The President of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Otunba Oye, has called on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), to immediately investigate and prosecute those responsible for the $2.4b fake Forex claims.
The CBN governor, Olayemi Cardoso, had disclosed on Monday, during an interview on a television programme, that the apex bank, after an audit, discovered $2.4 billion fraudulent forex claims out of the total $7 billion backlog it owed.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the 12th President of the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) in Abuja on Thursday, Oye described the actions of those involved in the fake claims as ‘economic sabotage’, saying they deserved to be punished.
According to the NACCIMA boss, the culprits were part of the reasons for the pressure on the Naira and the current economic crisis in the country. He said: “The CBN governor has just told us that they have just done an audit through Delloit and that 2.4 billion people have been discovered as fake claims and they asked him on Arise what he would do and he just said, ‘I will let the people go home.’
“People that committed economic sabotage of 2.4 billion, put all of us in this crisis. They should be the ones we should be shaming to discourage and deter others from doing such. The rightful place for them is prison. They should go through the security agencies, proper investigation carried out in a fair process. Even the banks that are involved.”
On his part, the new ACCI president, Chief Emeka Obegolu pledged to make strategic adjustments that will positively influence policy formulation for the advancement of the organised private sector and overall prosperity of the country.
Obegolu appealed for the government to enhance collaboration and support for businesses by eliminating hindrances such as multiple taxation, power challenges, access to finance and issues in the production value chain.
According to him, “I have spent 25 years of my working life in the private sector. I understand that when government takes money out of the hands of people, it shrinks their disposable income. If they cannot buy things, the economy does not grow and we do not put Nigerians to work.”