“He badly wanted a kiss” – This investigation on CBN governor Sanusi will make you cringe (READ)

Sanusi Lamido Sanusi

by Akan Ido

Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi has been accused of many wrongdoings discharging his duties as the Central Bank governor; from the removal of bank CEOs to making utterances that are considered by observers as not fit for his position.

In this report by Premium Times, Sanusi, considered a cerebral professional, is portrayed as an adulterer who is unable to control his sexual urge and is given to nepotism.

Read the report below:

Twenty minutes to midnight on February 25, 2013, and a day before the board of theCentral Bank of Nigeria  was due to meet, Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi  developed a craving for romance—he badly needed a kiss.

The governor, married with children, grabbed his mobile phone and typed out a message.  “Maybe you should come kiss me before board meeting tomorrow,” Mr Sanusi wrote and then squeezed the send button.

At about 9 a.m. the next day, Mrs. Maryam Yaro, a married mother of two, an assistant director and subordinate to the governor at the CBN, arrived at Sanusi’s unnamed Abuja hotel, seeking to keep the date and help address his boss’ craving for a kiss.  (Insiders say board members, including those who live in Abuja, are usually lodged in hotels ahead of board meetings).

But by the time Mrs. Yaro left the hotel to return to her official desk at the CBN, the duo had also struck out an arrangement to spend the rest of the week together in Lagos.

So, in the evening of Wednesday February 27, Mrs. Yaro flew to Lagos ahead of Mr. Sanusi and checked into a hotel in the city, skipping work, at taxpayer’s expenses, on Thursday February 28 and Friday, March 1.

To keep faith with Mrs. Yaro’s date, the CBN governor arrived Lagos, travelling on a chartered flight, on the night of February 28, and checked into the Federal Palace Hotel, passage and boarding all at taxpayers expenses.

Both Mr. Sanusi and Mrs. Yaro rendezvoused in the hotel till Sunday when both of them returned to Abuja, PREMIUM TIMES learnt.

“…I had such a wonderful weekend,” Mrs. Yaro confessed to the governor while aboard her Abuja-bound flight. “You have revived in me what I thought I lost long ago. I thought I lost the passion to love again,” she claimed.

“Alhamdulillahi. Love you,” Mr. Sanusi responded in a measured tone.

Insiders say repeated violation of the statutory code of conduct for public office holders  such as hiring his girlfriends and mistresses without complying with public service rules, dating married and unmarried women within the bank, and flirting with them during official work hours have become defining characters of Mr. Sanusi’s governorship of the central bank.

An official of the bank spoke of how Mr. Sanusi had enthroned nepotism at the bank, arbitrarily hiring girlfriends and relatives and engaging in extramarital relationships with staff.

“This man (the CBN governor) is the most morally bankrupt governor the CBN has ever had,” the official, who did not want to be named for fear of retribution, told PREMIUM TIMES. “Forget all the pretences, he is a shameless man of loose character.”

Investigations by this newspaper revealed that Mr. Lamido hired his latest mistress, Mrs. Yaro, without complying with the CBN recruitment policy  that stressed, “all appointments shall be made on the basis of merit, through a fair and open selection process.”

“The principles underlying the recruitment process are those of fairness, credibility, equal employment opportunities, merit and optimization of career prospects for currently employed staff,” the bank said on its website.

But Mrs. Yaro, insiders say, was hired in July 2012 without adherence to these principles. Those who should know say Mrs. Yaro, who was a staff at the National Programme on Food Security, an agency under the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, was brought into the bank as assistant director without  “advert for the vacancy and after a kangaroo interview.”

When contacted, Mr. Sanusi said due process was followed in hiring Mrs. Yaro.

He said having worked for years in the ministry of agric, Mrs Yaro came highly recommended and qualified for the job for which she was hired.

The CBN governor continued, “I have known Dr Yaro since 1981. She was my student in Yola and she later came to ABU Zaria. We have been very good friends but this is not why NIRSAL took her. You may wish to check her CV against all the other CVs in NIRSAL. And she did go through an interview process with the NIRSAL CEO making the decision not CBN HR.

“As for the personal allegations, this is all strange to me but I have a personal policy of not responding to such allegations since in Nigeria anything can be published on any public officer without proof.  I have limited myself to what concerns official allegations and leave you to your God and your conscience on whatever else you want to publish. Thank you for telling me though.”

