Throughout on Wednesday, night President Jonathan and members of his kitchen cabinet, hadย a hectic time trying to work out a damageย control measure to counter the back lashย on the removal of the Central Bank Governor, Malamย Sanusi Lamidoย Sanusi, following the public outcry that trailed the announcement of his suspension from office.
According to Security sources who spoke with 247ureports.com, the revelations from the National Assembly, where the Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Madueke, claimed a whopping N700Million were spent daily on kerosene subsidy, was said to have jolted the initial plan by the presidency to arrest the former embattled former CBN Governor, Sanusi Lamido.
While, it could not be immediately confirm, the Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, had threatened to throw in the towel, as โher international reputation is at stake following the revelations from NNPCโ
The president, according to our source had personally plead with Iweala, assuring that whatever is needed to be done will be done to clear the mess in NNPC.
Indeed, the suspended Governor of CBN, Lamido Sanusi has berated President Jonathan attitude to corruption, saying his exposure of financial misappropriation by Nigeriaโs state owned oil firm, NNPC, put him in the bad books of the President.
โ The minister of petroleum, spoke live on Television before the National Assembly, admitting that she spent $35billion of Tax payersโ money on kerosene subsidy without budget approval, but nothing has been doneโ Sanusi said.
Sanusi, further stated that it was ironical for the Federal Government to accuse him of financial recklessness while the account of NNPC has not been audited since 2005, spanning eight yearsโโ
Source at the meeting also told 247ureports.com that the hawks in the Villa, had expressed fear, that Jonathanโs recent royalty visit to the Emir of Kano might be interpreted as the catalyst to Sanusiโs removal โit is a well-known fact that the embattled former CBN Governor has his eyes on the throneโ.
To mitigate the damage, the presidency allegedly directed the media office and the Minister of finance to further array the fear that Sanusi was not removed from office for any political expediency.
But the damage control by the coordinating minister , Ngoziย Okonjo Iweala, cameย late as the removal of Sanusi took its toll on the finance market.
Barely 24 hours after, the announcement of Sanusiโs suspension, the money market stood still. Website of the financial market Dealers Association which is today the platform of the money market bond was said to have experienced market shut down.
The market capitalization shed N186.59b, representing 1.47 percent loss.
But the Nigeria minister of finance, Dr. Iweala, insisted that the development at the CBN, involving the sudden removal of the Governor will not change the economic policy focus of the government.
