NIGERIA (Abuja)- The Central Bank Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, has reiterated that the economy of the country is in serious danger if the apex bank was not given free hands to operate.

He said this yesterday in an interview with Bloomberg Television Africa, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

 Sanusi added that his successor must strive hard to maintain the independent of the apex bank due to the role it plays in the economy of the nation.

He said, “Any undermining of the CBN’s independence may hurt the economy. If anyone tampers with it, the markets would punish the economy.

“The CBN is a very strong institution that needs a strong leader and I think one of the things we have achieved over the last four or five years is to show that we can have an independent Central Bank in Africa.

“It is extremely important from the fiscal side, it is extremely important from the governance side, that the governor of the Central Bank is able to speak independently of political authority and raise an alarm and concerns, and give constructive criticism and advice.”