Suspended Central Bank Governor, Malam Sanusi Lamido, has revealed that he only expended the sum of N56 billion as intervention fund for the provision of infrastructure at 27 universities and six polytechnics across the country.
In his remarks at the Zonal meeting of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities, (SSANU) held at Kano University of Science and Technology (KUST) Sanusi appealed to the federal government that its opinion about him should not stop the on-going projects of CBN at various universities.
He said: “I want to clarify that a lot of numbers have been thrown around that I have spent N160 billion university interventions. I want to tell you that from 2009 to 2013 the total amount disbursed by the CBN on all the contracts at universities, polytechnics, secondary schools and CBN branches was N56 billion”.
Sanusi clarified that it was an average of N11 billion per annum, noting that CBN has in 2013 alone gave the federal government a dividend of N159 billion and in 2012 it was N80 billion.
According to Sanusi, “if CBN was giving N159 billion and N80 billion as dividends in two years, what is wrong in undertaking capital projects of N56 billion in five years?”
Sanusi stressed to SSANU and ASUU that “it is important to continue to appeal to the federal government that it should let the projects continue.
He said: “History will judge as all structures are there for all to see.
“Several months ago, ASUU was on strike because federal government did not meet its commitment to developing university education. The federal government came to me as part of its efforts to end ASUU strike, saying that the CBN should give the list of the project it had carried out in Nigerian universities and the deputy should explain to ASUU that CBN as agency of government has ongoing projects at the universities”.
Source: Leadership
