ANAMBRA: Why my family went on exile during my reign as CBN governor – Soludo

FORMER governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Prof. Charles Soludo, has broken his silence on why his family left the shores of the country while he was serving the nation.

The Professor of Economics said the introduction of banking consolidation policy, engineered by him during the Obasanjo administration, attracted threats to his life and those  of his immediate family members.

He added that he had no option but to let his family went on exile to prevent his people from bearing the brunt of his action.

Soludo added that he received 19 written threats to his life following that policy.

He stated this in an interactive session with some journalists in Awka, the Anambra State capital.

Soludo, who has indicated interest in the  governorship seat of Anambra State on the platform of the All Progressive Grand Alliance, however, noted that he stuck to his guns despite the threats.

He said a good leader must be adamant and revolutionary when embarking on progressive policies.

He said, “I am a very impatient person to see change happen and I am passionate in anything I focus on. At that time, no bank in Nigeria was in the top 1,000 banks in the world. If you needed to make an investment of $500m, you had to go through the then 39 banks and it was an impossible task.

“If you wanted to borrow abroad, there was no bank here to guarantee that. So, I came to the realisation that if we wanted to build a private sector-driven economy, it was not possible with the rickety ‘mama and papa’ banks, which could not guarantee even N3m loan. We, therefore, needed to pull down the house and rebuild it.

“There was nothing I did not see. I received 19 written threats to my life. Even there were attempts to kidnap my children at Offa in Kwara State. So, it was a very brutal revolution. I had to evacuate my family during the banking consolidation because when you want to uproot a system, it is usually a deadly routine.”

The former CBN governor said his quest to govern the state was not for personal enrichment as God had blessed him all round, even before he became 30 years.