Former President Goodluck Jonathan has refuted claims that he removed Emir Muhammad Sanusi as Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor for alleging that $49.8 billion went missing from the nation’s coffers.
Jonathan addressed the issue during the launch of a book titled “Public Policy and Agent Interests: Perspectives from The Emerging World” edited by former Minister of Finance, Shamsuddeen Usman in Abuja
Jonathan who queried Sanusi’s multiple missing figures stated that an international audit firm reviewed the CBN and found no missing funds.
Jonathan said: “Let me mention that I did not agree with some issues raised by one of the contributors. But I don’t intend to join issues because he is our royal father. And he is here.
“The one he raised that he was sacked because he blew a whistle that the Federal Government lost $49.8 billion is not quite correct. 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. That was the reason.
“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.”
