Central Bank Governor, Lamido Sanusi
In a surprising shift, the governor of Nigeria’s Central Bank has recanted his claim that over $48 billion (about N8 trillion) proceeds of oil sales was missing, having not been accounted for by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.
At a meeting with Senators Wednesday, Mr. Sanusi said an ongoing review of the relevant accounts between the CBN, the NNPC, and the Ministry of Finance showed that only $12 billion (N1.9 trillion) was missing as of yet.
The Finance minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and petroleum minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, who oversees the NNPC, were at the meeting.
Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala interjected Mr. Sanusi’s claim of $12 billion, and told the lawmakers the outstanding figure was $10.8 billion. Even so, she said the sum was not missing and would be accounted for as the meetings are ongoing.
The CBN governor’s claim in a letter to President Goodluck Jonathan a week ago, stirred outrage and prompted calls for immediate investigation. In the letter, Mr. Sanusi said the NNPC had failed to remit 76 percent of oil sales revenue for several months.
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