Mrs Yaro however declined comments when contacted by PREMIUM TIMES.

“Be careful what you are saying,” she told one of our reporters on the telephone. “I have nothing to comment to you on anything.”

When asked if she would be willing to respond to specific questions about her trips to Lagos to keep dates with Mr. Sanusi, she simply said, “Whatever it is, I don’t know. Will you just let me be?”

But our investigations revealed that the governor’s claim was far from accurate. Through several interviews and review of records, PREMIUM TIMES was able to determine that Mrs. Yaro and Mr. Sanusi had dated each other for at least six months before she was hired.

Insiders say Mr. Sanusi repeatedly pestered the human resource department of the bank ordering it to bring Mrs. Yaro’s application to him for approval. And once the file reached his table, the governor wasted no time in treating it.

On June 25, 2012, Mr. Sanusi, who was travelling in South Africa at the time, telephoned Mrs. Yaro to break the news to her that he had approved her recruitment in what critics consider a clear conflict of interest and a violation of a provision of Nigeria’s Code of Conduct which stipulates that “a public officer shall not put himself in a position where his interest conflicts with his duties and responsibilities.”

Mrs Yaro, (whose businessman husband, Ahmed, is largely based in Kaduna but visits Abuja regularly) assumed duties at the CBN in the first week of September 2012 and was deployed to the Development Finance Department.

The department then put her in charge of the bank’s Nigerian Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System For Agricultural Lending, (NIRSAL), a unit that attempts to fix the agricultural value chain, so that banks can lend with confidence to the sector and, encourages banks to lend to the agricultural value chain by offering them strong incentives and technical assistance.

Sources said Mrs Yaro married Ahmed (or Shuaib, according to another source) six years ago after her first husband, Waisu Yaro Bodinga (then an executive director at the Nigeria Ports Authority) died in the ill-fated ADC plane crash of 2006.

The romance between Mrs Yaro and Mr. Sanusi became even hotter after she began work at the bank, with the two lovers regularly exchanging telephone calls and text messages during work hours to profess love for each other.

At times, Mrs Yaro would remain in her office far beyond close of work to enable her to keep appointments with the CBN governor, records show.

Sometimes, Mrs Yaro would raise concerns about Mr. Sanusi’s other girlfriends and mistresses (such as Sutura and Rose) and how they were blocking her from getting the governor’s full attention, but the relationship continued nonetheless.

Mrs. Yaro also began to have access to confidential information known only to top management and board of the bank, insiders say.

At a point, one source said, she began to strategise to corner contracts for one Goke Akinboro, the Chief Executive Officer of Lagos-based Cellullant Limited, an information technology company. Mr. Akinboro is also described as “very close” to Mrs Yaro.

On March 15, 2013, the CBN lovers headed to Lagos again for another weekend of fun. The initial plan was for the duo to fly to the nation’s commercial capital on Saturday, March 16, returning to Abuja on Sunday. But the trip had to be brought forward by a day after the lovers realized that the Area Council election in Abuja was holding that Saturday and that movement might be restricted.

Mrs. Yaro arrived Lagos on the night of March 15, and immediately checked into theRadisson Blu Anchorage Hotel  on Victoria Island. Mr. Sanusi flew from Kano to Lagos via chartered jet on the bills of the Nigerian taxpayers. He arrived at about 11 p.m., stopped by his Ikoyi home, before dashing to the hotel where Mrs. Yaro was waiting in a seductive dress in Room 23. The lovers spent that night and the next day together in the hotel.

As he flew into Abuja March 17 on a chartered jet, Mr. Sanusi sent a message to Mrs Yaro saying, “Love. Just landed in Abuja. Thank you for a wonderful weekend.” Mrs Yaro replied, “Alhamdulillah. I had a wonderful weekend too. I am able to get the 3:15 flight on Arik Air. Love you.”

But in-between these rendezvous in Lagos, Mr. Sanusi and Mrs Yaro also found time to get together elsewhere.  They were to meet on March 11, 2013, in Makurdi but somehow Mrs Yaro could not make it to the Benue State capital.  But earlier on February 14, (Valentine’s Day), the lovers had a good time together in Maiduguri. Although, the two of them travelled to the city on different missions, they somehow found a way to get together.

