Sanusi: Rebel within… the plot against him

By Obinna Ezugwu

As governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mohammadu Sanusi 11, left an indelible foot print on the banking landscape. First with his epochal reforms and subsequently with his anti-corruption activism.

Now sitting on the thrown of his forefathers, the Emir of Kano has emerged as a catalyst for change in the Islamic North. The Islamic world, he insists has left Northern Nigeria behind.

Thus, the territory has become one of the poorest places in the world. His advocacy for radical changes in education, cultural practices, women rights etc, has unleashed a firestorm of criticisms against him with some powerful Northern voices labelling him an apostate.

Will he succeed in ushering in a new era in the North or will he, in the manner of typical revolutionaries, end up being consumed by the forces he has unleashed.

Will history repeat itself?

Since his open rebuke of Zamfara state governor, Abdulazeez Yari, over his rationalization of the meningitis epidemic as a divine curse for fornication, Alhaji Mohammed Sanusi II, Emir of Kano has become endangered specie. Before then he had used every occasion to spoke out against some of the negative practices such as early marriage, marrying four wives etc. in northern Nigeria in the guise of religion, insisting that religion does not encourage stupidity and backwardness.

Sanusi was affronted by this superstitious and anachronistic position of the governor sressting that such retrogressive and unscientific reasoning was responsible for the backwardness of the north in every modern development index. In the past one month, this variant of the virus which has no known vaccine yet has killed over 700 people in the state and several more in other parts of the north. Sanusi, a graduate in Islamic studies, believes that the governor cannot hide under Islamic pretensions to peddle ignorance and factitious belief.

Citing further examples of the destruction of romance and love books by a former Kano governor, the emir said what exists in Northern Nigeria is “a complete failure of social policy.”

“We are fighting culture and we are fighting civilisation,” he said. “For us to address social policy, we have to reclaim our religion.”

However, the question is why this evidently obvious fact by Sanusi raising so much dust in the region? Is it because it coming from him an emir of the second most important throne or that he is trying to upturn the apple cart?

Recently, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja spoke blunt home truths to Northern Reawakening Forum Summit. Said Osinbajo, “our history reminds us of the visionary leaders in Nigeria, who fired our imagination through their vision, diligence and selfless service, who did not live or fight to enrich themselves, they did not leave vast personal estates behind, but their names and legacies live in the hearts of the people.”……..

.“Sir Ahmadu Bello, Sardauna of Sokoto, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Mallam Aminu Kano, J. S. Tarka and countless others who clearly understood the varied issues afflicting the region, thought through them, laid the plans and worked selflessly to realise them”.

Prof. Osinbajo decried the derailment from the foundations set by the founding fathers which has led to the challenges confronting the country, expressing concern that Nigeria is “a nation of 170 million people, the sixth largest producer of oil, over a hundred varieties of solid minerals and precious metals, hundreds of thousands of hectares of arable land, the largest economy in Africa, yet desperately poor”.

“the Northern States occupy about 70 per cent of the land mass of the country, they also have the highest infant and maternal mortality rates in the country, the lowest rate of child enrolment in schools, highest number of unemployed young people, highest levels of poverty and faces the challenge of inter-ethic and inter-religious conflict including the Boko Haram terrorism.”

The tragedy of Northern Nigeria is that for most of the years since independence, Northerners have held the reins of power and have as well been the determining captains and players of commerce and industry. Yet, for the leadership that Northern Nigeria has given the country, all it has to show is that poverty is its own face as described by Osinbajo.
In 2000 in Kaduna, all Northern Governors gathered at Ahmadu Bello Stadium, to promote then Vice President Atiku Abubakar as heir apparent to the Gamji Sir Ahmadu Bello Sardauna of Sokoto. Atiku Abubakar would have none of that. He angrily told the Governors then that each one of them should return to his State and provide the Sardauna type of selfless leadership to their States. This is the crux of the matter on poverty in the North. The responsibility for wealth creation and empowerment of vulnerable groups lies with the Governors who need to be imaginative in their different approaches.

From his time at First Bank to when he became governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, now Muhammad Sanusi II, Emir of Kano has never been free from controversies, neither has he ever shied away from challenging authority and the status quo. His reign as Emir thus far, has been no difference.

Few days ago, the Emir got the entire nation talking and the Northern conservatives kicking after his presentation at an investment summit in Kaduna where he criticized the All Progressive Congress led Federal Government for embarking on trivial conflicts instead of focusing on real issues of governance.

