He is weak or slow or indeed both. That is the general rating Umaru Yar’Adua has been attracting from critical observers since he took office as President, Commander-in-Chief of Federal Republic of Nigeria. To belie this assumption, the man, when it matters, has always re-buffed the tag of a push-over. Only those who dared him can sincerely own up to being left worse off.

This week, Umaru Yar’Adua exhibited that unpredictable trait for firmness and indeed, defiance when he nominated Lamido Sanusi as the next governor of Nigeria’s Central Bank and revoked the dubious and fraudulent sale of our major national asset to a bogus conglomerate, TRANSCORP.
The appointment of a new governor for the Central Bank of Nigeria should be an ordinary administrative or even a political process but unnecessary controversy was built around the person of Central Bank governor-designate Lamido Sanusi, employing in the process, blackmail, intimidation and clearly, self-assurance of stopping Yar’Adua in his choice for the appointment.

In retrospect, those who forced the exit of Chukwuma Soludo, as governor of Central Bank are those who had the wrong impression that they were fighting his cause. A man of Soludo’s status is above ethnic jingoism. Soludo himself must have been embarrassed by the wrong picture of him occupying Igbo slot as the Central Bank governor. That wrong approach could have cost him his post exactly a year ago when an ethnic youth organization, purportedly speaking up for Soludo plainly dared Umaru Yar’Adua to test his luck at the Senate in removing Chukwumah Soludo.

Added to that challenge were personal insults not only on Yar’Adua as president, but every other person (mainly northerners) suspected to be projected as successor to Soludo as governor. Perhaps, Aso Rock had other reasons for not sacking Soludo at that time to wait for heavens to fall. But this column on May 9, 2008, was devoted not only to exoneration of Soludo from any connection with or responsibility for advertised personal attacks on Umaru Yar’Adua. Part of the plea in this column on behalf of Soludo was that “… Nigerian government should be tolerant and magnanimous not to allow itself to be distracted by the silly language of those attempting to ethnicise the career prospects of the Governor of Central Bank. Chukwumah Soludo, in the absence of any compelling circumstances, should be allowed to complete his tenure.” That tenure ended May 29.

Even if it is conceded that Chukwuma Soludo occupied Igbo slot as governor of Central Bank, he was preceded by Governor Sanusi, a Yoruba, who equally did not serve for more if not less than five years. So, what is illogical if a northerner, this time, takes the slot?

The truth however is that Chukwumah Soludo got the Central Bank job, or so he should feel as a top Nigerian economist and a performer. He has his credential as a first class degree holder in economics but he was not the only Igbo first class degree holder around Olusegun Obasanjo at that time. But Soludo, among the lot, distinguished himself to fly higher to the Central Bank job.

In short, Soludo would have got the Central Bank job on personal merit even if he were Igala, Fufude or Kanuri. What is more, when Soludo’s predecessor, Governor Sanusi, a Yoruba, there were no nuances of persecution or there were no nuances of persecution or marginalisation.

The only seeming stain on the tenure of Chukwumah Soludo as Central Bank governor was the controversial investment of almost half a billion dollars of our foreign reserves in African Finance Corporation with Nigeria about the sole investor. EFCC’s probe into that venture was less than complimentary. The potential was criminal prosecution, but Soludo managed to run out his tenure. Should therefore be unnecessary controversy over his exit? Admittedly, prosecuting him could not necessarily mean that he would be found guilty of the charges but, in the process, he would have lost the Central Bank job.

Public figures must learn not to stretch their luck too far. The record could have been that Soludo was sacked as governor of Central Bank with the attendant world-wide negative publicity. Instead, the record now is that Governor Soludo served his tenure as governor of Central Bank which is a unique testimonial.
Poor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, ex-Managing Director of First Bank of Nigeria and nominee as successor to Chukwumah Soludo, ex-governor of Central Bank. Every political, ethnic and constitutional missile was released against him, creating the wrong impression that the man was being done a special favour in his new assignment. Fortunately, Sanusi, like Soludo, also holds a degree in economics.

Otherwise, that would have been a convenient ammunition for his opponents.
Yet, whatever the discipline, what matters is the man’s performance on the job. One of the very successful past governors of Central Bank, Adamu Ciroma, read history. Were he not given the opportunity, he couldn’t have proved himself.

With Lamido Sanusi’s professional background, irrelevant issues were raised. Issues like alleged uncomplimentary remarks against Igbo, similar sentiments against Yoruba, possible change of ex-governor Soludo’s monetary policies. etc.
Sanusi Lamido would not be the first public figure to face such charges except that those before him did not thereby forfeit their personal merits. Late Bola Ige was to contest the presidential elections in 1999 and as part of his campaign, lobbied northerners. In response, northerners reminded him that he did not deserve their votes, in view of his (Ige’s) scurrilous attacks on them in the past.

Expectedly, Bola Ige denied the charges but his northern critics countered him with full quotes from named publications, dates and exact issues where Bola Ige described Fulanis and Hausas as parasites on Nigerian economy and politics.