At a point, Mrs Yaro voiced open frustration when Mr. Lamido delayed in taking her calls as she tried, frantically, to track him down. “I’m thinking that one Shuwa girl has snatched you away from me,” Mrs. Yaro wrote in a message. “I don’t trust them (Maiduguri girls) with you.”

A velvet-ranking figure within Nigeria’s economic and political circles, Mr. Sanusi, is generally perceived as one of the intellectual anchors and moral conscience of this administration. When his five-year term expires next year, he has indicated he would not renew his contract. Mr. Sanusi has a well-advertised ambition to become the future emir of his native Kano, where he is already a top chieftaincy holder (Dan Maje Kano). Dan Majen Kano, a historic title, which means Son of Emir-Maje, is reserved for the royal family members from the Kano Habe dynasty.

A zigzag prospect to run for the Nigerian presidency is also believed to be floating in the horizon for Mr. Sanusi.

Multiple sources at both the CBN and First Bank , where Mr. Sanusi was managing director before his appointment to the central bank, describe the governor as an “incurable womanizer.”

“This guy seems unable to resist anything in skirt, and it is unfortunate that a lot of young people look up to him as an example,” one of Mr. Sanusi’s aides in Abuja said, expressing widely held concerns in banking circles that “It is sad that he wouldn’t even let married women be.”

Mr. Sanusi, 51, appointed CBN Governor on June 3 2009, is a smart economist and award-winning banker with a background in risk management.

He holds a graduate degree in economics from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and a diploma in Sharia and Islamic Studies from the African International University in Khartoum , Sudan . Today, Mr. Sanusi is also commonly regarded as an important voice in Islamic jurisprudence.

The Banker , the UK-based financial magazine honoured him in 2010 as global Central Bank Governor of the Year as well as African Central Bank Governor of the Year. In 2011, the TIME magazine listed Mr. Sanusi in its annual publication of 100 most influential people.

At the African Banker Awards gala dinner held Wednesday in Morocco, Mr. Sanusi also emerged the “2013 Africa Central Bank Governor of the Year.”

“There  is no doubt that he is a fairly effective banker,” an official of one of Nigeria’s leading banks, who requested anonymity  for fear his bank might be targeted, told PREMIUM TIMES. “But he is a man of zero morality despite his public posturing.  It is really sad.”

 

Comments (40)

  1. Oh my GOD! I cant believe people are saying this allegations Shouldn’t be our concern! Whoever said that here obviously is retro and retarded! Hello! He makes financial decisions for you and me, how sure are we that he is making JUST decisions for us, when he cant even make just decisions for himself and his families? Humans will always be humans but up to 5 mistresses isn’t fair on his family! I am sure some of you didn’t know of what is called investigative journalism. Nigeria can never move forward if most the youths reason the way most people here reasons. mtchew…….

  2. I honestly looked up to sanusi as my role model I had high regard for d dude,but,,,,dis? Haha oga sanusi lockup

  3. Let's get creative. Some of these stories make me sick. How did they hack into Sanusi's mobile to see texts, call logs, etc? The opening piece appears like an excerpt of a thrilling romantic piece:….badly needed a kiss…before a board meeting, casts him as inately depraved. Is Mrs yaro a fictional character? If not, what has been her reaction so far and most importantly, of her husband? Let's get a rounded view. mallam Sanusi is not incapable of doing what was alleged about him. But we do not have enough information to rush to any conclusion whatsoever.

  4. Let's get creative. Some of these stories make me sick. How did they hack into Sanusi's mobile to see texts, call logs, etc? The opening piece appears like an excerpt of a thrilling romantic piece:….badly needed a kiss…before a board meeting, casts him as inately depraved. Is Mrs yaro a fictional character? If not, what has been her reaction so far and most importantly, of her husband? Let's get a rounded view. mallam Sanusi is not incapable of doing what was alleged about him. But we do not have enough information to rush to any conclusion whatsoever.

    1. I,too was wondering what has become of our society when I first read it.When private scenes are taken to the public arena without the permission of the actors it becomes questionable what the objectives of the perpetrators are.However whoever lives in a glass house should not forget the golden rule.

