Former President Goodluck Jonathan, has denied sacking Muhammad Sanusi, the Emir of Kano, as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), over claim that $49.8 billion went missing from the country’s coffers.
According to Jonathan, Sanusi was suspended because the Financial Reporting Council queried the CBN’s expenditure.
He said an international audit firm was employed to scrutinize the CBN and it was discovered that no amount went missing, contrary to Sanusi’s claim.
Jonathan spoke at the launch of the book, ‘Public Policy and Agents Interests: Perspectives from the Emerging World’, co-authored by former Minister of Finance, Shamshudeen Usman, who served as Minister of Planning under his administration.
“But somehow, the time was short. So before we finished, his tenure elapsed. Probably, he would have been called back.
“On the issue of $ 49.8 billion, till today, I am not convinced that the Federal Government lost $49.8 billion.
“And that year, our budget was $31.6 billion. So for a country that had a budget of $31.6 billion to lose about $50 billion and salaries were paid, nobody felt anything. The researchers that wrote this book need to do further research.
“And more so, when our revered royal father came up with the figures. First $49.8 billion, later $20 billion and later $12 billion. I don’t even know the correct one.”
