Former Chief Executive Officer of the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria, Jim Obazee, has alleged slander against him over some imaginary financial impropriety, describing it as “outrageous falsehood.”
At a press conference in Lagos on Thursday, his lawyer, Anayo Mbah, claimed that the malicious effort was intended to poison the public’s perception of Obazee.
President Bola Tinubu designated Obazee as a special investigator to investigate the Central Bank of Nigeria and related companies on July 28.
His lawyer said there had been a series of negative narratives published by some online media to tarnish Obazee’s reputation since the announcement of his appointment.
Mbah said, “We challenge the peddlers of the false and malicious statements to produce the petition(s) and criminal charge(s) filed against Mr. Obazee, as well as the judgment(s) of the court convicting or sentencing him for any such criminal offences.
“We state categorically that what Mr. Obazee is aware of is a purely employment-related civil suit filed at the National Industrial Court by one of the employees of the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria for wrongful termination and other claims against FRCN, and wherein Mr. Obazee was joined as a party as the Chief Executive Officer. Judgment was given in the case, and FRCN and Mr. Obazee have since appealed against the decision of the National Industrial Court. There was never a criminal charge or conviction of Mr. Obazee in any court in Nigeria. The news is totally malicious and false.”