Former President Goodluck Jonathan clarified on Thursday that the suspension of Muhammad Sanusi as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was not due to his claims that $49.8 billion had gone missing from the country’s coffers.
Speaking at the launch of the book, Public Policy and Agents Interests: Perspectives from the Emerging World, co-authored by former Finance Minister Shamshudeen Usman, Jonathan explained that Sanusi was suspended because of queries from the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) regarding the CBN’s expenditures and financial infractions during his tenure.
Jonathan noted, “He was not sacked, he was suspended because the Financial Reporting Council queried the expenditure of CBN. And there were serious infractions that needed to be looked at.”
He further emphasized that before the issue could be resolved, Sanusi’s tenure had expired.
Jonathan also disputed Sanusi’s claims about the alleged missing funds, asserting that no amount went missing following an audit by an international firm.
He questioned how a country with a budget of $31.6 billion could lose $49.8 billion without causing a national financial crisis, urging for more research to be done on the matter.
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