LAGOS State governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola, has stated that the suspension of Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will have serious economic implications for Nigeria.
The governor, while speaking on the Channels TV, said the suspension, which did not follow constitutional procedures, would create negative impression to foreign inspectors about the country.
In the same vein, Mr Femi Falana (SAN) has stated that Sanusi remained the substantive governor of the CBN, calling on President Goodluck Jonathan to suspend “the process for the replacement of the CBN governor by withdrawing the new nomination forwarded to the Senate, as the nation cannot have a suspended governor and a substantive governor of the CBN at the same time.”
Falana, who made the position in a piece entitled “My thoughts on Sanusi Lamido’s suspension,” said Sanusi ought to have resigned his appointment when he discovered that he already had irreconcilable differences with the Jonathan administration on the operation and management of the Federation Account, noting that the Kano prince had himself to blame for daring the president after he was reported to have been asked to resign.
Sanusi was recently suspended by the president on the account of allegations of financial recklessness, with the president nominating the Managing Director of Zenith Bank, Mr Godwin Emefiele as his replacement.
Falana urged that allegation of “diversion of huge public funds from the Federation Account” by Sanusi should not be swept under the carpet, while the allegations of financial recklessness leveled against him should also be investigated.
Meanwhile, Group Managing Director, Energy Group and the publisher of National Mirror, Dr Jimoh Ibrahim, has said that Sanusi would achieve his ambition of becoming an emir in the jail.
Ibrahim, in a statement made available to newsmen, lamented that Sanusi, who enjoyed sending his colleagues to jail for doing nothing, was afraid of police arrest and was asking for protection from court.
“A man who had no respect for court judgement protecting the rest as evident in Ibru’s case, is now seeking court protection. Let’s see how he will get an injunction from going to jail, when he gets sentenced soon by a competent court. I am too sure he will be emir in jail. He who kills by the sword should be prepared to die by the sword,” he said.
The frontline businessman commended President Jonathan for his bold steps at reviving the economy with the sack of Sanusi as the CBN helmsman.
While describing Sanusi as a financial leader without focus, Ibrahim reminded Nigerians of his earlier warnings when Sanusi was appointed the CBN governor.
“What is left now is to put together all the collateral damage done by Sanusi to the economy by the Federal Government,” he said, calling for enquiry into the circumstances leading to the sale of Oceanic and Intercontinental banks, saying that these banks were private assets, while asking the president to order that the banks be returned to their former owners.
The Energy Group GMD also commended the choice of new CBN governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, who he described as a conservative banker.