₦airaland Forum

Professor Kingsley Moghalu, a 2019 presidential candidate and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Deputy Governor from 2009 to 2014, will address the global controversy over the use of cryptocurrency at a forum of global leaders in cybertechnology in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The former CBN Deputy Governor will be a Keynote Speaker at the Cybertech Global Conference, the annual gathering of the world’s top leaders in the field of cybertechnology.

Moghalu was among the first Nigerians that disagreed with the Central Bank of Nigeria's decision to ban cryptocurrency-related transactions in Nigerian banks. Vice-President Prof Yemi Osinbajo later expressed the same position Moghalu took: that the risks of cryptocurrency should be managed and regulated rather than an outright ban from the banking system.

The CBN had ordered banks and financial institution in Nigeria to close the accounts of cryptocurrency traders.

Scheduled to take place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates from April 5-7, 2021, the Cybertech Global conference will review developments in the cybertechnology ecosystem and its applications to governance, national security, business investments, finance, and academia.

Moghalu will speak on “The Challenges and Opportunities of Cryptocurrency: A Global Perspective”. As a Deputy Governor of the CBN, Moghalu led the implementation of several reforms in the banking and payments system of Nigeria, including the development and introduction of the innovative unique identifier Bank Verification Number (BVN).

The reforms expanded financial inclusion and enabled the rapid growth of the financial technology (FinTech) industry in Nigeria.

Moghalu, who is the President of the Institute for Governance and Economic Transformation (IGET), a public policy think tank, is presently serving on a special assignment as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Special Envoy on Post-Covid Development Finance for Africa.

Other speakers at the Cybertech Global UAE will include: Dr. Mohammed Al-Kuwaiti, Head of Cybersecurity, UAE Government, General David Petraus (Rtd), Former Director of the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), General Wesley Clark (Rtd), Former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, Kyriakos Pierrakakis, Minister of Digital Economy of Greece, Tamir Pardo, Former Head of the Mossad, Israel, and Michelle Conninsx, Assistant Secretary-General and Executive Director, Counter Terrorism Executive Directorate, United Nations.

End sars: Kingsley Moghalu advises Nigerian youth to get involved in politics

Prof. Kingsley Moghalu, a former presidential candidate in the 2019 general elections, has advised youth in the country to join politics.

Moghalu said he stands in solidarity with the youth in their calls for the end of police brutality and bad governance in the country.

The former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, also decried the apparent impotence of Nigerian security agencies in the face of killer herdsmen and bandits and their quick response to quash peaceful protests.

The economist, however, pointed out that the #EndSARS protests, which Ordinarily represent a welcome awakening of Nigerian youth against bad governance, will not be enough to solve the problem of bad governance in the country.

He said that the best protest against underperforming governments in a democratic setting is the one at the ballot box, using the Permanent Voters Card (PVC).

In a statement he personally signed and made available to reporters in Abuja at the weekend, Moghalu noted that what Nigerians want at this point in time is a better governed country that creates real opportunities for our youth, who make up 65 percent of it's population of 200 million.

The former Deputy CBN Governor said that the future of Nigeria is bleak if the current trends of rising poverty, low-skilled youth, a dysfunctional education system, and high youth unemployment are not reversed.

"These also are aspects of our fundamental dignity that the #EndSARS protests seek to assert. Only an active and structural engagement with democratic politics by Nigerian youth can achieve the goals of #EndSARS. Protest simply isn’t enough," he said.

"I therefore call on Nigerian youth to focus their energy on: (1) strong advocacy and pressure to ensure that the National Assembly passes an electoral reform bill by mid-2021 that includes provisions for electronic transmissions of votes from polling units to the database of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and for Nigerians in diaspora to have the opportunity to vote from abroad; (2) voter registration en masse for the elections in 2023 and subsequent elections, and (3) structural participation in politics, i.e. joining political parties of their individual choice as members, voting, and standing as candidates in elections. All three approaches are essential. It is not enough to simply stand as candidates in the context of Not Too Young, which was nevertheless a commendable initiative," he added.

