The National Economic Council (NEC) has affirmed that there was no printing of N60 billion or any other amount whatsoever to shore up allocation for the month of March.
This was the position of the state governors after a critical review of the claim during the NEC meeting chaired by the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, on Thursday.
They took the decision following presentations from the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed; Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, and Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), Kayode Fayemi.
In their remarks, the minister and the CBN governor informed the Council that the allegation of the printing of money to augment allocation was outrightly false.
The NGF chairman also supported the conclusion while NEC affirmed same as the highest constitutional body tasked with economic affairs in the country.
“The Council expressed satisfaction with clarifications made by the NGF represented by its Chairman, Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State; Finance Minister, Zainab Ahmed, and the Central Bank Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, on the alleged printing of N60 billion by the Federal Government,” said a statement by the Vice President’s spokesman, Laolu Akande.
On the resolution of security concerns in parts of the country, the Council unanimously affirmed the unity of Nigeria and said it would adopt the report of the national townhall meeting on National Unity and Security held recently in Kaduna.
It welcomed the outcome of the townhall meeting and urged all state governments to hold wider consultations across the country and report back to NEC on the outcome of the meetings.
According to Akande, a national consensus will be reached thereafter on the recommendations which included the adoption of state police, among other matters.
The meeting attended by many of the state governors, also had in attendance the ministers of transportation, information, aviation and water resources, as well as the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning.
