On-sanusi-dethronement-oh-how-the-mighty-has-fallen
September 7, 2020 | News
ON SANUSI’S DETHRONEMENT – OH HOW THE ‘MIGHTY’ HAS FALLEN!
It has become the latest shocker in the country and media buzz which has got everyone talking, and that is the eventual removal of the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, from his high and mighty position after a long-running row with the Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje. Though, Sanusi’s disgraceful removal from his highly exalted position as Emir, by the Kano State Governor, came as a surprise to some people, while many others saw it coming, judging from the fact that these two have been at logger heads for quite some time. But for me, Sanusi’s removal is evidently seen to be too political because of one, his outspokenness as a traditional ruler, amongst other attributes. Agreed that Sanusi has always been a brilliant mind, but he is also known to be a very vindictive person judging by how he dealt with his supposed opponents in Nigeria’s banking sector who disagreed with him on some grounds when they were all bank MDs/CEOs. Could this be karma, and payback time for Sanusi, who as Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, forcefully took over banks that were doing well, right from the hands of their owners. In fact, it was under Sanusi as CBN Governor, that many families and businesses, particularly in the Southern parts of the country, were ruined and brought to nothing, as he went about with his unpopular policies and practices which practically forced most banks owned by Southerners, to be relinquished from their hands.
Looking at the way some persons are reacting to Sanusi’s dethronement, I think some Nigerians are just over rating the Kings/Traditional Rulers in Nigeria. They tend to forget that these Kings/Traditional Rulers have no specific roles in the Nigerian constitution. This includes the First-class Kings, Second-class Kings or Third-class Kings. The State Governors could elevate any King/Traditional Ruler to become First class kings, as he also has the power to reduce them to Third-class Kings, whichever way they so desire. This is unlike the queen of England that has so much power. The Queen of England is the President and Commander-In-Chief of the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister is not in-charge of the British military. She is the only leader in Great Britain that can give order to the military to go to any warfront, or declare war on any country. That is why the British Royals all have a military background. Queen Elizabeth is a trained military mechanic and a military driver who actually drove soldiers to the Second World War fronts. Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward and their children, all have military backgrounds. Even Prince Philip, the husband of the Queen, has a military background as well. Also, the British Royals cannot be arrested and prosecuted. They are immune to all of that.
The Queen of England owns the Courts, and crime suspects are charged before the Queen/Crown. So, the Judges in the Courts are the representatives of The Queen. And despite the fact that The Queen of England is the largest land owner of the world, she is not seen to be arrogant. But rather very humble, as well as her family too. They hardly make official statements concerning the State, even though The Queen has unlimited powers. Prince Charles of Wales is the next in Military rank to his Mother, the Queen. He is the Field Marshal of the British Army, Admiral of the Fleet of the British Navy and Marshal of the British Airforce. The Queen is also the Head of the Church of England, and also the Head of the Commonwealth countries, as well as Head of the State of Canada, New Zealand, Australia. Yet, she and her Royal family do not talk much because they were trained to do so, and to work without making much noise about what they are doing. But here in Nigeria, all the Kings/Traditional Rulers have allocated to themselves the title of His Royal Majesty. Whereas, it is the Queen of England that should be addressed as Her Royal Majesty. The question is, are Nigerian Traditional Rulers really entitled to have/bear the status of His Royal Highnesses, especially since they are appointed by State Governors, talk less of being addressed as Royal Majesties? Few years ago, I recall when I was engaged by Shell (SPDC) to carry our Community Relations activities in their Land I areas-Western division, I addressed the letters to the Traditional Rulers from Shell (SPDC) as Royal Highnesses. You needed to see how these Traditional Rulers vibrated, and asked why I dared to addressed them as Royal Highness instead of Royal Majesties. That tells you how crazy we are in this country when it comes to bearing titles.
