$49bn never got missing under my watch as president – Jonathan

Former President Goodluck Jonathan, on Thursday, refuted the allegation by Lamido Sanusi, a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), that $49 billion was missing during his administration.

Jonathan, who spoke in Abuja during the launch of a book on Public Policy and Agent Interest by Shamsudeen Usman, described the allegations as untrue and underscored the need for careful scrutiny of financial assertions.

Jonathan said it was impossible for nearly $50 billion to have disappeared without causing an immediate collapse of the Nigerian economy at that time.

“I did not particularly agree with the perspective taken by one of the contributors in the book, that is Lamido Sanusi, the Emir of Kano, especially the one he raised that he was sacked because of the revelations that the Federal Government lost $49.8 billion. It’s not quite correct.

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“I am not convinced that the Federal Government lost $49.8 billion. It was impossible for almost $50 billion to disappear and the Nigerian economy would not collapse immediately.

“I believe that when we are giving an account of our stewardship, it’s good to mention the specifics so that readers are not left with the impression that, oh, $49 billion got lost when Jonathan was president.”

Speaking on the book, he praised the work for its thought-provoking insights into policy-making and economic planning, emphasising the importance of such scholarship for current and future leaders.

In response, Lamido Sanusi, expressed his intention to refrain from speaking about the situation out of respect for the for former President Jonathan, emphasising that the focus should be on Shamsudeen Usman and his book.

“I will not speak on the issue out of respect for my boss, the president. It’s not about me or the president, it’s really about Dr. Shamsudeen Usman today and his book.”

Also, Isa Usman introduced the Shamsudeen Usman Foundation which will serve as the first AI development centre in Nigeria.