SANUSI LAMIDO SANUSI AND HIS 'NAME AND SHAME' POLICY?

ICHEOKU.COM declares and unequivocally states that the ongoing action of Central Bank of Nigeria governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi (SLS), towards sanitizing the Nigerian banking industry, has our total, full, complete and unalloyed support!

It is about time the big fishes in Nigeria get fried too; at least to help bring some real sanity into a country, where none existed prior? Some of these people are the reason why Nigeria's growth has stunted all these years because they get away with everything including murders, as they think, behave and act as if they are above the law. Icheoku calls it the "untouchables' syndrome" of Nigeria'?

What is happening in the banking industry today, reminds us of the statement made by Col Umar Murkta, sitting at an investigative probe panel in Benin during the corruption trials of post Buhari-idiagbon coup of December 1983. According to Murkta, while addressing one of the accused persons, ' ...you saw tinsels and mistook them for gold and in the process, you forgot that one day, a King who does not know Joseph will come to power and ask for the rendering of accounts'; and so it is that SLS has ascended to power as governor of the Nigeria's Central bank and today, all the high and mighty debtors have been asked to pay up or be jailed?

Who ever knew that a time will ever come in Nigeria, when a heavy weight and such a matron of a politically connected Ibru family, Cecilia Ibru or the northern mogul Aliyu Dangote or the Igbo woman at the Nigerian Stock Exchange Ndidi Okereke Onyiuke will be called to render account? By publicly disclosing these chronic debtor-billionaires, Sanusi has 9/10th solved the problem as public shame is one heck of an effective deterrent? These people's ego are so out of this world and because they cherish their status dearly, the collection's register will be ringing within the given five day grace period. Icheoku says, this is change Nigerians can believe in!

But surprisingly the name of Aremu Olusegun Obasanjo is missing in the debtors' list since he once claimed that his moribund Otta farms was resurrected with bank loans? So Icheoku asks, which of these 'failed' banks lent Olusegun Obasanjo his loan or has he since amortised it; if yes, how did he source the money with which he paid off such a huge amount of loan as would resuscitate his Otta Farms, and so soon? The other mouth-dropping name in the debtor-list is the name of former governor of Rivers State Peter Odili - which could be somewhat more positively interpreted to mean that he did not corruptly enrich himself while in office; otherwise what did he need a bank loan for? Or are we being naive here, since some may argue that such loans are meant to cover their tracks and money laundering; but we shall see what the five days automatum given to them to pay the loans back, will provide?

This present n&s action once again shows that all hope is not lost for Nigeria, as one day a person of integrity will rise to preside over affairs in Nigeria and fix the broken? When the late midget of Kano, Sani Abacha dethroned the Sultan of Sokoto, Ibrahim Dasuki and jailed him, Nigerians thought that the heavens will fall, but several decades later, the heavens are still hanging up there intact and Dasuki remained banished from Sokoto Caliphate? Again when Tunde Idiagbon emerged in the scene and tried to instill discipline, through WAI, into the lives of Nigerians; no Nigerian ever believed that Nigerians are capable of queuing up to wait for their turns? Then enter Nuhu Ribadu who came and touched some previous untouchables and Icheoku called it, progress, progress? Icheoku is not delving into this narrative simply because they have resolved Nigeria's intractable problems; no, but to show an emerging pattern of directed trajectories aimed at the eventual destination where Nigeria should be; - a progressive corruption-free, disciplined and functioning country! Nigeria, a country that could be very great if not for frivolous nepotism, crass cronyism, corruption, indiscipline and the worship of men and women of means who think they are gods and above the law?

The current effort of Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi led Central Bank of Nigeria is an effort in the right direction and we appreciate it dearly. Understandably, many southerners in power in Nigeria are usually not with the 'real power', as they must defer to the whims of their appointing Northern over-lords before taking any decision? So they try so hard to maintain buoyancy in the government, and as a result even some well thought-out, goal-directed initiative must get clearance from the above, which in most cases are rejected? Because of this position of weakness, an otherwise would be great and endearing decisions impacting society are always sacrificed to appease mentors and in order not to step on some sacred toes? But now a prince and a scion of the Kano emirate, the fourteenth in line to become the emir, is at the helm of affairs at the Central Bank; and hence these foundational changes taking place! Icheoku celebrates them as a gift to the Nigerian economy in general, particularly their banking industry. Icheoku wishes Governor SLS Godspeed in the current battle against the high and mighty Nigerian billionaires, who it would now appear made their riches leeching on Nigerian peoples' money? We pray that those implicated billionaire-debtors and their corroborators, very corrupt Nigerian government officials will not gang up against SLS and cause him to suffer similar fate as did the former EFCC Chairman, Nuhu Ribadu? Icheoku says, Bravo SLS and emphasises that the new 'name and shame' policy being implemented at the Sanusi-led Central Bank is very appropriate; as those billionaires living on borrowed money, have now been unmasked and possibly downgraded or even axed by Forbes 'fortune' magazine; which will compel them to pay up.

Lastly, Icheoku urges that by the same token, the present 'name and shame policy' should be extended to the 36 governors in Nigeria? Let the people know how much their states periodically receive as their share of federation account; so that they can compare it with alleged infrastructural development and then by reconciling expenses with receipts they will be able to unravel the level of corruption in their respective states. Idiagbon was doing it while his administration lasted - disclosing to Nigerians, periodically, the receipts and expenses of the government. Once this is done, it will be bye-bye to corruption as the states' chief executives will be careful when they are embezzling states' money; as accounts reconciliation will easily serve as a check and balance on their excesses. Also the ever restive Niger Delta will specially be served by this as the militants will now clearly know who their real enemies are; - whether a federal government which is not giving them their 'fair share' of resource allocations or their governors who are embezzling untoward amounts of money, meant for the development of their region? As we congratulate Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, let the 'name and shame' policy of the Central bank snowball in Nigeria as it will mark the end of corruption as we know it.