But here in Nigeria, we have overly hyped the Kings/Traditional Rulers across all boards, making it look like they are untouchable. But that should not be the case. This was reiterated in an old circulated video of the former Governor of Kano State, Mohammed Abubakar Rimi versus the then Emir of Kano, who noted that the Nigerian Press and the public should stop hyping the Emir, and ascribe to him of what he is not. And that the “Emir of Kano is nothing but a Public Officer… He is a Public Officer, who is holding a public office, and who is paid from public funds. And whose appointment is at the pleasure of the Governor of the State, and who can be dismissed and removed if suspected to have committed an offence, and there is nothing absolutely unique about the (then) Emir. He is equal to any one of my aides. And believe me, if he commits any suspected offence that will make us to remove him, we will remove him and we will sleep soundly.”
So, for Sanusi, he should have known that he was a Public Officer who could be sacked by the Governor if he misbehaves. It is painful that he caused thousands of families to live in poverty after his escapades in the banking sector, which wiped out many banks whose owners were not his friends as co-MDs. Sanusi did not really punish the owners of these banks but members of the Nigerian public who were gainfully employed. While the bank owners that were his friends, had their banks intact and untouched by Sanusi. Judging by his kind of person, Sanusi would not have been accepted to work as a banker, talk-less of being a king. He would not have risen to the position of the MD of First bank, if he was politically-minded and outspoken as we see him in recent years.
One thing, which I think every Nigerian elite, politician and highly placed persons in the Nigerian society should take from the Sanusi’s experience, is that they should realize that power is transient. That no position of power, no matter how highly placed, is forever. So, they should be very mindful of every action today, because it has a way of coming back to haunt them in the future. As noted by famed actor and former Governor of California, USA, Mr. Arnold Schwarzenegger: “When I was in an important position, they always complimented me, and when I lost this position, they forgot about me… Do not trust your position or the amount of money you have, nor your power, nor your intelligence, it will not last.”
For Sanusi, agreed that, according to the Secretary to the Kano State Government, Usman Alhaji, while making the announcement, said the removal of Sanusi was in line with the recommendation of the Kano State Public Complaint and Anti-Corruption Commission, and that the dethronement was part of its move to safeguard the “sanctity, culture, tradition, religion and prestige” of the Kano State Emirate which was established over a millennium ago; however, it is evidently clear that his removal was simply hinged on the fact that Ganduje, as well as some of the elites in the Kano Emirate, have always not liked the way and manner Sanusi was throttling and going about his traditional duties and roles as the Emir of Kano. Sanusi was also accused by the Kano State Government of disrespecting lawful instructions.
It is noted that, while Ganduje has dethroned the Emir of Kano Sanusi Lamido Sanusi over alleged financial misappropriation and disrespect of the State Government, it is the same Ganduje who was caught on camera collecting US Dollars alleged bribe, and which case has been dismissed and swept under the carpet by a Federal Government that is supposedly fighting corruption in high places. One would not be off to say Nigeria is indeed a lost course. But that will be a topic for another day.
For us to fully understand why this development with Sanusi is an issue of national discuss, let us consider some of the things and attributes that made him what he is. Muhammadu Sanusi was an outspoken and fearless monarch, but he did not begin to show these traits only upon the accession of the throne. According to an article by Ronke Idowu: “Prior to his becoming Emir of Kano, Sanusi was known for speaking passionately about issues regarding the polity and economy of Nigeria. Sanusi as a traditional ruler was not shy to delve into the politics of the day, he accused political and religious leaders in the north of not doing enough for the region, adding that the lackadaisical approach to governance within the region was a major contributing factor to the widening of the poverty gap between the mainly Muslim north and the majority-Christian south.” This of course, has never sat down well with the Kano State Governor and other northern State Governors and elites.
