The Presi-dency, yesterday, asked suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, to provide a clear response to allegations of financial recklessness levelled against him and stop misleading Nigerians and the international community that his suspension was because he alleged that monies were unremitted to national coffers by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC. Addressing State House correspondents, yesterday, Special Adviser to the President on Media & Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati, reiterated that Sanusis suspension had nothing to do with his disclosure of alleged shortfalls in remittances by NNPC. Abati said as a demonstration of governments transparency, it has ordered a forensic audit of the NNPC to unravel the truth about its remittances. While condemning Sanusis resort to playing politics with serious national issues, Abati said Sanusis suggestion that the phantom missing funds may have been diverted to fund campaigns for next years general elections is mischievous, irresponsible and designed to incite other political parties and members of the public against the Federal Government. However, the absence of Justice Gabriel Kolawole stalled further hearing in the suit filed by the embattled CBN governor against the Federal Government challenging his suspension from office by President Goodluck Jonathan. At the resumed hearing of the case yesterday, Justice Kolawole was not in court, while parties to the suit were asked to come back to court, March 19, as the judge was attending a seminar. The statement: Abatis statement said: We have noted with disappointment, the unrelenting attempt by the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi to falsely portray his recent suspension from office as an attempt by the Presidency to bury his allegation that huge sums of money due to the Federation Account are unaccounted for by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC. The Presidency wishes to reaffirm that Mallam Sanusis suspension has absolutely nothing to do with his unproven and inconsistent claims that $49.8 billion, $12 billion or $20 billion is missing from the national treasury. As was clearly stated in the letter suspending him from office and confirmed by President Goodluck Jonathan in his last Presidential Media Chat, Malam Sanusis suspension was wholly based on the need for him to step aside while the weighty charges of financial recklessness, gross misconduct and persistent disregard for laid-down rules and regulations in the management of the Central Bank made against him by the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria and others are properly investigated. It is most unfortunate that instead of trying to provide some reasonable response to the clear and unambiguous query of his official conduct as Governor of the Central Bank, Mallam Sanusi has cynically chosen to whip up public sympathy for himself and anger against the Federal Government by deliberately misleading unwary Nigerians and the international community into believing the falsehood that he is being punished for exposing corruption. In recent days, the suspended CBN Governor has, following in the footsteps of others who have an axe to grind with the government, taken to spreading his false claims and allegations through gullible foreign media correspondents, telling them, among other things, that his threat to force commercial banks to open up their books to unravel the whereabouts of the missing funds whether $49.8 billion, $12 billion or $20 billion, ultimately led to his suspension. He also continues to make the mischievous claim that the government is somehow involved in a scam to divert huge sums of money from the Federation Account through the misappropriation of kerosene subsidy funds. Mallam Sanusis allegations are patently untrue. But Government is making no effort to bury them as he falsely claims. Relevant committees of the National Assembly are still investigating the claims and the suspended CBN Governor remains free to give evidence before them in support of his allegations. FG orders forensic audit of NNPC accounts Furthermore, in keeping with its avowed commitment to full transparency, openness and accountability in governmental affairs, the Federal Government has authorised the engagement of reputable international firms for the recommended forensic audit of NNPC accounts. The Presidency condemns Mallam Sanusis resort to playing politics with serious national issues. His suggestion that the phantom missing funds may have been diverted to fund campaigns for next years general elections is mischievous, irresponsible and designed to incite other political parties and members of the public against the Federal Government. Cheap blackmail The claim which amounts to cheap blackmail against the government and was clearly made in furtherance of a selfish personal agenda is most unbecoming of someone who still holds the high office of Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria. The Presidency would not ordinarily have wished to join issues with Mallam Sanusi who, as CBN Governor, remains an appointee of the President, but the very unacceptable manner in which Sanusi has been misinforming the public made it imperative that this statement be issued. Malam Sanusi only last Monday alleged that kerosine subsidy was a big scam being operated by a cabal in government and that the money was being used to finance election. In an interview with the New York Times, Mallam Sanusi claimed that he was sacked because he threatened to conduct special examination on the banks to ascertain their involvement in the missing $20 billion fuel money. He explained that many of the bankers panicked at his threat to open their books and two of them reported to the government, saying that at that moment he knew his days at the CBN were numbered.
Posted on: Thu, 13 Mar 2014 09:13:43 +0000
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