“The concern is not about electricity, about infrastructure, about education, about healthcare,” the Emir said. “In the last one month, all the conversation is about the National Assembly, the executive, the judiciary; the conflict between this politician and that politician; the confirmation of EFCC chairman – there has been no serious conversation around the people.

“Nobody is seeing the progress on security, nobody is seeing progress on the fight against corruption, all we see is a constant struggle between certain politicians and others.”

In 2014, Sanusi became the toast of the APC following a memo he sent to the then president, Goodluck Jonathan suggesting that more than $20 billion from crude oil sales had gone unremitted by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)

This and other subsequent allegations of fraud against the Jonathan administration led to his unceremonious ouster from the apex bank, and when the Kano emirate stool became vacant, the then Kano State governor, Senator Musa Kwankwaso with the support of President Muhammadu Buhari, then Presidential candidate of the APC, quickly made him emir to avoid possible prosecution by the Federal Government.

But like the scorpion, it is in Sanusi’s nature to sting, and it did not take long before he began to do so with Kwankwaso. Shortly after the governor announced banning of begging in Kano, the Emir gathered hundreds of youths to his palace and began to give them alms. When the governor queried him, he insisted that “nobody should stop us from giving out our money,”

However, the crux of Sanusi’s speech and the part that has got many commentators talking was his attack on the Northern establishment. He berated the Northern political class for holding unto the 13th century mindset of religion which encourages early marriage, proliferation of children and hinders progress, emphasising that the rest of the Muslim world has moved on from these practices and are competing with other civilized societies.

“Bornu and Yobe states, if they were a country on their own, were poorer than Niger, Cameroon and Chad because we have adopted an interpretation of our culture and our religion that is rooted in a 13th Century mindset that refuses to recognize that the rest of the Muslim world has moved on,” he said.

“The age at which girls are taken out of school and married, the number of children that they are having- babies every year. What is our attitude towards educating our girls? What is our attitude towards child spacing so that we can financially, educate and bring up our children? What is the purpose of a large population that is not educated, that is jobless and is unemployed?  Of what benefit is it to the North to have three million children out of school, roaming the street begging? We have to look at what our religion says as opposed to what our culture says, and have the courage to go through parts that societies went through which is to stand up and challenge intellectually, worldviews”, he said.

The Emir particularly singled out the Zamfara State governor, Abdulaziz Yari who had earlier shocked many with his claims that the meningitis outbreak in some states of the region which has so far claimed over 400 lives was a punishment from God for the sins of fornication, describing the claims as horrendous.

“Some examples are horrendous, I am sorry, but the current issue yesterday, if it is true what I read. Two hundred people die of meningitis in a state, the governor was asked and he said it is God’s curse on us for the sins of fornication, which apparently does not happen in America which is why they don’t have meningitis…. These are medical issues, go and get vaccines”, he said

This reprimand has since triggered exchange of words between the Emir, Yari and others like Professor Ango Abdullahi, but he is unfettered.

Abdullahi, a former vice chancellor of Ahmdu Bello University Zaria accused him of misrepresentation of facts, insisting that the North has sustained and is still sustaining Nigeria. It did not take long before rumours began to circulate that the Emir squandered N3 billion on Rolls a Royce car and was also caught kissing, holding and romancing ladies in public, allegations he has since denied.

In an article published on Daily Nigerian.com, a certain Jaafar Jaafar accused him of lowering the estimation of his throne and squandering the treasury of Kano emirate. “I was once a fan of the emir, but he is painting of impressionistic portrait of himself, cockatooing superfluously and lowering the estimation of the throne are some of my problems with him. From blabbering “I’m a Bellover” with Korede Bello in a viral clip, to endless selfies with every bystander, down to breaching palace protocols, Emir Sanusi is eroding the mystique and the aura of eminence associated with the throne,” Jaafar wrote.

“After inheriting over N1billion in the treasury of Kano Emirate Council, the emir – an economist – went on spending spree until the council’s accounts ran into deficit. Now if another Muffet-type commission is to be re-inaugurated to investigate how Kano Emirate squandered the treasury on exotic cars, unnecessary ‘restructuring’ of the palace, frequent foreign travels, chartered flights, customised sets of Christian Louboutin spiked shoes and Moroccan costumes, Internet bills, among others, the revelations could be startling.”

Governor Yari himself was not to take the Emir’s comment lying low. In a swift reaction he insisted that his assertion about the virus being a curse was right as according to him, God sent the type C meningitis which has no cure to punish Nigerians for their sins.

“What we used to know as far as meningitis is concerned is the type A virus. The World Health Organization, WHO, has carried out vaccinations against this type A virus not just in Zamfara, but many other states,” Yari said.