Lamido Sanusi ascended the throne in 2014, taking over from his granduncle, Ado Bayero. His grandfather, Muhammadu Sanusi I, was the 11th Emir of Kano from 1953 until 1963. Like in his own case in 2020, Sanusi’s grandfather was also deposed by his cousin Sir Ahmadu Bello. The reason for the dethronement was also similar, Sanusi like his grandfather was accused of insubordination. Sanusi is also seen as an erudite scholar and banking guru. Born into a ruling class, son of a career diplomat who served as the Nigerian Ambassador to Belgium, China, and Canada, Sanusi went on to establish himself as an indispensable asset in the Nigeria banking and finance industry, rising from management roles in different banks to becoming the CEO of First Bank, one of Africa’s largest financial institutions.
Sanusi’s accession to the throne also had some controversies. There are some who believe that Sanusi’s willingness to become Emir of Kano was politically-motivated. Those who champion this thought, say Sanusi accepted the appointment of the throne in a bid to avoid fraud charges from his tenure at the Central Bank. For some, the rightful heir to the throne was his cousin, and to this effect, some protested saying Sanusi was not the right one to ascend the throne. Sanusi, however, was crowned Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II on 9 June 2014, as he became the Emir of Kano, he automatically became a leader of the Tijaniyya Sufi order, the second-most-important Muslim position in Nigeria after the Sultan of Sokoto, leader of the larger Qadiriyya Sufi order.
Also, during his time as Emir of Kano, many saw Sanusi as a dissident to Northern norms. He received many criticisms from conservatives in the North, for making several comments on socio-political issues impacting the region. Some of those comments that earned him criticisms include the calls for an end to child marriage, building more schools instead of mosques, and infrastructural development. He also called for population planning and said that polygamy is increasing poverty in the region. Even though, Sanusi is not living by example, as he also married 4 wives, and even recently married an 18 years old girl who might be obviously younger than his first child, but that is not even our concern here. Also, part of his calls were certain solutions proffered to solving the almajiri issue. In November 2014, after Sanusi urged his followers to fight Boko Haram, the Great Mosque of Kano was bombed, with over 150 killed. Abubakar Shekau, the leader of the insurgent group Boko Haram, accused Sanusi of deviating from Islam and threatened his life; Sanusi replied that he is “safe with Allah”, and likened Shekau’s extremist comments (describing Sufis as unbelievers) to those of the heretical Islamic preacher Maitatsine.
While on the throne of the Kano Emirate, Sanusi spoke out on government policies, breaking with royal tradition. He criticized the Kano State Government of misplaced priorities and it is believed that this stirred the investigation into corrupt practices within the Emirate. Though, the investigation was later called off by the State legislature following intervention by the ruling class, the government headed by Ganduje went on to create a law that saw to the rise of four new Emirates, thereby receding the powers of Sanusi.
With the enthronement of Nasiru Ado Bayero as the new Emir of Kano, we however do not think it is proper the way the deposed Sanusi has been exiled to Nasarawa State by the Government. A recent post sort to show a judicial precedent that speaks against such exile, with the case of the Government of Kebbi State vs. HRH Mustapha Jokolo (2013). It noted that the State Government “has no right to act outside the clear and unambiguous provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (applicable to this case). Section 35 (1) of the said Constitution provides that every citizen of Nigeria is "entitled to his personal liberty and no person shall be deprived of such liberty" except in the circumstances set out in subsections (a) to (f) thereof. Section 40 of the same Constitution provides that "every person is entitled to assemble freely and associate with other persons". On the issue at hand, Section 41(1) of the Constitution is germane and it provides thus: "41 - (1) Every citizen of Nigeria is entitled to move freely throughout Nigeria and to reside in any part thereof, and no citizen of Nigeria shall be expelled from Nigeria or refused entry thereto or exit therefrom.
That being said, we hope that Sanusi, and the rest of Nigerian political class and elites, should pick one vital lesson from all of this. And that is the fact that often times, whatever a man sows, he will surely reap in different folds. And that if we always remember to that ‘Tables Turn’, we will learn to treat everyone fairly, justly and with respect.
