
administration when there was a more urgent need for it at the State
House.
Thereafter, the CBN occasionally used the chartered services of private
operators and those of the Presidential Fleet when available, both of
which were paid for.
“However in 2015, in response to the economic downturn and the
cost-cutting stance of Government, Mr. Emefiele ordered the stoppage of
the use of chartered flights by the Bank. Since then, neither Mr. Emefiele
nor any of the Deputy Governors has used the services of private chartered
flights and the CBN has not paid a kobo for private jet services.
“Mr Emefiele and indeed other principal officers of the CBN have
religiously maintained the modest disposition of using regular flights,
including doing several trips by road to and from different parts of the
country.
“It is also important to note here that no private jet was used by Mr.
Emefiele, his immediate family, or indeed other principal officers of the
Bank during the burial of Mr Emefiele’s mother.”
FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF ANY DOUBT, IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT MR. EMEFIELE AND
HIS FAMILY FLEW A COMMERCIAL ARIK FLIGHT FROM LAGOS TO BENIN FOR THEIR
MOTHER’S BURIAL. All accounts still point to the fact that the Emefiele’s
mother’s burial was a model in cost-cutting and an uncommon demonstration
of his modest, “made in Nigeria” philosophy.
Isaac Okorafor, Ag. Director, Corporate Communications, CBN