'Emefiele committed crime against humanity' - Wole Soyinka breathes fire over Naira swap policy

Literary icon and Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka, has accused the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) of committing crimes against humanity with the institution's controversial naira swap policy.

Speaking on Channels Television, Soyinka said the CBN naira swap policy which was introduced months before the general elections was criminal.

The renowned writer said Emefiele went over and beyond with what he described as electoral foul play.

He said: “Emefiele has committed a crime against humanity, over and beyond even any electoral mago mago (foul play).

“He struck at the heart of the subsisting survival principles, minimal needs and entitlements of the ordinary people in the street.”

Emefiele worked with his boss to allow Nigerians to suffer Further accusing the CBN governor of working with President Muhammadu Buhari to allow Nigerians to suffer throughout the money scarcity period, the literary icon said he also had his fair share of suffering over the naira swap policy.

He added: “Don’t bully me. Don’t take my voice away. Don’t take my economic potential away, my economical entitlements. Don’t throw me on the mercy of sadists like Emefiele."

“He and his boss, Buhari, because ultimately responsibility rests with him [Buhari] to have allowed this to happen. But he [Emefiele] is the expert. He’s the one who gives the advice, he’s the one who executes the policies.

“Even a few days ago, when I sent a text to the bank and a cheque came back, they had no cash. “One of the bankers eventually brought me something from his own stash and explained to me what had been going on, how they would sit and wait for money to come.

“You can’t buy a newspaper. You can’t buy guguru (popcorn) and epa (grounduts), which means that you cannot pay for the plantain; which means that the farmer cannot even pay for transportation of the goods from his farm to the [markets].”