Perhaps no issue has been more discussed, investigated and analysed than the one about the $20 billion ‎oil revenue that was allegedly not remitted to the federation account. It is important to note that the matter was first raised by His Royal Highness the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, while he was still Governor of the Central Bank. It contributed to the controversial exit of Mr Sanusi from the apex bank so obviously it is not a matter that his highness wants to let die.

There were other reasons advanced for his removal however and he was already under investigation for the alleged indiscriminate manner he was spending government funds, donating hundreds of millions to universities, communities, distressed persons and any cause he considered deserving. A damning report by the Financial ‎Reporting Council noted that Mr. Sanusi spent a whopping N1.257 billion for lunch for policemen and private guards in 2012.

The Council also alleged that Mr. Sanusi made bogus payments to airlines for currency distribution as well as held an account balance of N1.423 billion for an unidentified customer since 2008.

It also accused the then apex bank governor of violating financial regulations and carrying out activities with financial implications not related to the CBN’s mandate.

Other crimes allegedly committed by Mr. Sanusi, according to the Council, included approval of billions of naira in ambiguous payments to invoices referred to as “Centre of Excellence” and “Contribution to Internal National Security,” and the CBN’s claim that it paid N38.233 billion to the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company Plc in 2011 for the “printing of bank notes” whereas the turnover of the entire printing and minting company group is N29.370 billion.

The Council described Mr. Sanusi’s response to the President’s query as “a clear display of incompetence, nonchalance, fraud, wastefulness, abuse of due process and deliberate efforts to misrepresent facts.”

But His Royal Highness now prefers to be remembered as the whistle blower who lost his job because he ‎discovered huge fraud at the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation.

Nonetheless one had expected that after a series of investigation by the two chambers of the National Assembly, a federal government inter-ministerial panel, report from the world renown forensic audit company, Pricewaterhousecooper, and un-numbered editorials, articles and columns by every media in this country, the matter would have by now been laid rest.

Writing under the headline, ‎”Unanswered questions on Nigeria’s missing oil revenue billions,” Mr Sanusi obviously wanted to nix all talk that the incoming administration of Gen Muhammadu Buhari was not going to probe anyone. He said, ”Nigerians did not vote for an amnesty for anyone”. Well, that implies that the emir will also be requested to answer those charges made against him by the FRC.

According to him: “The lines of investigation suggested by this audit need to be pursued. Any officials found responsible for involvement in this apparent breach of trust must be charged.”

The question is, charged with what? Mr Sanusi has bandied figures about since he first wrote his controversial letter to President Jonathan on September 25th 2013, alleging that a whopping $49.8 billion had not been remitted to the Federation Account by the NNPC. After the inter-departmental Reconciliation Committee set up by the Finance minister submitted that $10.8 billion was closer to the mark, Mr Sanusi now insisted that it is $12 billion. After the Senate hearing began on 4th February, 2014, Mr Sanusi suddenly raised the amount to $20 billion.

In the end, the Senate committee headed by Senator Ahmed Makarfi, concluded its investigation on May 28th 2014, saying there was no missing money. The entire committee, made up of both APC and PDP senators signed off on the report and the nation breathed a sigh of relief that the matter was over. However, this did not go down well with His Royal Highness.