Zik Gbemre.
March 10, 2020.
We Mobilize Others to Fight for Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes
It has become the latest shocker in the country and media buzz which has got everyone talking, and that is the eventual removal of the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, from his high and mighty position after a long-running row with the Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje. Though, Sanusi’s disgraceful removal from his highly exalted position as Emir, by the Kano State Governor, came as a surprise to some people, while many others saw it coming, judging from the fact that these two have been at logger heads for quite some time. But for me, Sanusi’s removal is evidently seen to be too political because of one, his outspokenness as a traditional ruler, amongst other attributes. Agreed that Sanusi has always been a brilliant mind, but he is also known to be a very vindictive person judging by how he dealt with his supposed opponents in Nigeria’s banking sector who disagreed with him on some grounds when they were all bank MDs/CEOs. Could this be karma, and payback time for Sanusi, who as Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, forcefully took over banks that were doing well, right from the hands of their owners. In fact, it was under Sanusi as CBN Governor, that many families and businesses, particularly in the Southern parts of the country, were ruined and brought to nothing, as he went about with his unpopular policies and practices which practically forced most banks owned by Southerners, to be relinquished from their hands.
Looking at the way some persons are reacting to Sanusi’s dethronement, I think some Nigerians are just over rating the Kings/Traditional Rulers in Nigeria. They tend to forget that these Kings/Traditional Rulers have no specific roles in the Nigerian constitution. This includes the First-class Kings, Second-class Kings or Third-class Kings. The State Governors could elevate any King/Traditional Ruler to become First class kings, as he also has the power to reduce them to Third-class Kings, whichever way they so desire. This is unlike the queen of England that has so much power. The Queen of England is the President and Commander-In-Chief of the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister is not in-charge of the British military. She is the only leader in Great Britain that can give order to the military to go to any warfront, or declare war on any country. That is why the British Royals all have a military background. Queen Elizabeth is a trained military mechanic and a military driver who actually drove soldiers to the Second World War fronts. Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward and their children, all have military backgrounds. Even Prince Philip, the husband of the Queen, has a military background as well. Also, the British Royals cannot be arrested and prosecuted. They are immune to all of that.
The Queen of England owns the Courts, and crime suspects are charged before the Queen/Crown. So, the Judges in the Courts are the representatives of The Queen. And despite the fact that The Queen of England is the largest land owner of the world, she is not seen to be arrogant. But rather very humble, as well as her family too. They hardly make official statements concerning the State, even though The Queen has unlimited powers. Prince Charles of Wales is the next in Military rank to his Mother, the Queen. He is the Field Marshal of the British Army, Admiral of the Fleet of the British Navy and Marshal of the British Airforce. The Queen is also the Head of the Church of England, and also the Head of the Commonwealth countries, as well as Head of the State of Canada, New Zealand, Australia. Yet, she and her Royal family do not talk much because they were trained to do so, and to work without making much noise about what they are doing. But here in Nigeria, all the Kings/Traditional Rulers have allocated to themselves the title of His Royal Majesty. Whereas, it is the Queen of England that should be addressed as Her Royal Majesty. The question is, are Nigerian Traditional Rulers really entitled to have/bear the status of His Royal Highnesses, especially since they are appointed by State Governors, talk less of being addressed as Royal Majesties? Few years ago, I recall when I was engaged by Shell (SPDC) to carry our Community Relations activities in their Land I areas-Western division, I addressed the letters to the Traditional Rulers from Shell (SPDC) as Royal Highnesses. You needed to see how these Traditional Rulers vibrated, and asked why I dared to addressed them as Royal Highness instead of Royal Majesties. That tells you how crazy we are in this country when it comes to bearing titles.
