Officials of the State Security Service, SSS, have seized the travelling documents of suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, shortly after he arrived Lagos from Niger, where he had gone to attend a meeting of governors of central banks in the West African sub-region.
Shortly after his plane landed at the ExecuJet Terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, he was accosted by plain clothe operatives who detained him briefly and insisted he must surrender his passport.
They also insisted that he would not be allowed to leave the airport until the Lagos state director of the SSS arrives.
But after a while, the operatives had a change of heart after communicating with their superiors. The CBN governor was allowed to leave but only after his passport was confiscated.
It was widely reported in the media about plans to arrest Mr. Sanusi on his return to the country from neighbouring Niger early thursday.
The governor was suspended in absentia, while attending a three-day meeting of the West African Central Bank Governors.
The embattled governor had himself became aware of the plan to arrest him, compelling him to change his travel plans.
He landed in Lagos instead of Abuja.
In Lagos, Mr. Sanusi’s associates and friends, led by a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nasir El-Rufai, were on hand to receive him at the airport.
They drove out of the airport in a convoy heading towards Ikoyi. A member of the delegation said Mr. Sanusi was heading to a friend’s place to relax.
Earlier today, the President ordered the immediate suspension of Mr. Sanusi from office, saying his tenure had been characterized by various acts of financial recklessness and misconduct inconsistent with the administration’s vision of a Central Bank propelled by the core values of focused economic management, prudence, transparency and financial discipline.
However, many Nigerians believe the CBN governor was axed because he exposed the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, as an harbinger of corruption and financial mismanagement, diverting huge federal revenues accruing to the nation from the sale of crude oil.
Mr. Sanusi says as much as $20 billion oil money is missing.
The President, in a statement by Reuben Abati, his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, ordered the Central Bank governor to hand over to the most senior Deputy Governor of the bank, Mrs. Alade who will serve as Acting Governor until the conclusion of ongoing investigations into alleged breaches of enabling laws, due process and mandate of the Central Bank. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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Sanusi himself is a criminal, and unstabled accountant who cannot give out accurate figure of missing money $49b, $10b, $20b and another time u said the account is ok, wth these analysis u gave is very difficult for even childrens to believe u as an accounting officer, Sanusi was my mentor bt wth ur analysis u have lost ur honour as public figure
ReplyDeleteHes Boko H sponsor they should arrest the criminal
ReplyDeleteIn u people dictionary everybody is BH sponsor,BH this BH is that,in fact if not that u pple are daft is that word meant to be associated with normal pple? A sect that are blood thirsty! Killing pple! Every little accusation in the news towards any personality u pple response is always 'he's BH or he's BH sponsor' I think u guys are loving that word(BH)
ReplyDeleteDude I agree with you! And they don't acuse people like the former govnor of bayelsa who looted rather a notherner all the time. The really are illetrate I swear mtsw
DeleteIt is unfortunate that Sanusi does not understand the modality for remitting crude oil sales revenue into the Federation Account as CBN governor. The correct figure was 618.55 million barrels, an understatement of 4.13% by him. Revenues from crude oil lifting are in categories; equity crude collected by NNPC ; Petroleum Profit Tax by FIRS, royalty by DPR, third party financing for research by NPDC. They remit differently to the federation account. I am of the opinion that a governor should be thorough before going to the press. From almost $50b which about N8.5trillion 2yrs budget to $12b then $10.8b now $20b. Haba Mallam Sanusi!
ReplyDeleteHe is quick to go the press just like he did during the banking reforms that almost destroyed the economy. Any policy that leads to massive unemployment is a bad one. Everything can't be risk management. The greater risk is to have over 40000 persons lose their jobs and destroying 5 banks. Please read Utomi's article. On the NNPC, we should realize that such anomaly as is in the NNPC books is an indictment to the CBN. Rather than report the short period he did, he should report even past administrations. It is only then that he would sound unbiased. During Yar 'adua's tenure he didn't report.
A CBN Governor should not be so enmeshed in politics. Sanusi Lamido Sanusi's employers are even late in calling him to order. He should be aware of the consequences of his actions. There is a deliberate reason why the Governor of the Bank of England and the U.S. Chairman of the Federal Reserve hardly talk. In economics, action speaks not words
Finally Sanusi's job is more than banking regulation, it is management of the economy. Look at the rate of inflation, how much naira has fallen against dollar yet he still hoards dollars. Elementay economics should teach him that the scarcer the dollar the more it rises against naira yet he shouts about. The same decay in NNPC was in PHCN, NITEL, NRC and is in the present CBN etc. Fiscal responsibility at all levels is desirable but has to be gradual. A govt appointee shld not be a whistle blower but shld work to quietly to correct anomalies while protecting the govt he serves. Sanusi leaves CBN as the worst Governor ever.
If CBN duty is to manage economy then what is finance minister and economic budget planing duty then? Everywhere else in the world CBN manage funds arising from a country productive economic activity! But in naija we CBN and banks to generate economic activity from finance! What a daft set of brains a lot of naija political and people are! 2013 audit report of CBN is ready but NNPC ac has not been audited since 2005! So what is that? Financial 'gentility!? When some academic in USA projected naija may scatter by 2015 we dey vex! The jonathan is managing this country it may turn out that 2015 is too much optimism self!...odun tutu
DeleteGod will. Contiu 2 expose GEJ nd his associate looters
ReplyDeleteAnon 1212, good write up! I don't think this uproar is cz sanusi was sack in person, fine his fans might be crying foul cz dts typical nigerian style also sanusi had his own Mistakes or near miss too also above all his not perfect.
ReplyDeleteWhat this is about is the way and Manner to sack a siting CBN governor no Matter the kind of person on that seat even if its a DOG what did the Nigerian constitution says abt sacking a Dog as a CBN governor? Is it outright remOval or per vote? Can the country president do it out rightly without consulting anybody? This are the questions we should ask ourselves so that tomorrow when a sitting president just don't like ones looks he won't just go ahead and say he's sacked maybe soon we will have a president that will sack the governors at state level.
My friend there are no rules without exceptions. I ll tell u without mincing words that the president acted within the law. He should ve been suspended for investing our money senselessly in an islamic bank in malaysia. Or is it for donating one billion naira to a political party or overstating donations. Yet he has the impetus to throw stones. My guy that suspension was long over due.
ReplyDelete