“However, because people refused to stop their nefarious activities, God now decided to send Type C virus, which has no vaccination. People have turned away from God and he has promised that ‘if you do anyhow, you see anyhow’ that is just the cause of this outbreak as far as I am concerned. There is no way fornication will be so rampant and God will not send a disease that cannot be cured.”

But the Sanusi was not done with him and other conservative leaders of the religion. In a post on his official Instagram page on Tuesday, the Emir came further down heavily on them, accusing them of twisting the minds of the youths, while maintaining that he has chosen to fight for progress.

“Muslim countries are holding their own in the modern world, proving that Islam is not a religion of underdevelopment. However, the likes of Zamfara State Governor Yari only strengthen this prejudice.

“Abdulaziz Yari quite ludicrously said the deadly meningitis, rampaging his state is divine punishment for fornication. He didn’t say how this was revealed to him because Zamfara certainly doesn’t have the highest number of fornicators in the nation.

“His preposterous statement fails to take into account the fact that meningitis isn’t a sexually transmitted ailment.

“The truth about the matter is that despite being warned of an impending outbreak, his government took no steps to prepare. Now he blames God! We are stuck with political leaders who only pretend to be godly because sycophants always refer to people in high political office as a ‘God-sent’.

“Paradoxically, despite being ruled by all these ‘God-sents’, we have spectacularly failed to progress as a nation. It’s no secret that many of our political leaders are inept and not well-educated. Nigerians have learnt from experience not to expect much from them. I choose to fight for the progress of Nigerians and suggest solutions to their problems. It’s my duty to speak the truth about the ill-effects of conservative Muslims who are harming Islam rather than helping it.

“I still believe that conservative Muslims are still stuck in the 13th Century and their claim that children need no other knowledge than Islamic studies flies in the face of reality. All the poverty, under-development and immense suffering in the North are a result of uneducated masses refusing to learn work or trade.

“The majority of technicians in Kano are from the south while untrained indigenes beg. How does that make sense? Why is it that conservative Muslims, who claim to be against scientific progress, enter aeroplanes and fly to perform the Hajj in Mecca rather than using camels to cross the desert!

“Unless northern political leaders like Governor Yari pay attention to me, there will never be a day when anywhere in the North will be like the modern Muslim cities of Kuala Lumpar, Istanbul, Jakarta, Lahore, Greater Cairo, Dacca, Karachi, Dubai, Riyadh or Faisalabad.”

The unyielding Emir had also taken his campaign to Morocco last weekend where he spoke at event accusing Saudi Arabia and Iran of dividing the Muslim world and suggested that less conservative Muslim countries like Malaysia and Morocco ought to lead.

“Where is the lone star for Muslims today? Everybody is talking about Saudi Arabia and Iran, and both countries, frankly, because of their geopolitical reasons, because of their conflicts and competition for ascendancy, have radicalised and divided the Muslim world.

“And they’ve held on to very conservative, very intolerant versions of the religion. Maybe the Muslim world needs to shift its focus, in terms of where leadership has to come from; look at Malaysia, look at Morocco, look at Tunisia, look at Indonesia, why look at Saudi Arabia and Iran!” he said. “That can only happen from the body of scholars within the different Muslim countries, who will change the discuss and say, ‘you know what, this is not your role model. Your role model is not ISIS, your role model is not an Islam that says there is only one true interpretation of religion.

“Or that does not separate what is personal from what is public… Malaysia is a fantastic example of a Muslim country that has been able to live with its religion and also live in the modern world.

Why can’t we be more like Malaysia, more like Morocco? Why do we have to be more like Iran and more like Saudi?”

Taking another swipe at Zamfara, he said the state was the first to introduce Sharia in Nigeria, but is today the poorest state in the country.

At the earlier event in Kaduna, he found an ally in the state governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai who himself agreed that “when you look at human development indices of Nigeria, they hide a lot of information.

“They saw us as middle-income country; they saw that we are making progress in terms of education and health care. But when you disaggregate this number and look at them from zone to zone, from state to state, it is very revealing. It shows for, instance, that some states in Nigeria are as backward as Afghanistan in terms of education, health care and opportunities. And many of the states in the North-west are afflicted with these challenges.”

However, as the Emir continues to challenge the core of Northern leadership, there are already concerns about him being dethroned. The conservative North is said to be historically opposed to the education of the masses. A prominent political figure who lived through the first republic recently revealed to Business Hallmark that the key problem the North had with late Obafemi Awolowo was his free education policy. He said the late Ahmadu Bello, then Saraduna of Sokoto had feared that when the masses are educated, they would rise up against them.

There are already feelers to the effect that the federal government is set to investigate his financial deals during his time at the CBN with a view to effecting possible retribution.

“You would recall that his grandfather, Muhammadu Sanusi 1, was also a radical, non-conformist Emir, he was dethroned. If Sanusi is not careful, he may not last as Emir. He is moving against a heavy tide,” said Barr. Tony Diebere, an Abuja based legal practitioner.

Speaking at an event organised by the Bring-Back-Our-Girls campaign organisation in Abuja on Friday, however, Shahida Sanusi, the Emir’s daughter said her father is not afraid to give up his throne if it stands in the way of the truth

“My father is not afraid of giving up his throne if it stands in the way of speaking the truth,” she said “Those who think that my father would keep quiet because he wants to hold on to his throne, I think they don’t know my father. I know that he has always wanted to be the emir of Kano but to him, if it comes between what is right, what his conscience tells him and choosing the throne, he would happily give up the throne.

“My father has always been a part of one controversy or the other and it’s normal for us. We are not scared anymore.

“Honestly, he has been a source of inspiration and pride. He never fails to fight. He fights for progress, liberty, justice and equality. Those who think they know my father should know that he will never be silenced by blackmail and intimidation. He lost his position once as the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and I remember his quote that you can suspend a man but you can never suspend the truth. I know he does not mind being the most unpopular emir so long he speaks the truth.”

This is the same gospel Emir Sanusi is preaching to his people to wake and do something about the problem. So why is he under attack from some leaders as if he has committed sacrilege? If the vice president who is a southern would say it without a whimper from anybody, why the shouts of crucify him?

Whatever will be the eventual outcome of this controversy, history would be kind to him for speaking the truth when it mattered most and holding the banners of the founders of the caliphate which brought enlightenment and change to the region.

The facts are glaring

The United Nations’ Global Multi-Dimensional Poverty Index Published in June 2015, and based on data collected on years between 2004 and 2014 reveals that as at 2010, 46% of Nigerians lived below the national poverty line (Only 28% in Urban areas, and near 70% in The rural). Although a Report by the World bank, released in 2014, showed that only 33% of Nigerians could be considered Poor, all Northern States of Nigeria fell below the national average of 46.5%. Damning is the following summary of Regional Averages:

–
1 = South West – 19.3% Poverty (+ Average)
2 = South South – 25.2% Poverty (+ Average)
3 = South East – 27.36% Poverty (+ Average)
—————————————————
** National Average 46.0%% Poverty
—————————————————
4 = North Central – 45.7% Poverty (+Average)
5 = North East – 76.8% Poverty (- Average)
6 = North West- 80.9% Poverty (- Average)

STATES<–>POVERTY RATE
1. Lagos ——— 8.5%
2. Osun ——— 10.9%
3. Anambra ——— 11.2%
4. Ekiti ——— 12.9%
5. Edo ——— 19.2%
6. Imo ——— 19.8%
7. Abia ——— 21.0%
8. Rivers ——— 21.1%
*. FCT (Abj) ——— 23.5%
9. Kwara ——— 23.7%
10. Akwa Ibom ——— 23.8%
11. Delta ——— 25.1%
12. Ogun ——— 26.1%
13. Kogi ——— 26.4%
14. Ondo ——— 27.9%
15. Enugu ——— 28.8%
16. Bayelsa ——— 29.0%
17. Oyo ——— 29.4%
18. Cross River ——— 33.1%
——————————————————-
** National Avg ——— 46.0%
——————————————————-
19. Plateau ——— 51.6%
20. Nassarawa ——— 52.4%
21. Ebonyi ——— 56.0%
22. Kaduna ——— 56.5%
23. Adamawa ——— 59.0%
24. Benue ——— 59.2%
25. Niger ——— 61.2%
26. Borno ——— 70.1%
27. Kano ——— 76.4%
28. Gombe ——— 76.9%
29. Taraba ——— 77.7%
30. Katsina ——— 82.2%
31. Sokoto ——— 85.3%
32. Kebbi ——— 86.0%
33. Bauchi ——— 86.6%
34. Jigawa ——— 88.4%
35. Yobe ——— 90.2%
36. Zamfara ——— 91.9%[/size]

REGIONAL AVERAGES
1 = South West – 19.3% Poverty (+ Average)
2 = South South – 25.2% Poverty (+ Average)
3 = South East – 27.36% Poverty (+ Average)

4 = North Central – 45.7% Poverty (+Average)
5 = North East – 76.8% Poverty (- Average)
6 = North West- 80.9% Poverty (- Average) Damn!!