Nigeria’s apex bank has squelched speculations about the fate of Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, assuring that he will successfully serve out his term, ending early June.

Laying speculations that Governor Sanusi would not stay in office till the last day of his contract, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Director of Public Communications, Mr. Ugochukwu Okoroafor, told journalists yesterday in Abuja: “The CBN governor is not proceeding on any terminal leave in March as it’s being speculated. This much he confirmed to us staff on Wednesday night at a ‘Family Meeting’ he held to brief us on plans leading to his retirement from the apex bank. He told us that he is not proceeding on any terminal leave, but will work until the last day of his five year-old tenure, which is on the 2nd of June 2014 because he was appointed on the 3rd of June 2009.”

Okoroafor cleared the air during a press conference at the CBN headquarters to announce the launch of the CBN’s new payment solution initiative, the Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) system, integrated with a Scripless Securities Settlement System (SSSS).

The new payment system, which replaces the one that was implemented seven years ago as part of the then CBN transformation programme code-named Project EAGLES, was performed by out-going CBN Deputy Governor, Mr. Tunde Lemo.

News Express that tension has been high in the country lately following speculations that Sanusi might be witch-hunted for blowing the whistle on billions of dollars of crude oil revenue yet to be accounted for by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

•Photo shows CBN Governor Sanusi.