I didn’t sack Emir Sanusi, $49.8bn never went missing in my govt – Jonathan

Former President Goodluck Jonathan, on Thursday, denied sacking the Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, for alleging that $49.8 billion went missing from the country’s coffers.

Jonathan said Sanusi was suspended because the Financial Reporting Council queried CBN’s expenditure and his tenure elapsed.

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 government.

According to Jonathan: “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.”