Sanusi tells Reps to leave him alone

SLS says he is most summoned CBN governor in history

Central Bank Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, says he is the most “summoned” governor of the bank in Nigeria’s history.

Sanusi spoke on Wednesday in response to a House of Representatives query about his penchant for dismissing summons from the National Assembly.

He said lawmakers were consistently unmindful of his schedules and rated himself as the most summoned CBN governor in history.

“I don't think there has been any CBN Governor that has been brought here (the National Assembly) as much as me,” Sanusi told the committees on Finance, Legislative Budget and Research, National Planning and Aids, Loans and Debt Management.

He added, “I have even offered to be moved, or open my annex office here. Nobody ask me how my itineraries are before inviting me.”

The CBN governor had been asked by the Chairman of the House Committee on Legislative Budget and Research, Opeyemi Bamidele, why he refused to respond to previous invitations to appear before the committees.

Sanusi denied having any rift with the National Assembly.

On the Medium Term Expenditure Framework before the National Assembly, the CBN governor kicked against suggestions by members of the House of Representatives that the proposed crude oil benchmark of 75 dollar a barrel be reviewed upward in the 2013 budget.

Sanusi said what should be looked at was how to increase crude oil production, and exploring other alternatives, adding that "even if you increase the benchmark to 200 dollar per barrel and the price is 75 dollar, it would not amount to increase in revenue."

DAILY TIMES