Former President Goodluck Jonathan publicly addressed the allegations made by the reinstated Emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi, regarding the missing $49.8 billion during his administration. Jonathan stated that Sanusi was not sacked as Central Bank governor but was suspended for further investigation into alleged infractions.
The revelation took place during the launch of ‘Public Policy and Agent Interests’, a book by former Minister of Finance, Budget, and National Planning, Shamsudeen Usman, where Sanusi and other dignitaries were present.
Sanusi had accused the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) of failing to remit $49.8 billion to the Federation Account. However, he later revised the amount to $12 billion. Jonathan expressed disagreement with some of Sanusi’s claims, clarifying that the suspension was due to financial irregularities in the CBN under his tenure.
Jonathan emphasized that an audit by PwC and the Senate Finance Committee did not uncover any missing funds, disputing the allegations of billions lost during his presidency. He maintained that he did not steal any billions of dollars while in office.