But here in Nigeria, we have overly hyped the Kings/Traditional Rulers across all boards, making it look like they are untouchable. But that should not be the case. This was reiterated in an old circulated video of the former Governor of Kano State, Mohammed Abubakar Rimi versus the then Emir of Kano, who noted that the Nigerian Press and the public should stop hyping the Emir, and ascribe to him of what he is not. And that the “Emir of Kano is nothing but a Public Officer… He is a Public Officer, who is holding a public office, and who is paid from public funds. And whose appointment is at the pleasure of the Governor of the State, and who can be dismissed and removed if suspected to have committed an offence, and there is nothing absolutely unique about the (then) Emir. He is equal to any one of my aides. And believe me, if he commits any suspected offence that will make us to remove him, we will remove him and we will sleep soundly.”
So, for Sanusi, he should have known that he was a Public Officer who could be sacked by the Governor if he misbehaves. It is painful that he caused thousands of families to live in poverty after his escapades in the banking sector, which wiped out many banks whose owners were not his friends as co-MDs. Sanusi did not really punish the owners of these banks but members of the Nigerian public who were gainfully employed. While the bank owners that were his friends, had their banks intact and untouched by Sanusi. Judging by his kind of person, Sanusi would not have been accepted to work as a banker, talk-less of being a king. He would not have risen to the position of the MD of First bank, if he was politically-minded and outspoken as we see him in recent years.
One thing, which I think every Nigerian elite, politician and highly placed persons in the Nigerian society should take from the Sanusi’s experience, is that they should realize that power is transient. That no position of power, no matter how highly placed, is forever. So, they should be very mindful of every action today, because it has a way of coming back to haunt them in the future. As noted by famed actor and former Governor of California, USA, Mr. Arnold Schwarzenegger: “When I was in an important position, they always complimented me, and when I lost this position, they forgot about me… Do not trust your position or the amount of money you have, nor your power, nor your intelligence, it will not last.”
For Sanusi, agreed that, according to the Secretary to the Kano State Government, Usman Alhaji, while making the announcement, said the removal of Sanusi was in line with the recommendation of the Kano State Public Complaint and Anti-Corruption Commission, and that the dethronement was part of its move to safeguard the “sanctity, culture, tradition, religion and prestige” of the Kano State Emirate which was established over a millennium ago; however, it is evidently clear that his removal was simply hinged on the fact that Ganduje, as well as some of the elites in the Kano Emirate, have always not liked the way and manner Sanusi was throttling and going about his traditional duties and roles as the Emir of Kano. Sanusi was also accused by the Kano State Government of disrespecting lawful instructions.
It is noted that, while Ganduje has dethroned the Emir of Kano Sanusi Lamido Sanusi over alleged financial misappropriation and disrespect of the State Government, it is the same Ganduje who was caught on camera collecting US Dollars alleged bribe, and which case has been dismissed and swept under the carpet by a Federal Government that is supposedly fighting corruption in high places. One would not be off to say Nigeria is indeed a lost course. But that will be a topic for another day.
For us to fully understand why this development with Sanusi is an issue of national discuss, let us consider some of the things and attributes that made him what he is. Muhammadu Sanusi was an outspoken and fearless monarch, but he did not begin to show these traits only upon the accession of the throne. According to an article by Ronke Idowu: “Prior to his becoming Emir of Kano, Sanusi was known for speaking passionately about issues regarding the polity and economy of Nigeria. Sanusi as a traditional ruler was not shy to delve into the politics of the day, he accused political and religious leaders in the north of not doing enough for the region, adding that the lackadaisical approach to governance within the region was a major contributing factor to the widening of the poverty gap between the mainly Muslim north and the majority-Christian south.” This of course, has never sat down well with the Kano State Governor and other northern State Governors and elites.