    2. Eze-ali pls do nt mind them. it is mere critics by his counterparts. He debunk d ideas of disbosing C.B.N money. Working with ur deputy is not bad jst as he did. Leaving boad meeting to meet his apointment wt hs deputy is nt a decoy.It is mere propagander.

  5. What’s your problem with peoples personal lives? Every high office holder in this country flirts around so just keep it to your news office.

  6. Kenneth u r a big fool idiot.is ppl like u (uncivilized illiterates) tht r Nigeria’s problem. IDIOT.

  7. Sanusi is an islamic fundamentalist whose actions speak volume of his moral degeneracy and bankruptcy. It is also well known that he’s got an addiction to alcohol which he secretly consumes like a fish. I hope the Federal Government will investigate this latest accusation among many others in the past. Sanusi penchant for married women smells to high heavens. To whom much is given much is expected. Sanusi was supposed to be a role model to the youths but by this latest development among many in the past , he should be summarily relieved of his post forthwith. He’s a disgrace to the young men in this country. He makes so much noise about his attachment to islam and it represents, whereas he’s an incurable womanizer, chronic alcoholic and a spend-thrift. Shame on you Sanusi. RESIGN.

  8. you ppl amaze me. whether or not this story is true, the fact is that ahigh ranking public official of this country has not kept to the basic moral code which is expected of him. The writer wont just cook up stories, im sure he understands what libel is. the separation of personal and professional life and “the dont judge so that you will not be judged” or “leave him for his creator” is what is killing us in this country. did you guys not read about Petreus the CIA boss who quietly resigned when his long time affair was revealed? There’s an element of truth in every story, we all know this. And as to where the writer got his story, there are snitches everywhere. Don’t be surprised that it was leaked by their nearest and dearest.

    1. You couldn’t have said it better. Nigerians are so blind to see that the reporter quoted exact times and dates. I felt like I was reading a work done by a detective. Its obvious the man and his babe have been bugged thoroughly.
      If he’s claiming its a lie, he should sue. He’s educated, he knows the law, he should use it to clear his name and the ‘poor’ woman’s. If he does not, then its cos there is concrete evidence like photos and phone logs and tap recordings. Nigerians, let’s be smarter abeg. These are really serious allegations here. The whole “leaving it to God to judge” he’s saying is proof of guilt. An educated man as he with such a position would want to clear his name. Let’s wait and see

  9. If he has 1000 girlfriends wat concern of urs is it. Dis story is stupid and a complete waste of my 5 mins.

  10. Load of crap, some journalist r just High on sniffin 2 much printing chemicalz

  11. Sanusi-CBN Governor Or Sanusi the Mallam? Is he doing his job? (YES). Has he made his country proud? (YES). That’s all Nigerians ever care about. Wonder how these tyrants posing as journalists knew what a woman was wearing in her hotel room. Jobless Animals.

  12. Haba Mallam, will you do this in Saudi Arabia and not be stoned to death? Anyway, I've always known Islam encourages adultery and paedophilia. What a hypocrite.

    1. Haba keneth, why talk like that. Will it make sense for me to blame christianity that it supports homosexuality all because the pope confessed to be homosexual, or say it supports immorality all because of some of the immorality some people at the vatican commit, and some pastors here in nigeria? Haba let’s think and talk fairly now, we’re reasonable people

      1. Lee tanx 4 sayin dat 2 Kenneth. Kenneth ur comment in my opinion was grously inappropraite.. Truth is, dis story sounds so unfounded 2 my, hweva it doesn’t matter if it’s true or not cos truth is wht direct relatnshp has dat wit his job performance, whteva style of living he choses shud basically be his business.. D story didn’t suggest any1 was violated in anyway so I don’t get d point of dis story. Wht’s d objective??wht is dis intended 2 achieve????

    2. Kenneth, would you please be kind enough to offer us some evidence to support your reckless allegations. You know, some references just to convince us, as you are well aware that talk is cheap.

    3. I beg to differ! Please leave Islam out of this 'judgement'. Go ahead and hang Sanusi all you want but know that it is wrong to say that Islam encourages adultery and pedophilia…except if you are alleging that all Muslims and probably only Muslims, are guilty of this form of hypocrisy. If Saudi Arabia is strict in enforcing their rules on adultery, that must be to discourage adulterous behavior. People are people. Some are strong and good. Some are weak and faulty. All faiths encourages being truthful to your marital commitments and withholding judgement until all the facts are incontrovertible. Stay blessed!

