TheCable

Femi Gbajabiamila, speaker of the house of representatives, on Tuesday, met with President Muhammadu Buhari.

The meeting was held behind closed doors at the presidential villa.

In a tweet on Tuesday, Gbajabiamila said the issues discussed with the president would be addressed by the lower legislative chamber before the end of the year.

“I met with Mr President this afternoon to discuss important national issues to be addressed by the house of representatives before the end of the year,” he wrote.

Gbajabiamaila, who earlier attended plenary on Tuesday, said the house is expected to embark on its December break on Thursday.

TheCable understands that the meeting with Buhari may not be unconnected with the recent controversy involving Godwin Emefiele, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Emefiele has been in the news lately over the CBN’s new cash withdrawal policy.

The apex bank had directed all banks and other financial institutions to ensure that over-the-counter cash withdrawals by individuals and corporate entities do not exceed N100,000 and N500,000, respectively, per week.

The CBN also directed that only N200 and lower denominations should be loaded into banks’ ATMs.

Following the varied reactions over the policy, the house of representatives summoned Emefiele and asked the CBN to suspend the policy.

But the CBN governor has failed to appear before the lawmakers twice, saying he is on official engagement abroad.

The row over Emefiele’s snub of the green chamber came hours after a federal high court in Abuja declined an application by the Department of State Services (DSS) to arrest and detain him.

The court had said there was no concrete evidence to substantiate the claim that the CBN governor was involved in terrorism financing and economic crimes.

See photos of the meeting between Buhari and Gbajabiamila below.

President Buhari with Gbajabiamila. PHOTO: SUNDAY AGHAEZE

PHOTO: SUNDAY AGHAEZE

PHOTO: SUNDAY AGHAEZE