Human Rights Lawyer, Femi Falana, yesterday faulted the donation of a whopping N100m to victims of Boko Haram attack in Kano recently by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Malam Sanusi Lamido.
His reaction on the issue contained in a statement sent to LEADERSHIP, yesterday, also said that though the gesture appeared humanitarian, it, however, smacked of abuse of office, since such an amount was never appropriated for by the National Assembly.
Falana explained that only the National Assembly was vested with powers to appropriate funds for government spending and wondered how it was possible for the CBN Governor to make such huge donation without the approval of the legislators.
He called on President Goodluck Jonathan to immediately order an investigation into the development which he said was not Sanusi’s first misdemeanour.
“Last month, the Central Bank Governor, Malam Sanusi Lamido granted a provocative interview to the influencial Financial Times. In the said interview, Sanusi blamed the emergence of the Boko Haram on the 13 percent derivation allocated to the oil producing states from the Federation Account.
The publication of the ill- advised interview coincided with the increasing wave of murderous attacks of the organisation on innocent people in many parts of the country.
“Since the CBN Governor was not called to order for the reckless and diversionary interview, has been reported to have engaged in the extra-budgetary donation of N100m to the victims of the Boko Haram menace in Kano city on behalf of the Central Bank of Nigeria. The illegal donation should not go unchallenged,” he said.
Falana also blamed the CBN boss for making several inflammatory statements in the recent past and said that his views often have? ethnic and religious bias.