The needless controversy over the installation of former central bank governor, Lamido Sanusi as new emir of Kano was avoidable if the Presidency demonstrated the maturity and stately comportment required of persons, who by authority and common trust are supposed to be the epitome of civility. Given the frosty relationship between Sanusi and President Goodluck Jonathan, the official reaction, which gravitated into outright animosity towards Sanusi, is a national embarrassment which advertises a certain pettiness at the highest level of Nigeria’s leadership. Jonathan, who was quick to express his condolence to the late emir, has yet to formally congratulate Sanusi – a snub likely to widen the gulf between the two men. In the judgment of an average sense of decency, the President’s action is a moral weakness of asinine proportion which is inexcusable. Jonathan certainly needs to execute his office with greater competence and grace than he has done. This controversy is one too many; and a classic case of digging the grave beyond the proverbial six feet.
It is an open secret that the PDP’s choice was the late Emir’s first son, Ciroman Kano; and the party even issued a premature statement of congratulations to Ciroman before hastily withdrawing it. The PDP and the APC later traded blame and insults after violence erupted on the streets of Kano following Sanusi’s appointment resulting in five deaths. At a time when the nation is bleeding, when the ship of state is floundering, symptomized by deep cleavages and political discontent along geopolitical, religious and tribal lines; such intemperate politicking will only exacerbate existing tension and widen the fault lines beyond manageable proportion.
It was an unimaginable political miscalculation and error of judgment for the President not to have taken the high road by simply congratulating Sanusi and wishing him well. It was a colossal blunder on the part of the PDP and its leadership and in clearly unmistakable terms, it portrayed Mr. President as thoroughly petty and pithy. It is customary for the president to pay homage to the new emir in Kano as the institution is non-partisan. But if Jonathan cannot offer a simple congratulatory message, can he go to Kano and bow to a man he ignominiously suspended from his job? And what will happen to all the court cases against Sanusi? As Emir of Kano, Sanusi virtually has no constitutional powers but wields great influence as the custodian of both religion and tradition. Sanusi is now the second most-powerful Islamic leader in Nigeria, giving him immediate influence across the Muslim-majority north. Obviously, you just can’t drag the Emir of Kano to court.
Expectedly, the unpalatable controversy has excited intense public recriminations which have rankled Aso Rock. The PDP’s fortunes in the north, having taken a nosedive even before Sanusi’s emergence, will only get worse. The political fault lines between Jonathan and the north widened when Jonathan sacked Sanusi as head of the apex bank. As a prominent Kano prince, Sanusi had spoken truth to power no matter whose ox was gored. His often controversial statements, transcended banking, delving into politics, power and religion. With his petulance, foul temperament and imprudent conduct, Sanusi impoverished the sobriety and dignity of the office of CBN Governor in ways that made his appointment seem like an error in the first place.
Apart from regularly precipitating controversy in the banking sector, Sanusi, amid protests against fuel subsidy removal, told The Financial Times of London that Boko Haram was caused by the 13% derivation fund given to oil-producing states. He followed this up by donating N100 million to Boko Haram victims in Kano, amid public criticism of maneuvering for advantage to become the Emir of Kano; an aspiration he made no effort to hide. When the late Emir of Kano, Ado Bayero, made Sanusi the Dan-Majen Kano, the installation equally attracted critics, who accused Sanusi of abusing his office by sending invitations out, on official CBN stationery. To further annoy his critics, Sanusi surprisingly appeared with the full regalia of his new title on his first day in office after the installation.
As CBN governor, Sanusi was a regular visitor to the National Assembly on account of his controversies. He made no secret of his contempt for Nigerian lawmakers, saying they were a drain on the public treasury with 25% of the country’s overheads spent on them. “A professor in some universities earns just N400,000 yet these men who barely finished school earn this much all in the name of lawmaking. I wish to encourage Nigerians to continue fighting this doom that has befallen our economy so that one day, a drastic action will be taken by courageous Nigerians,” Sanusi unapologetically noted.
Sanusi has never shied away from controversy; indeed, he goes out seeking it; such as the introduction of Islamic banking. Despite the public furor against the idea, he went ahead with the introduction; and added salt to injury by saying he had no apologies. The presidency believed Sanusi was out to embarrass the administration with unguarded pronouncements aimed at demeaning the office of the president. Eventually, Sanusi was suspended as CBN governor. However, in timing and manner, the suspension was imprudent, and in bad faith and self-serving on account of the weighty allegations Sanusi had made against the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation for the non-remittance of billions of petrol dollars into the Federation Account. But the primacy of the revelations was obviated by Sanusi’s garrulous banter and flippancy. As chief economic adviser to the President ex officio, Sanusi ought to have exercised restraint, but he veered off the path of decorum into the quagmire of political grandstanding. Sanusi spent more time playing politics and playing to the gallery instead of managing the economy.
However, in suspending Sanusi, the President acted unwisely. He misread the political climate, dithered too long and acted imprudently. Jonathan appeared too petty with the suspension and lost much deserved political capital with his characteristic tardiness. His inability to act decisively allowed his last minute diffident act of suspension of a man whose tenure was to end in weeks to generate an unusual uproar in ways that allowed mischief makers to play up primordial sentiments. After all is considered, neither the course of Nigeria’s economy nor that of purposeful leadership was served by both men.
In every age, there comes a time when a personality must come forward to meet the challenges of the moment. Sanusi has an historic opportunity to make a positive difference in society and he must rise to the occasion. Now that he is the Emir of Kano, Sanusi must come down from his high horse, learn from his controversial past and live up to his image as the father of all. Sanusi must realize that Kano politics has far-reaching national implications. By virtue of his office, a lot of people are looking up to him and his views, in this instance, will continue to carry more weight in shaping public opinion. Therefore, the new emir must learn to downplay politics and refrain from doing anything that could bring the emirate into disrepute. The world is watching.
