Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has expressed the strong view that Nigeria should do away with the so-called oil subsidy altogether as it has become an outlet for renters in the government to corruptly siphon much-needed funds into their own pockets.
Speaking to SaharaReporters on the phone tonight, Mr. Sanusi said he needed to clarify his position in the TEDx video on the 2012 Occupy Nigeria protest which has now gone viral. In it, he admonishes young people in Nigeria to take their destiny into their hands.
The video, which was uploaded to YouTube in August 2013 but went viral in the last 48 hours apparently because of Sanusi’s standoff with President Goodluck Jonathan concerning his tenure as CBN governor and a controversial letter the governor wrote about the missing $49.5 billion at the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation.
Mr. Sanusi said he did not want his position on subsidy removal to be misconstrued because of his reference to the Occupy Nigeria protests in his TEDx talk.
Concerning the Occupy Nigeria protests of two years ago, Mr. Lamido had stoutly defended the case for increasing the price of fuel and other gasoline products. In the TED talk however, he stated that Nigerians who participated in the protests were right by questioning the corruption and abuse that pervaded the fuel subsidy regime. He disclosed that highly connected individuals who continue to evade justice had stolen most of the fuel subsidy funds.
Mr. Sanusi also reiterated that he wouldn’t want to be drawn into the controversy over the religious leader he was referring to in his presentation about those that aided rogue bankers to evade justice.
However, SaharaReporters stands by its position that Pastor Enoch Adeboye of the Redeemed Christian Church of God was his point of reference in the video.
Source: Sahara Reporters
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