The former presidential candidate warned that Nigerian youth are likely to get the same outcomes as the Arab Spring countries if they continue to shy away from politics on the basis of weak excuses such as: 'our votes will not count', 'the elections will be rigged', among others.

He noted that with these excuses, the youth are surrendering their future to corrupt, incompetent and repressive political leaders, insisting that this should not be an option for the youth in the country.

Insecurity: Your failure to stop herdsmen impunities may lead to full-blown ethnic conflicts – Moghalu tells Buhari

Prof. Kingsley Moghalu, 2019 presidential candidate and former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has clearly told President Muhammadu Buhari that there are grave consequences of his government's failure to stop heinous crimes being committed by killer herdsmen and bandits across the country..

The former United Nations diplomat gave the warning in a statement he signed and made available for press.

Moghalu warned that the situation, if not controlled could result in a widespread ethnic conflict.

The new generation political leader
recalled his experience with such situations, including the Rwandan genocide and in other countries as a senior United Nation official in the 1990s.

"The failure of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to end the menace of criminal herdsmen and bandits throughout Nigeria has led to the stigmatization of the Fulani and other ethnic groups for the crimes of a few," Moghalu said.

According to him, the failure of Nigerian authorities to deploy effective security and law enforcement action against these criminals has created a dangerous vacuum that is increasingly filled, unsurprisingly, by self-defense measures by several communities across the country.

"This could lead to reprisals based on ethnic profiling. In this context, I deplore the recent killings of innocent Nigerians of Northern extraction in Oyo State," the former presidential candidate said.

Moghalu, who pointed out that he had played a role internationally to rebuild several failed states after destructive internal conflicts, called on Buhari to act decisively before it becomes too late.

He noted that at this point, the country has lost its monopoly of the use of force since killer herdsmen, bandits and other terrorists can free attack defenseless Nigerians without being brought to book

The former diplomat warned that no one should be above the country's laws, wondering why the authorities will appear impotent in cases involving killer-herdsmen and bandits but act decisively to squash peaceful protests by citizens.

Former Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN Deputy Governor, Kingsley Moghalu, has welcomed a Federal High Court order for the apex bank to unfreeze bank accounts of Endsars protesters.

The court, sitting in Abuja, had during the week ordered CBN to unfreeze the accounts of 20 people linked to last October's nationwide protests against police brutality and other national issues.

The CBN had earlier said that the protester's accounts were frozen because they were umder investigation

Moghalu, a 2019 presidential candidate, said the court's decision was in order in a statement he signed and made available to reporters on Friday.

"I welcome the decision of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which ordered the Central Bank of Nigeria to unfreeze the bank accounts of 20 #EndSARS protesters frozen late last year following youth protests against police brutality," he said.

The political economist further stated that it was a positive development that the apex bank and the affected protesters reached an amicable decision to end the legal dispute.

He described the court's decision as a victory for democracy, human rights and the rule of law, adding that citizens, including peaceful #EndSARS protesters, "have a constitutional right to protest provided such protest is conducted in a peaceful manner in furtherance of their right to free expression".

Following the renewed calls by youths to embark on another protest on Saturday to demand justice following the Lagos State panel of inquiry decision to reopen the Lekki Toll Gate, Moghalu warned the government against adopting repressive responses to peaceful protesters.

The youths, including some top celebrities in the country have vowed to return to Lekki Toll Gate where security forces opened fire on peaceful protesters in October 20, 2020, to demand justice.

"These accounts should never have been frozen in the first place. I urge our political leaders and public institutions, without prejudice to the need to maintain public order, to engage peaceful protesters on the substance of their grievances, and to resist the temptation to resort to repressive measures. This is part of what the principles of democracy requires", he said.

bobman22:
I have constantly reviewed some of sources of these beauty queens and traces none to any valid thing.

E sure me die say na one of these sponsors go dey chop this one give am money for project

Samsonmike22:
This guy looks like a womanizer. He actually said he wants to date Tacha so I don't expect anything less from him..