….as Reps say policy unpopular, threat to elections
NOSA EGHAGHA
The National Security Adviser (NSA), Maj Gen Mohammed Babagana Mongunu (Retd), says the ongoing cashless policy is critically affecting military operations in some areas, pointing that soldiers in battle fronts are having financial difficulties.
Mongunu said this when he appeared before the House of Representatives ad-hoc committee on the new cash policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), in Abuja, on Thursday.
The NSA, represented by Rear Admiral Abubakar A. Mustapha, Director in charge of elections and other security exigencies in his office, appealed to the legislature to evolve practicable solutions to the attendant economic crisis arising from the scarcity of the redesigned Naira notes.
Speaking shortly before the meeting went into a closed door session, Mongunu’s representative said: “I am Director, office of the NSA. My mandate in the office actually is defence affairs.
“We actually chair the secretariat that conducts general security appraisal Committee which specifically focuses on elections and other security situations that might come up from time to time. I want to also, apologize on behalf of my boss who is unavoidably absent.
“He, Mongunu, left the country yesterday, Wednesday on a very special meeting and because he holds this committee in very high esteem he called and directed that I represent him.
“So, there is no written mandate. It was a verbal instruction that was given to me to attend this committee because he said somebody must attend. He understands the severity of the situation in the country and that is why he said someone must attend.
“Because of the sensitivity of some of the information that will come bothering on security, there are things you cannot say in the media.
“That being said, globally, military operations even in the first world countries, such policies if not well thought out will affect some certain things because some of our soldiers are deployed in places where they cannot actually access digital means of paying whatever daily subsistence.
“One of the main issues that the NSA has been talking about is that this committee sits down and articulate better ways of addressing these issues and he has directed committee in his office which I am part of, to write out his position to assist the committee to meet its mandate.
“On more detailed level, I will be able to talk to the committee when the press leave.”
Earlier in his remarks, majority leader of the House and chairman of the committee, Alhassan Ado-Doguwa said the meeting was in line with the mandate given to them by the House to interface with relevant agencies on the Naira redesign.
Doguwa said the CBN policy was unpopular and had subjected Nigerian to untold hardships, adding that it was a threat to the general elections.
“I believe members would recall that on the last day of our sitting before we went for break, on the submission of our report, the House through the Speaker gave this committee an extended mandate to continue to follow up this matter so as to see to the implementation of this very important policy effective.
“We are therefore mandated to continue to follow up not only with the CBN as an agency or as a major regulator of our financial system but to follow up with all other relevant agencies that may have fallen in one way or the other important in the discussions before us.
“The policy is undoubtedly very unpopular among the people. It has created a lot of hardships among our people and in the economy. The policy has posed a lot of threat to our security and of course, the upcoming general election coming in the next few days.
“The committee also decided to invite the chief executive of the printing and minting company, the NSA, and of course, the chairman of the National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“This we thought could provide an insight for the committee to come up with issues and find out some facts as to how we move ahead while we handle this assignment. The overall interest like I have always said is for us to come up with facts that will ultimately guide the House and through the speaker we take the necessary actions.”
The majority leader also said the invitees would appear before the committee on Friday, warning against dishonouring the invitation.
“We have received communication from the printing and minting company through the MD who has also promised to make it unfailingly 11am tomorrow,” he said.
Briefing newsmen after the closed door session, Doguwa said the committee would be forced to use the legislative instrumentality to cause appearance of any invitee that refused to honour the invitation.
“We gave the NSA office the leverage to be heard in executive. It’s because basically some of the questions we asked answers are expected from him, were classified questions or classified responses.
“On that note I will like to say to the public, yes, we have interfaced with the office of the NSA with regards to the mandate of the committee.
“And like I said, we took in confidence some.of the responses that he gave which of course will be very useful to the Committee and definitely will guide the committee when it come to writing the report that we will lay on the floor of the House of Representatives.
“Of course, we will continue to engage with them. Perhaps, we will call the Central Bank Governor once again, to address this Committee based on other points and facts we have extracted from the NSA,” he said.
While addressing the NSA’s representative, Doguwa noted that the Committee will still invite the NSA if the Committee has cause to clarify the issues of concern and “respond to few other questions that you might not have addressed, definitely we will do that.”
The majority leader acknowledged that two heads of the agencies invited to appear before the Committee sent communication to conveyed their inability to appear on Thursday, warning that the House will not hesitate to invoke relevant sections of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to compel their appearance.
“The Ministry of Finance through the Minister, I believe they coordinate and direct the fiscal policy of the country and this is a matter that has direct implications on our fiscal policy as it relates to the economy and the cashless policy that is being contemplated for whatever reason.
“So the Ministry of Finance is very key and critical and we are giving them till tomorrow to appear before this all important Committee. And anybody failing to come then definitely the House through this Committee will definitely be forced to employ the means of instrumentality of the legislative tools to ensure their appearance before the Committee.”
According to him, the CBN Governor was not invited to appear before the Committee on Friday but the Director of Currency Operation in the CBN was invited to appear before the panel.