    4. stop deceiving ursef even in Saudi Arabia alhaji hamed of told us how him nd some others arab carry prostitutes in saudi…also my friend dt work as a doctor in Saudi told how they carry ladies under hijab d same mtd alhaji told mi

  13. Sorry lee the hiss is not directed at you, it’s actually at the country and the way things are run. No doubt he has done well as cbn but it doesn’t excuse his misdeeds. There is away an element of truth in stories and i can imagine ho many ladies he would have sexually harassed and punished for not yielding to him. These things are true and very real in gov’t establishments. Pray someone you know is not a victim, you either play ball or you’re sidelined. I can relate to it and this is why it seems like I’m upset. We should begin to do things right in this country. Why would a Clinton be all sober cos hi s affair with Monica was exposed? We are fast losing our sense of judgment in this country

  14. This story is well scripted. How did the writer see all the text messages and listen to all the calls? This report appears false.

  15. This is highly irrelevant… The man earns good money so how sure are you that his trips were made at the expense of taxpayers? If you're running out of things to write about pls kindly consult the creative part of your brain… Have a creative n blessed week ahead…

    1. How much does he earn to charter a plane at will, if it is a pastor that buys a jet people like you will be running their mouth,a man that has not impacted 10 persons in his entire life will be compared to men that has impacted hundreds of thousands of people.Nigerians i wonder what is wrong with you people.

  16. This story, hmmm. So how were you guys able to get their phones and read their text messages to know the conversations between them. And also, hotel and flight bookings. Also, where you said she wore a seducing dress, so who kept keeping track of them? And even if these allegations are true, why expose a person’s private life, leave them to their crearors. Please let’s still remember our moral values, forget what the morally bankrupt white man teaches you. Please, respect people’s privacy. This story is quite funny anyway

    1. Yeah funny story. But if true it concerns us. This our mentality in Nigeria that someone’s professional career is different from their personal life is what’s killing us. He is a public figure and should be held accountable for hiring his mistress or using our money for unnecessary trips to hook up with her. Adultery also shows irresponsibility and how do we trust our financial sector to someone that cannot be trusted by hisi family??? Saying it’s his personal life is just the height of the rubbish we condone in this country. Mscheww

      1. Hey deelee, u don’t have to be rude, why hiss :). The story actually calls for eyebrow to be raised, how were they able to get such details, like text messages that were exchanged. And if true, I still stand that it shouldn’t be exposed this way, there was unnecessary exposure. A man could be illicit and still performs his official duty well. So wait for him to misperform officially before u conclude.

  17. Not one single name was mentioned as a source “for fear of retribution” yet the names of the suspects are splashed all over the article. This is a crappy story with no foundatioin whatsoever and the writer & hanngers-on such as Ynaija should be sued and made to face libel charges. How did you get the contents of the text messages?

    I am not a fan of SLS but this is despicable!

  18. From my understanding u r nt hapy with d level of respect attached to him.He is not a hero to me bt i can dwell into his personal affairs,the article is too naive and unfair

  19. This is life. The more u are trying to achieve success the more people are trying to work underground against ur success. As far as i am concern, he has been fulfilling his duties as CBN governor and it is nobodys bussiness about his private life. There is no element of truth in this article. I guess the reporter and d publicator are insane. They need mental assessment

  20. every body on this earth has his weakness, work on your own weakness 1st. As far as I'm concern he is my mento and hero. More grease 2 your elbows.

    1. your head needs to be examined,if he is a pastor you will be running your mouth.

    2. yu need to shut ur mouth favour. why drag pastors into a topic that hasnt been labelled religious…..its pple like you that needs to consult that part of their brain that still ticks….Let people who accuse him of misconduct come out with evidence and prosecute him….and if they'll not, let them do the nation some good and talk about positive things

  21. so a top nigerian official has a suspected girlfriend in the office. na story be dis? abi dem hear say SLS dey print 2015 poster? mscheeeeeew.

  22. The reporter of dis news must definitely b a fool….what concern u wit som1’s life…y disturbin urself….

  23. This is a totally fake and cheap story, any man/woman who uses his or her pen to destroy a person’s image, has officially open the root to failure and an unrevivable downfall. May God truly protect this writer.

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