The Original Sins of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi

Posted on March 11, 2020

FUNSHO AROGUNDADE

Almost six years on this throne, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi was deposed by the Kano State government on Monday, March 9 as the 14th Emir of Kano. Sanusi was sacked following a resolution of the Kano State Executive Council on March 9, on allegations of insubordination. 

The action was based on the governor’s powers under the State’s Emirates Law 2019. Aminu Ado Bayero, the former Emir of Bichi, was immediately announced as the new Emir of Kano with the endorsement of the four Kano kingmakers.

Later in a 4-minute video message, Sanusi accepted his dethronement as an act of destiny.

“…Today, the almighty Allah, who gave me the leadership, has destined to take it back. As I always say, leadership has a predetermined tenure. The days Allah destined are numbered. When the days come to an end one must leave. We have accepted whatever Allah decides. We have agreed. We appreciate (God). We are happy and we know it is what is best for us. We enjoin everyone to remain peaceful.

“We have directed our family, our children and those that support us that whoever gets it and is endorsed by the people they should pay allegiance to him. They should follow him (the new Emir). They should guard his honour and dignity because that is also the honour and dignity of this palace. It is a thing of pride that made us to rule and end in the same fashion as Halifa (his grandfather’s sobriquet)”.

In the last few hours of Sanusi’s dethronement, there has been a mix of hues and cries, as well as a form of karmic payback. There are those who didn’t hide their passionate disdain for Sanusi, some still try to pretend however their thumbs could not but betrayed their pretensions as their views are clearly motivated by vendetta.

Beyond the official reasons by the Kano State Government, so many reasons have been ascribed to the cause of Sanusi’s present travails. Here are four key factors, perhaps, responsible for the sins culminating to his sack.

Bankers Factor

Naturally, Karma is real. And to many people in the Nigerian banking industry, Sanusi is getting his comeuppance. Within the industry, it is believe that Sanusi, as the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, created a big drama as he went for his “enemies”. They believe that he killed some of the nation’s best banking brands and by extension, nearly killed the industry.

He claimed he unearthed infractions in some banks. But rather than used moral suasion and ask the Board to quietly remove indicted Chiefs and let other measures follow, he has to ‘deal with his enemies’ in a way that they can only become useless. 

Sanusi incurred the wrath of some banking fatcats who accused him of seeing the stock market as a casino and disbanded some financial supermarkets enabled and facilitated by his predecessor. They believe that since his drastic actions against then big brands like defunct Intercontinental Bank and Oceanic Bank, the industry has not remained the same. They accused him of creating a crisis he could have managed effectively without destroying those strong brands.

While his traducers agree those banks were confronted with two major issues —market risk and insiders abuse— yet they believe Sanusi, as the bank police chief could have managed those issues without “forcing” the banks to go under. They accused him of bias with reference to the health condition of Unity Bank seen as the weakest of the banks, yet he was accused of sparing the bank because of its links to the North. And they have never forgiven him for this. Those he ‘destroyed’ then might not have been perfect, but then, they queried if Sanusi himself a Saint! Was the punishment he meted out on them the only and last option? To those people, Karma truly exists.

Jonathan Factor

So many supporters of Goodluck Jonathan are yet to forgive Sanusi for his perceived role in the sacking of his government. To them, Sanusi sowed wind and he’s reaping whirlwind. They are of the belief that the same cup with which you mete out to others same will be used in return to you.

The former Emir was an opposition and critic of Jonathan government —even as a member of the government as its CBN Governor. Sanusi was accused of running with the hare and hunting with the hounds. That is never done.

In 2014, Sanusi, as CBN Governor, claimed that $20 billion was missing from the nation’s coffers. That claim and the attendant scandals, it was believed, contributed to the eventual defeat of Jonathan in 2015. And many of Jonathan supporters have never forgiven him of that sin.

Ganduje factor

There is no denying the fact that deposed Emir Sanusi is a very intelligent man. As much as everyone agrees to that, he has however been tactless in most of his dealings. In any human system, penalty awaits insubordination and opposition to the constituted authority.

It is a known fact that the position of royal fathers has been subjugated in our democracy to the extent that a Local Government Chairman is now higher than a traditional king in order of precedence. Most people expected that a cerebral Sanusi should know better in dealing with the Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje.

The deposed Emir has been accused of partisan politics and his utterances didn’t help matter. Sanusi allegedly worked against incumbent governor Ganduje and even allegedly supported Alhaji Abubakar Atiku, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Presidential candidate in the 2019 Presidential elections. This, it was said, did not go down well with the power-that-be in Kano and Abuja.

Sanusi failed to understand that the powers of Governors are enormous. He picked a fight with a man who has political power —thus made a nonsense of the saying that ‘intelligence and brilliance come with wisdom’.

Northern Establishment Factor

It’s obvious there is no tear for Sanusi. As the Emir of Kano, Sanusi was seen as going against what the North believes is cultural. Each time the deposed Emir pointed out the problems of the North, the applause always deafening not from his people but from the South.

To most of the Northern elites, Sanusi was playing to the gallery. They see him as glamourising their major problems which include poverty, illiteracy, drug abuse, polygamy, girl child abuse, and almanjiri phenomenon among others. Those elites seem not to be too comfortable with his persistent rebuking them mostly outside the precinct of the North.

Cutting his clips was a major assignment but when he thought the war was over, he was deposed. More reason, no one has really felt for him nor did any prominent Northerner raise voice against his removal.

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