CBN’S LAMIDO ‘LOOSE LIPS’ SANUSI’S FOOT IN MOUTH SYNDROME

Lamido Sanusi Lamido, the CBN Boss is in the News yet again, barely two weeks after he absolved himself of “Complicity” in the Federal Government’s decision to remove subsidy from Premium Motor Spirit (PMS). This time, Sanusi is in the News for comments credit: ted to him in a THIS DAY article:http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/sanusi-links-boko-haram-to-derivation/108039 citing an interview with The Financial Times where he is quoted a saying:  “There is clearly a direct link between the
distribution of resources and the rising level of violence”.   My attention was first drawn to Sanusi’s latest gaffe by a broadcast message from my friend Iniruo Wills, an astute and articulate Legal Practitioner based in Port Harcourt. The message went thus:

"THIS MESSAGE MUST GET TO OUR PRESIDENT: 

If it's true that Lamido

Sanusi made the statements credited to him in today's 

THiSDAY on a causative link bw states'revenue allocation 

disparity and violence (Boko Haram, etc) in the North, 

then I believe the President owes Nigerians a duty to excuse 

him from the post of CBN Governor. It's not merely an error 

but such a CRIME of judgment that to do nothing about 

it would be to not care enough about the security of Nigerians

and the integrity of one of the highest and most sensitive

offices in the land.I respect and almost envy Sanusi's HIGHLY 

cerebral mind, and I acknowledge that any private citizen can 

publicly express this same view, but this kind of official 

recklessness should be promptly and clearly sanctioned".

As to be expected, my curiosity piqued and I logged on to read the article. Boy!, not only was I stomped by his comments, that made him come across as an “All knowing Joe” on matters of social justice with his “structural imbalance of enormous proportions” talk; but I was also peeved that he made such careless statements that can at best be misconstrued as inflammatory, since he more or else confirmed that the FG was denying certain zones the opportunity of equitable access to the dividends of democracy.

Of course very few will disagree with me when I say that Sanusi Lamido comes across as perhaps one of the most articulate fellows to have served at FG level in Nigeria. Listening to him speak is usually a delightful experience for me and you can tell he knows that no one can begrudge him his overdose of “brain juice”; however there is no denying his ability to come across as arrogant and condescending when he is put on the spot to explain issues especially to people he regards his intellectual “inferiors” (revisit his NASS appearances).

However his comments this time around where inappropriate, giving the escalating violence in certain areas of the Country. The Questions this article raised for me are; WHAT GAME IS SANUSI PLAYING? Maybe he is playing both “sides” with the hopes that per adventure the insurgence overruns the government; it would be on record that he was sympathetic to their cause. WHAT AGENDA IS HE PURSUING? His recent media blitz may be  a pointer  to something afoot. It is no secret that Sanusi has become a double speak expert, what with his conduct at the FSR Town Hall Meeting, where he stated clearly that the Economy would crumble if the FS remained, only to recant in the heat of the Strike/Faceoff). He acts all coy as if his hands are tied to do the bidding of government even though his convictions are entirely different. Why would he be at liberty to make comments that would put the credibility of a fledgling government on the line?.

It is my opinion that Sanusi’s recent posturing of distancing himself from “bad” government policies in other to win brownie points from us is akin to the story of the man who lies with dogs and says he does not like fleas. All I can advice him to do is to simply resign since he has such contempt for government policies rather than continue to go off on a tangent with his careless comments, bearing in mind thet “LOOSE LIPS SINK SHIPS”.

Then again this is just MY Point of View..What’s Yours?