A former Director of Currency Operations at the Central Bank of Nigeria, Ahmed Umar, has made a bombshell revelation in court, alleging that the immediate past governor, Godwin Emefiele, printed his own design of the naira currency without approval from the President.
Umar made the disclosure while testifying as a witness in a trial against Emefiele at the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Maitama. According to him, the design approved by President Muhammadu Buhari was significantly different from the one Emefiele ordered to be printed.
Specifically, Umar claimed that the approved design featured a QR code that was not present in the currency in circulation, and that the positioning of the portrait was on the right side, whereas the CBN-printed version had it on the left. Additionally, he stated that the number scheme approved by the President was different from what the CBN produced.
Emefiele was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on four counts of alleged wrongdoing in May. He denied the charges and was granted bail in the sum of N300 million.
The court is still deliberating on the matter, and it remains to be seen how Emefiele will respond to these allegations.
