No $49bn Missing Under My Watch, Ex-President Jonathan Speaks

2 min read

Former President Goodluck Jonathan, on Thursday, revisited claims that over $49billion oil money was missing from the government coffers under his watch, noting that the narrative was not true.

Jonathan made the assertion during the launch of the book, ‘Public Policy And Agents’ Interests:
Perspectives From The Emerging World’, co-authored by a former minister of Finance, Dr. Shamshudeen Usman, who served as minister of planning under his administration.

The allegation about the missing money was made by the then Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) now Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, who incidentally is a contributor to the book.

In the book, Emir Sanusi apparently made reference to the saga, which he claimed led to his sack as CBN governor by President Jonathan.

But, Jonathan, who chaired the book launch event, in his opening remark, said as much as he agreed with the concept of the book and recommended it for research and policy framing, he disagreed with Sanusi’s claim on the missing $49bn.

The former president, who said Sanusi was not sacked but suspended, said there was no way such a huge amount of money would be stolen in Nigeria and the impact won’t be felt.

He said that for a country whose budget was about $32bn at the time, it was impossible for the $49bn to have been stolen from the country’s treasury.

Jonathan also recounted how he was confronted by the then German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, over the matter and that he explained that such money couldn’t have been stolen from a struggling country.

See also  Varsity Workers Begin Nationwide Protest Over Withheld Salaries Tomorow

He, however, said he was vindicated about the porosity of the claims after the former CBN governor began to change the narrative from $49bn to $20bn and later $12bn.

Jonathan further added that PriceWaterHouseCoopers (PWC), which investigated the matter, revealed that no such amount was stolen but that $1.48bn could not be accounted for by the NNPC at the time.

He also recalled that the then Senate Committee on Finance, led by Senator Ahmed Makarfi, investigated the issue and didn’t find the claims to be true.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
20 Time-Saving Tech Tools for Solopreneurs that Boost Efficiency, Productivity and Business Growth

Introduction As a solopreneur, managing your business efficiently is crucial to achieving success. With limited time and resources, it's essential Read more

How to Detect and Prevent Accounts Payable Fraud

Introduction Understanding Accounts Payable Fraud Definition of Accounts Payable Fraud Common Types of Accounts Payable Fraud Detecting Accounts Payable Fraud Read more

Online Marketing Trends
Online Marketing Trends With Big Potential to Drive Sales

In today's fast-paced digital age, online marketing has become a crucial tool for businesses to reach their target audiences effectively. Read more

How To Sell a House and Pay $0 in Taxes With This Tip

Introduction Selling a house can be a lucrative venture, but it often comes with significant tax implications. However, there's a Read more

You May Also Like

More From Author

+ There are no comments

Add yours