On The Exit of Lamido Sanusi As Emir of Kano

By Chikwendu Christian Ukaegbu

I have always believed that Sanusi taking the position of Emir was a waste of critical talent for Nigeria. Why should such a highly skilled and forward looking technocrat and public intellectual sit in hibernation, making speeches, and settling local disputes? I’ve seen many Nigerian governors of the Central Bank come and go. But Sanusi was unique in his interpretation of the Nigerian problem. Previous governors of the Central Bank focused on macroeconomic policies.

Sanusi gave equal emphasis to macro and micro economics. In his speeches and opinions on the dilemma of the Nigerian economy, he went beyond concern for exchange rates, GDP, inflation, fiscal and monetary policies- the conventional focus of his predecessors. See his keynote speeches, TED Talks, and his opinions in newspapers. He gave equal, in fact more, emphasis to the importance of investing in the expansion and modernization of physical infrastructure.

He constantly lamented Nigeria’s fixation to importation of nearly everything and the resultant loss of employments to countries that buy Nigeria’s raw materials to benefit their own value-added production. He believed, instead, that Nigeria should and can process its raw materials including refining its crude oil as path towards industrialization.  He expressed that, with a forward-looking political leadership,   Nigeria’s economic lackluster could be transformed to dynamism.

A forward-looking political leadership could have easily seen the passion and sense of self-efficacy in Sanusi, reassigned him to form and lead a national task force on infrastructural development, given him the fund and deadline to bring about a path to the transformation of Nigeria’s infrastructure. Or he leads a task force on the industrialization of the country.

These were things he passionately cared about and articulately expressed in many national and international venues. Instead, he moved from the Central Bank to Emir-ship.  Though hiding inside, and constrained by, the paraphernalia of his office as traditional ruler, Sanusi remained himself, namely, the outspoken economist who understands the meaning and effects of rise or fall of social and economic indicators on the quality of life.

That he continued to speak truth to power, invoking his mindset as a professional economist, meant that he was indeed in the wrong place as Emir. Don’t be surprised if his conflict with Kano State Government resulted from his introspective, but well-meaning speeches, utterances and admonitions about the human condition in the North and what to do about it. Read the press release on his dethronement. That press release implied that he stepped on the immutable culture and tradition of his primordial constituency.

Historically, human societies have been organized along two political forms, namely, rulership v. leadership. The rulership model has roots in feudalism. Genealogy is the most important qualification for acquiring or maintaining high positions, honor, power and authority.

Heredity is an important criterion for succession. Genealogy takes precedence over competence, ability, merit, performance, diligence, hard work and achievement. The system of patronage is pervasive. And individuals tend to be emasculated by the fangs of culture and tradition.  Societies based on the leadership model are different.

They are not rooted in feudalism. Genealogy and patronage are of little consequence. Acquisition and maintenance of power, authority, and other positions are determined by ability, merit, achievement, competence and hard work. Every individual, high or low, is encouraged to achieve to the highest level of his/her ability.

For most societies in history, progress has meant moving from the rulership model to the leadership alternative. In Nigeria, there is a spectrum ranging from the predominantly rulership model in the core North to the prevalently leadership model in much of Igboland.

That is the basis of the Sanusi contradiction. He is a product of the rulership model where individuality or personal agency is submerged in culture and tradition. But he perceives society and the human condition from the perspective of one from the leadership platform where culture allows some freedom for individual agency to blossom.   As the General Abdulsalam Abubakar Report on the Kano Emirate Crisis stated, Sanusi’s frequent utterances as Emir caused disaffection with an embarrassment to the Kano State Government and the Federal Government of Nigeria.

The report went on to recommend that the then Emir (Sanusi) should subordinate himself to the authority of the State Government. By this suggestion, Sanusi as Emir was in the wrong place because his personality, knowledge and worldview would not permit him to submerge his agency to an immutable structure.  As Emir, he was a square peg in a round hole.

The Buhari Administration plans to borrow $22.7billion from international lenders. Sanusi, in his wise counsel, warned against it as far back as 2016. The total amount originally intended was $29.96 billion. Out of this amount the World Bank and African Development Bank rejected $6 billion the Buhari administration requested from them.

They must have wondered why a country that received debt forgiveness to the tune of $18billion in 2005 requested another large loan at this time.  Nigeria’s external debt was $22.08 in 2018.  Add that to the $22.7 billion loan request currently dangling in the Senate. Nigeria’s foreign debt will amount to $44.78billion only 19 years after its previous debts were forgiven.

That is a mark of profligate, incompetent, callous, corrupt and unconscionable governance over the years including the present administration which wants to double the debt.

President Buhari has only 3 more years in power. Why take this huge loan in a country known for zero accountability?  Nigeria’s developmental future, in part or in whole, does not and should not depend on this loan. Nigerians should oppose and stop this loan.

With his economistic intelligence and imagination, Sanusi may have analyzed the situation and perceived the economic peril into which this loan takes Nigeria.  Hence he warned against it. Put another way, Sanusi’s exit from traditional rulership will free him from the constrictions of culture.  He, therefore, may be more useful to Nigeria if he is able to once again orient himself to public life.

Chikwendu Christian Ukaegbu (Professor of Sociology & Global Development – Ret.)
Adjunct Faculty University of Wyoming, Laramie & Dominican University, IL, USA   
Author:  In Search of Development: Human Capital, Entrepreneurship, Politics and Leadership in Nigeria, Goldline & Jacobs Publishing, January 2020.