Sanusi: Victim of Jonathan’s war against probity

In what looked more like a prejudicial move, President Goodluck last week Thursday, February 20, 2014 directed the immediate suspension from office of the governor f the central bank of Nigeria (CBN), Malam Sanusi lamido Sanusi. The directive was contained in a statement issued by the Presidential spokesman, Reuben Abati.

Abati said the development followed reports of the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria and other investigating bodies indicating that “Sanusi’s tenure had been characterized by various acts of financial recklessness and misconduct which are inconsistent with the administration’s vision of a central bank propelled by the core values of focused economic management, prudence, transparency, and financial discipline…”

The statement in quotes is a contradiction in itself. It gives to Jonathan’s administration what does not actually belong to it and takes away that which in reality is its characteristic feature. Is it not absurd to credit Jonathan’s administration with any ‘vision…propelled by core values of focused economic management, prudence…’  The statement under reference literally robs Sanusi of the virtues most Nigerians knew of him as CBN governor since he assumed office in 20009; blackmailing him with allegations that are rather known be the customized character of Jonathan’s administration.
Now, let us put the sack which Jonathan deceptively calls ‘suspension’ of Sanusi in to context. It is a brazen expression of impunity and double standard. The manner in which Sanusi was suspended is an obvious act of impunity because of its violation of due process; and an action tantamount to double standard because President Jonathan ignored cases of weighty corrupt allegations leveled against other public officers in the recent past.

The former Minister of Aviation, Stella Adaeze Oduah, was involved in and accused of purchasing two BMW bullet-proof cars worth N255 million. With all the revelations from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on the purchase of the bullet-proof cars, it took Jonathan some time to set up a three-man kangaroo committee comprising of the former HOS Sali Bello Isa as chairman, with the NSA Colonel Sambo Dasuki and AVM Dick Iruenebere as members; to investigate the allegation.

Few days after the Sali-led committee was set up, President Jonathan traveled on an official visit to Israel along with the then embattled aviation minister; meaning that the committee was in reality a ‘window dressing’ affair to cover up the series of scam that left the aviation industry under Stella in a toxic mess. In spite of all the allegations, Stella Oduah was never suspended from office, during or after the purported investigation.  She continued as aviation minister to enjoy Jonathan’s blessings until when the latter dropped her along with other ministers for ‘declaring intention to contest elective positions in 2015’; and not on account of any alleged fraud! If Stella was never suspended to pave way for investigations into fraud allegations leveled against her, Sanusi’s suspension is simply an illustration of Jonathan’s double standard.

The 2012 report of the Ribadu-led Task Force that investigated subsidy claims revealed that Nigeria in a period of one decade lost a total of about N4.64trillion through the illegal payment of subsidy claims to international oil marketers. The report which indicted the Minister of Petroleum Resources Diezani Alison Madueke for issuing discretionary oil licenses also disclosed that Nigeria was the only nation that sold its crude oil through international oil traders rather than directly to refineries; adding that such trade deals were often opaque. Diezani was never suspended from office as grave as the allegations were. Help me to ask President Jonathan about the whereabouts of that report.

Jonathan’s double standard is even more striking when the more recent case of unremitted funds over which Sanusi Lamido blew the whistle is put into context. Diezani, as the petroleum minister, is at the center of the $20.8billion fraud allegation which according to Sanusi was unremitted by the NNPC to the Federation Account. Yet, she remains at the farthest point from being suspended despite public perception that she should. It is only in the world of an Ijaw-born President that an accused public officer would receive presidential protection against fraud allegations while another who tried out of piety, patriotism and a high sense of probity to expose corruption would be sacked through a surreptitious suspension letter.

Even in the case of the Director General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Ms Arumah Oteh, only a quasi two-month suspension was arranged for her to leave and return to office in spite of the serious fraud-related allegations in addition of the dwindling crisis of the capital market under her tenure. The auditors’ report described Arumah Oteh’s infractions as mere “administrative lapses”! To refresh your mind, Oteh was accused among others of a whopping N30million bill at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja in eight months including the spending of about N850, 000 for just a meal. Oteh was also alleged to have accepted to stay in an official accommodation paid for by SEC after she was paid rent allowance to hire her accommodation in line with the provision of the federal government monetization policy.

The above instances suffice substantiation that President Jonathan for long has been at war with patriotic Nigerians; fighting probity and accountability rather than corruption and impunity. This is not too surprising because how can a person fight the same crimes or evils which he professes, or at least admires? Jonathan’s strategies of waging war against probity include ignoring allegations of fraud (as in the case of Abdulrasheed Maina) when such are leveled against any of his men or women whose loyalty must first be to the wishes of the president and thereafter to Nigeria. His other tactic is to set up a deceitful probe panel without suspending the public officer implicated as in the case of Stella Oduah. In his additional style of fighting probity, President Jonathan would refuse to act upon recommendations of probe panel reports and White Papers.

The cruelest of his war against probity is the kind he unleashed on Sanusi Lamido Sanusi; and before him, on Justice Ayo Salami, the now-retired President of the Court of Appeal. Both men became victims of Jonathan’s war against probity and integrity because they attempted to expose corrupt practices. Nonetheless, good Nigerians are indeed proud of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi. May Allah (SWT) continue to give Sanusi and his like the courage to expose acts of corruption without regard to whoever is involved, amin.