Amid intense lobbying by candidates hoping to
succeed the incumbent Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Lamido
Sanusi, indications have emerged that President Goodluck Jonathan is looking
towards the South-West for the plum job.
Sanusi’s five-year single term tenure expires in
June and he has consistently said he will not seek a second term in office.
Among those reportedly vying for the position of
the CBN governor are the Managing Director, Access Bank Plc, Mr. Aigboje
Aig-Imoukhuede; Managing Director, First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Mr. Bisi
Onasanya; and Managing Director, Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria, Mr.
Mustapha Chike-Obi.
Others are the four Deputy Governors, Mr. Tunde
Lemo (Operations); Dr. Kingsley Moghalu (Financial System Stability); Dr. Sarah
Alade (Economic Policy); and Alhaji Suleiman Barau (Corporate Services
Directorate); as well as the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr.
Olusegun Aganga; and the Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Yerima Ngama.
Out of the lot, Onasanya, Alade and Lemo are from
the South-West region, while Aganga is representing Lagos State in the federal
cabinet, though originally from Edo State in the South-South region.
A source told one of our correspondents in Abuja
on Sunday that although the President had not picked any candidate for the
post, he was keen on fulfilling a promise he made to some Yoruba leaders a few
months ago.
The South-West leaders had during a visit to the
President complained about the alleged marginalisation of the zone, especially
in the area of political appointments under Jonathan’s administration.
The source said the President promised to reserve
some key political appointments for the region in order to redress the
perceived imbalance against the South-West in political appointments by the
administration.
The Yoruba are disenchanted with the loss of the
position of the Speaker of the House of Representatives to the North-West,
among others.
It was learnt that the recurring complaints of
the region were responsible for the long delay in the appointment of a
substantive Minister of Defence, which saw a former Deputy Governor of Osun
State, Mrs. Olusola Obada, as the acting minister for two years after the then
substantive minister, Haliru Mohammed, was fired by the President.
The source also said those claiming that the
President was planning to give the job of the CBN governor to somebody from the
South-South were wrong.
The source said that it would amount to an error
of judgment for the President to give the positions of the Executive Chairman
of the Federal Inland Revenue Service and the CBN governor to the same zone.
The President had last year forwarded the name of
Mfon Akpan to the Senate for confirmation as the FIRS chairman.
The source explained further that the CBN job
could only go to another zone if serious changes were made in the cabinet of
the President.
Meanwhile, analysts have called on Jonathan to
quickly name a successor to Sanusi because speculations surrounding
his replacement may have negative impact on the economy.
They advised the President to appoint an
economist rather than a core banker as Sanusi’s successor, noting that the
country needed a CBN governor who would focus more on economic rather than
banking issues.
Speaking in a telephone interview with one of our
correspondents, the Head, Research and Strategy, BGL Plc, Mr. Femi Ademola,
said, “Most of the appointees that we have had in the past as the CBN governor
have always focussed on banking regulation rather than the economy.
“But the governor of the CBN goes beyond
regulating the banks because we even feel the banks have been stabilised. So,
there is no need to focus much on the banking sector.
“Rather, we need a governor that will start
focusing on the economy and to bring out policies that will help to create jobs
and revive key sectors of the economy such as agriculture and manufacturing.”
Also speaking, the Registrar, Chartered Institute
of Finance and Control of Nigeria, Mr. Godwin Eohoi, said the task before
Sanusi’s successor would be how to reduce interest rates and bank charges, as
well as ensure exchange rate stability and boost reserves.
He said despite the successes recorded in the
reform of the banking sector under Sanusi, much work still needed to be done.
Investigations revealed on Sunday night that some
of the candidates being speculated to become the next CBN governor had begun to
lobby friends and close aides to the President to aid their emergence as the
preferred candidate.
A senior government official, who spoke with one
of our correspondents on the condition of anonymity, said since last week when
Sanusi reportedly fell out of favour with the President, a lot of politicking
had been going on among the contenders for the office.
The source said, “You know that the appointment
of the CBN governor is a political rather than a technical decision and
remember that we are in a pre-election year where a lot of politicking is going
on.
“Within the last one month, a lot of names have
been brandished and I can tell you that some of those people have started
serious campaigns and lobbying.
“But, again, there are feelers that whoever will
become the CBN governor will have to be someone that is a friend of the
President because I am sure that unlike Sanusi, the Presidency will not want to
appoint anyone that will not be loyal to Jonathan.”
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