At that stage, only the 1999 presidential elections could have shown whether northerners, on account of the charges, rejected Bola Ige at the polls.
That, by the way, was an election and not an appointment to public office. Bola Ige was later appointed by Obasanjo, first as minister of Mines and Power and the more sensitive post of Attorney-General and minister of Justice. Northern senators could have used their number to deny him confirmation. Instead, he was accorded full respect and requested to take a bow, the first to do so, duly cleared for ministerial appointment without a single question or animosity.
Today, northerners cannot be faulted for rejecting Bola Ige in 1999, because of his alleged offensive remarks against them. As it happened, Bola Ige’s party, Alliance for Democracy, did that dirty job by denying Bola Ige the party’s nomination. Whether with some explanation, the electorate might have been convinced to vote for Bola Ige is now a mater of guess. Ige did not contest the election.

Why then should Lamido Sanusi be faulted for past remarks allegedly against Yoruba to deny him public appointment?
Rather amusing and mischievous are the alleged anti-Igbo remarks credited to Lamido Sanusi. According to his critics, Sanusi said: “This nation must realize that Igbos have more than paid for their foolishness. They have been defeated in a war, rendered paupers by monetary policy fiat, their property declared abandoned and confiscated, kept out of strategic public appointments and deprived of public services. The rest of the country forced them to remain in Nigeria and has continued to deny them equity.”

The use of the word “foolishness” in this context was more a compassionate rebuke of Igbos in going to war, and that they must not therefore be denied their entitlements. Lamido Sanusi’s rebuke for Igbos here could only be likened to the concern a high-ranking Igbo, Ojo Maduekwe, who, in 2003 said it would be “idiotic” of Igbos to contemplate contesting the presidency in 2007.
Apart from being cleared by the Senate thereafter to be appointed a minister, the same Ojo Maduekwe was also cleared by the present Senate to be appointed Foreign Minister.

There is also this apprehension that as governor of Central Bank, Lamido Sanusi may rubbish ex-governor Soludo’s monetary policy reforms as such might have affected the economic interests of northerners. To begin with, such apprehension (or indeed misapprehension) is not even fair to Soludo, with the implication that he deliberately introduced anti-worth monetary policies.

What is more, all-over the world, any new regime, as its prerogative, retains or reverses any policy or all policies as may be necessary. As we are wont, America’s Barack Obama won more acclamation in Nigeria than in United States for reversing necessary aspects of the policies of his predecessor, George Bush. So, there is no big deal. But this must be said. No leader can reverse any good policy.

For all the abuses and criticisms of IBB, nobody has been able to scrap the major ingredient of Structural Adjustment Programme – deregulation of the economy introduced in 1986. As governor of Central Bank, Lamido Sanusi cannot therefore, just come in and dismantle his entire predecessor put in place.
Where Sanusi even reverses monetary policy of Soludo, there should be close scrutiny by critics to determine the necessity or not. In expressing apprehension on the prospects of Sanusi reversing Soludo’s monetary policy, ethnic colouration was mischievously built in that key targets for such reverses might be foreign exchange content and bureau de change capitalization, known to be business areas of northerners.

Notably, even ex-governor Soludo himself, in the last few weeks in office, reversed or at lease modified these same aspects of his policies. In short, there were compelling reasons for the reverse of these policies and if Sanusi inherited such policies, he would have been justified to reverse or modify the policies. In which case, there would have been criticisms of such modification as part of northern agenda in appointing Sanusi as governor or in retiring Soludo as governor.
Were such policies necessary in the first place? If they were necessary, what happened so quickly to make them no longer necessary and to force Soludo to reverse them? Or if the polices of foreign exchange and bureau de change re-capitalisation were not necessary, such that forced reverse of the policies, why were they introduced in the first place?

Furthermore, did ex-governor Soludo necessarily retain all the policies of his predecessor?
There was also the question of federal character raised against the appointment of Sanusi as new governor of Central Bank. In truth, there is the compelling constitutional requirement to spread posts. I have never bought this constitutional provision because of my strong belief that no Nigerian should be denied his merit because of ethnic origin, biological tie or religious inclination.

The constitutional requirement in public appointments is one of those irritating contradictions in our constitution. Despite this requirement, is it also in our constitution that nobody (no Nigerian) should suffer any discrimination (denial of right) on account of ethnic, religious or political origin?
Former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair is a Scot and his Finance Minister, Gordon Brown is a fellow Scot. Foreign secretary is a Scot. Defence Secretary, George Robinson is a Scot. When Tony Blair quit, Gordon Brown, a fellow Scot became Prime Minister and appointed another Scot, Alastair Darling as Finance Minister.

Here, we cover up our inadequacies or failure with this federal character nonsense. Now, we are even stretching it too far deliberately appointing Nigerians because they are Moslems or Christians, or because they are men or women.
Is Lamido Sanusi qualified to be Governor of Central Bank or not? If he is not qualified, he should not be appointed but definitely must not be disqualified because he, along with finance minister and national planning minister are northerners. What has ethnic origin got to do with it?

There should be no hysteria about the ethnic origin of those handling our economy. There can be only one or two consequences. They either succeed and collectively earn the glory or fail and end in derision. Whichever is the case, the buck stops on President Umaru Yar’Adua’s table.
The Senate should clear Sanusi as governor of Central Bank and let him get on with the job.

Postscript: This was written as Senate was questioning Lamido Sanusi.