Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday refuted claims made by the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, that Nigeria lost $49.8 billion during his administration.
Jonathan made this clarification in Abuja 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.
Addressing the allegations, Jonathan explained, “The Financial Reporting Council is responsible for auditing the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), not the Auditor General of the Federation. There were significant infractions that needed to be investigated. However, the time was short, and before we concluded, Sanusi’s tenure ended. He may have been recalled for further inquiries.”
Sanusi served as the CBN Governor from 2009 to 2014, during Jonathan’s presidency. In 2014, Sanusi alleged that $49.8 billion had gone missing under Jonathan’s administration, sparking widespread criticism. A committee was later set up to investigate the claim.
Sanusi was placed on indefinite leave shortly afterward, with Godwin Emefiele succeeding him as CBN Governor. Sanusi later became the Emir of Kano, a position he lost in 2020 before being reinstated a few months later.