By Peter OBIORA InvestAdvocate
Lagos (INVESTADVOCATE)-Lamido Sanusi, Nigeria’s suspended governor of central bank Friday said Godwin Emefiele nominee for the position will do extremely well.
Sanusi said this after receiving the ‘’Man of the Year Award’’ at the annual Hallmark Newspaper Nigerians of the Year 2013 Awards held in Lagos, Nigeria.
‘’Zenith Bank has just produced the next governor of the central bank, also a fine gentleman; I was hoping I’d meet Godwin here – I have also congratulated him. I’d like to, through his representatives, again send my deepest and my most profound congratulations to Zenith Bank for producing the Governor. I am sure he will do extremely well,’’ he said.
Sanusi said Emefiele has been a very competent and hardworking member of the bankers’ committee who chaired the sub-committee on the biometric project.
‘’As I keep telling people, that biometric project, is the first of its type in the world – not the technology; but the use to which it is put. There’s nowhere else in the world apart from Nigeria where you would go and register with one bank and your biometric details are available to every other financial institution in the country. You don’t have to register twice,’’ the suspended Nigeria’s central bank chief said.
Goodluck Jonathan, President of Nigeria had on Thursday February 20. 2014 through Reuben Abati, his special adviser, media and publicity announced the suspension of Sanusi as Nigeria’s central bank governor.
The suspension according to the statement came on the heels of various acts of ‘recklessness and misconduct’.
‘’Having taken special notice of reports of the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria and other investigating bodies, which indicate clearly that Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi’s tenure has 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;
Being also deeply concerned about far-reaching irregularities under Mallam Sanusi’s watch which have distracted the Central Bank away from the pursuit and achievement of its statutory mandate.
Being determined to urgently re-position the central bank of Nigeria for greater efficiency, respect for due process and accountability, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has ordered the immediate suspension of Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi from the office of governor of the central bank of Nigeria.
President Jonathan has further ordered that Mallam Sanusi should hand over to the most senior Deputy Governor of the CBN, Dr Sarah Alade who will serve as Acting Governor until the conclusion of on-going investigations into breaches of enabling laws, due process and mandate of the CBN’’ part of the statement read.
Following Sanusi’s suspension, Emefiele’s name was sent to the senate by President Jonathan for consideration as new governor of the CBN.
Also, nominated and sent to the senate for consideration was Adelabu Adebayo as deputy governor of Nigeria’s central bank, both would be screened when the upper chamber resumed plenary on March 11.
Emefiele is a banker of repute with 26 years’ experience, he was appointed the managing director of Zenith Bank Plc, in August 2010 after serving as deputy managing director from 2001.
He has an MBA degree in Finance from the University of Nigeria in Nsukka and lectured at the University of Port Harcourt, South South Nigeria.
Emefiele also attended courses at Stanford University, Harvard University and Wharton Graduate School of Business.
