…How He Runs Nigeria’s Apex Bank With His Own Cabal
By Según Oderinde
The governor of Nigeria’s Central Bank, Godwin Emefiele, lives in a goldfish bowl. As much as he tries to act like he is really in charge at the CBN, the more obvious it is that he is merely a pawn in a high-power game involving Nigeria’s mercantile power brokers. And if he thought he would be better off under President Muhammadu Buhari administration, reality must have set in now that those who called the shots under the previous administration were greenhorns compared to those in the corridors of power today.
The current powerbrokers understand military, political and economic powers and never dither to wield it to achieve their own ends. Just like the days of old, Emefiele now answers to more bosses than he ever envisioned. Emefiele is said to be servile and diffident, but it has been revealed to be a smokescreen that serves his purpose well.
Behind that facade of meekness and self-effacement is a man who has mastered the art of remaining under the radar while his trusted lieutenants run the show on his behalf but without any link to him except for those who are very discerning and have their ears to the ground. But the veil is off and those in the know have uncovered the men who Emefiele has been using as his own trusted aides. One of them is Abass Umar, the current Managing Director of the Nigeria Security Printing and Minting Company, NSPMC. They are both said to have met during their younger days as bankers. Umar was also with the CBN before Emefiele got him the NSPMC job for obvious reasons.
Another of Emefiele’s trusted friend and lieutenant is Eric Odoh-Ochoeme, the one said to be in charge of liaisons with politicians and businessmen on his behalf. His job is to wet the ground where necessary and close deals with the political class. Also on the list is Wilson Ndubuise-Udeh who is so well trusted that he is currently monitoring things for the CBN Governor in 9mobile, one of the GSM licensed operators in Nigeria where he is said to have very serious investment in the telecoms company. Abdullah Yola and one Ukeje are the men who run the show for the CBN Governor on the Forex front. Major transactions are directed their way by him and it is their duty to tidy such and report back to him appropriately. So also is Isa Funtua who is like a godfather to Godwin.
A well-rounded financial whizz who rose to become Group Managing Director at Zenith Bank, Emefiele runs a close-knit yet powerful cabal of his own and has been able to avoid any form of scrutiny due to his well-orchestrated outlook of a man that isn’t interested in anything but getting his job done and minding his business. Now, the world knows better what businesses he has been minding.
