The Federal Government is nursing plans to probe the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), covering the period between 2007 and 2014, a stretch of time during which the apex bank was headed by Chukwuma Charles Soludo and Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, both of whom spoke out forcefully last week against the current administration’s economic policies.

According to Tribune, the probe, if the authorities finally put a seal on it, would investigate the printing of naira notes under the watch of Professor Chukwumah Soludo and the management of CBN’s “surplus” finances under the watch of the incumbent Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi.

The duo had managed the CBN at relative periods of boom but forces in government said that the policies they instituted did not appear to help in the fight against corruption in those eras.

Coming at a time the Buhari-led Federal Government is accused of witch-hunting its critics and members of opposition, the probe, if executed, will hand critics more missiles with which to support claims of hypocrisy on the much vaunted anti-corruption war of the Buhari government.

But Tribune quoted a source within the government who said the planned probe did not have anything to do with the current postures of the former apex bank bosses.

“If certain questions are left hanging by the past administrations, this should be the time to clear such issues since this administration is determined to fight corruption and corrupt tendencies. The move would also help any of the past officials to clear their names of any perceived wrongdoing,” the source said.

While Soludo’s tenure is to come under searchlight for the process of printing new naira notes, the tenure of Sanusi is to come under the searchlight over the distribution of forex earnings to bureau de change operators as well as the report of the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRCN) which raised several allegations against Sanusi.

The 13-page report of the FRCN which was relied upon by the Federal Government to suspend Sanusi from office in 2013 had alleged that the former CBN governor spent N1.257 billion on lunch for policemen and private guards in 2012.

The council also alleged that Sanusi as CBN governor  made huge payments to airlines for currency distribution, while also allegedly holding an account balance of N1.423 billion for an unidentified customer since 2008.