Lamido Sanusi ascended the throne in 2014, taking over from his granduncle, Ado Bayero. His grandfather, Muhammadu Sanusi I, was the 11th Emir of Kano from 1953 until 1963. Like in his own case in 2020, Sanusi’s grandfather was also deposed by his cousin Sir Ahmadu Bello. The reason for the dethronement was also similar, Sanusi like his grandfather was accused of insubordination. Sanusi is also seen as an erudite scholar and banking guru. Born into a ruling class, son of a career diplomat who served as the Nigerian Ambassador to Belgium, China, and Canada, Sanusi went on to establish himself as an indispensable asset in the Nigeria banking and finance industry, rising from management roles in different banks to becoming the CEO of First Bank, one of Africa’s largest financial institutions.
Sanusi’s accession to the throne also had some controversies. There are some who believe that Sanusi’s willingness to become Emir of Kano was politically-motivated. Those who champion this thought, say Sanusi accepted the appointment of the throne in a bid to avoid fraud charges from his tenure at the Central Bank. For some, the rightful heir to the throne was his cousin, and to this effect, some protested saying Sanusi was not the right one to ascend the throne. Sanusi, however, was crowned Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II on 9 June 2014, as he became the Emir of Kano, he automatically became a leader of the Tijaniyya Sufi order, the second-most-important Muslim position in Nigeria after the Sultan of Sokoto, leader of the larger Qadiriyya Sufi order.
Also, during his time as Emir of Kano, many saw Sanusi as a dissident to Northern norms. He received many criticisms from conservatives in the North, for making several comments on socio-political issues impacting the region. Some of those comments that earned him criticisms include the calls for an end to child marriage, building more schools instead of mosques, and infrastructural development. He also called for population planning and said that polygamy is increasing poverty in the region. Even though, Sanusi is not living by example, as he also married 4 wives, and even recently married an 18 years old girl who might be obviously younger than his first child, but that is not even our concern here. Also, part of his calls were certain solutions proffered to solving the almajiri issue. In November 2014, after Sanusi urged his followers to fight Boko Haram, the Great Mosque of Kano was bombed, with over 150 killed. Abubakar Shekau, the leader of the insurgent group Boko Haram, accused Sanusi of deviating from Islam and threatened his life; Sanusi replied that he is “safe with Allah”, and likened Shekau’s extremist comments (describing Sufis as unbelievers) to those of the heretical Islamic preacher Maitatsine.
While on the throne of the Kano Emirate, Sanusi spoke out on government policies, breaking with royal tradition. He criticized the Kano State Government of misplaced priorities and it is believed that this stirred the investigation into corrupt practices within the Emirate. Though, the investigation was later called off by the State legislature following intervention by the ruling class, the government headed by Ganduje went on to create a law that saw to the rise of four new Emirates, thereby receding the powers of Sanusi.
With the enthronement of Nasiru Ado Bayero as the new Emir of Kano, we however do not think it is proper the way the deposed Sanusi has been exiled to Nasarawa State by the Government. A recent post sort to show a judicial precedent that speaks against such exile, with the case of the Government of Kebbi State vs. HRH Mustapha Jokolo (2013). It noted that the State Government “has no right to act outside the clear and unambiguous provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (applicable to this case). Section 35 (1) of the said Constitution provides that every citizen of Nigeria is "entitled to his personal liberty and no person shall be deprived of such liberty" except in the circumstances set out in subsections (a) to (f) thereof. Section 40 of the same Constitution provides that "every person is entitled to assemble freely and associate with other persons". On the issue at hand, Section 41(1) of the Constitution is germane and it provides thus: "41 - (1) Every citizen of Nigeria is entitled to move freely throughout Nigeria and to reside in any part thereof, and no citizen of Nigeria shall be expelled from Nigeria or refused entry thereto or exit therefrom.
That being said, we hope that Sanusi, and the rest of Nigerian political class and elites, should pick one vital lesson from all of this. And that is the fact that often times, whatever a man sows, he will surely reap in different folds. And that if we always remember to that ‘Tables Turn’, we will learn to treat everyone fairly, justly and with respect.
Zik Gbemre.
March 10, 2020.
We Mobilize Others to Fight for Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes