17 days to the general election, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, has assured that cash would be made available for payment of the service providers and added that the apex bank would not allow itself to be used to frustrate the efforts of the electoral body.
Bellnewsonline.com reports that the CBN governor gave the assurance on Tuesday in Abuja when he hosted the delegation from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) led by its Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu.
Emefiele promised that the apex bank would do everything possible to support the 2023 election, stressing that it has never failed Nigerians.
He said: “Now, just aside from the issue of storage of election materials and together with transportation of these election materials from CBN locations to your own specific or designated locations; where do you want these materials to be?
‘’I know that just a few months ago, I visited your office and you raised the issue of how foreign exchange can be procured for you to import your BVAS and other election materials that need to be imported. And I give you my word that foreign exchange will be provided for that purpose.
“I stand here or I sit here to confirm that today, not $1 is owed. All the dollars that are needed to import those items have been provided and those items have been imported.
“So, it is all part of our commitment.
“Now this issue of payment and logistics for people who are going to be transporting election materials, even to visit wards; the assurance I give to you is that because we regarded the INEC project as a topmost or urgent national assignment, it cannot fail and the central bank would not allow itself either to be used or itself to be seen as an agent that frustrated a positive outcome of that election.’’