As the Senate gets set to grill the Governor-designate of the Central Bank, Mr Sanusi Lamido Sanusi today, the leadership of the Chamber was in a meeting last night to decide on the procedure to adopt  in screening the nominee.

Sanusi would be the first CBN governor to be screened by the Senate as stipulated in the CBN Act which came into force after the appointment of the outgoing CBN Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo.

President Umaru Yar’Adua had bowed to pressures, naming Mr. Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as CBN Governor-designate by submitting the First Bank Managing Director’s name to the Senate for screening and eventual approval, yesterday.

Meanwhile the President wrote a commendation letter to Professor Soludo, thanking him for a job well done. The letter dated June 1, signed personally by the President reads: “As your tenure as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria comes to a glorious end, I write on behalf of the government and people of Nigeria to place on record our debt of gratitude to you for your dedicated service and uncommon sense of duty over the past five years.

“I am confident that your worthy antecedents in the Central Bank of Nigeria and in prior appointments in the service of our nation remain sources of inspiration to an entire generation.

“As I wish you even more astounding successes in the years ahead, it is my fervent hope that you will readily avail us of your distinguished service when the need arises in the future.”

Mr Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, incoming Governor of the Central Bank (CBN)

The Senate formally received Mallam Sanusi’s nomination as the new Governor of the Central Bank yesterday.
Nominees to other similar sensitive positions have in the past been screened by a committee of the whole Senate an arrangement that allowed all interest groups in the Senate to make assessment of such nominees.

Among such positions that have been screened by the committee of the whole are Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC)

The letter nominating Sanusi as the new governor of the apex bank was received by the Presidential Adviser on National Assembly Matters, Senator Mohammed Abba Aji yesterday afternoon for onward transmission to the

The Senate leadership at its meeting yesterday was believed to be considering how the screening of the nominee could be factored in to accommodate the Senate calendar. The second session of the Senate is expected to end on Thursday and is to be followed by a three week holiday.

At the CBN corporate office in Abuja, it was learnt that Prof. Soludo who was in the office to finalise his arrangements for his exit handed over to the most senior Deputy Governor, Mr. Ernest Ebi, at a ceremony attended by management and staff of the apex bank.

Prof. Soludo was said to have read out the letter from the president in which his immense contributions to the banking sector, in particular and the nation’s economy, in general was highlighted.

He was quoted as saying that his work as CBN governor though challenging was quite fulfilling for him and expressed gratitude to members of management and staff for the apex bank he enjoyed while serving.