CONFUSION IN US, OTHERS OVER SANUSI’S OUSTER

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan’s order of suspension displacing Mallam Lamido Sanusi Lamido as the country’s Central Bank Governor is causing confusion in western capitals including Washington DC, where sources say officials are conflicted on the real implication of the development.
News of the suspension announced by the time US government officials woke up Thursday morning is being interpreted by the western media as a reaction and a fight back from what is here described as the Nigerian oil cabal, but US officials in the Treasury and State Department are said to be more cautionary in their attitude but without a clear interpretation of what the event means.
Sources revealed over the weekend that the US State Department and the US Treasury Department were already aware that the CBN Governor was under investigation even before he started raising dust regarding the missing billions from the NNPC.
It was learnt that the US, United Kingdom and few other EU nations had helped Nigeria set-up a financial transaction tracking system that monitors significant movement of financial resources in and outside the country, especially regarding certain high flying Nigerians and their close allies anywhere in the world. The US for instance is believed to have been well aware long time ago regarding the claims against the CBN Governor released after his suspension by the Presidency.
A report of the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria has since been released in some section of the media raising critical questions about the financial management of the CBN, especially the apex’s bank’s 2012 audited financial statements. US sources say the Nigerian government is not the only one aware of the report, but certain western nations who are not exactly sure what to make of the report.
Informed sources explained that expectations within official US circles were that President Jonathan would simply let the former CBN Governor’s controversy fizzle away since he was already on his way out. Thursday’s suspension has certainly provoked an international jolt.
The Guardian on Sunday also learnt that President Jonathan himself had been primed to take the decision to suspend Sanusi much earlier, but he decided to take the path of caution, having determined that suspending or trying to remove the Kano-born former CBN Governor could easily be perceived as a fallout of his accusations against the NNPC.
Besides, western governments though said to be enthralled both by the image of Sanusi and Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, had always had a concern on the pattern of Sanusi’s CBN intervention on some religious projects and also past allegations of his links with certain extremist activities.
A US source added that while the Nigerian President is well aware of the influence of the global west and international capital in his government, mostly represented by Okonjo-Iweala, other competing power centers are believed to have attained the upper hand in what is sure to be the sudden removal of Sanusi, who some believe continues to embarrass the presidency, ignoring the President’s personal call to resign.
Although Sanusi does not have the same strong ties with western nations and financial institutions like the Finance Minister, but he has clearly fascinated the international financial community with his perception as a reformer. While the US, some other western nations and financial institutions did not entirely trust Sanusi, they certainly admired him
Source: Guardian