By Lawal Ogienagbon
It was a matter of time before they got him. Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, until Monday, March 9, the emir of Kano, knew that Governor Abdullahi Ganduje was after him and that he would do anything to get rid of him at the least opportunity. The cat-and-mouse game between them had been on for long. Ganduje would have since deposed Sanusi if not for the emir’s connections.
His friends always came to his aid before the governor could dethrone him. If they had their way, the emir’s friends would have stopped his dethronement last Monday, but it seemed the governor, who could not get over his Sanusi complex, caught them unawares. Sanusi is brash and rash, no doubt. He takes no quarters as he is ever ready to speak his mind no matter whose ox is gored.
He has always been like that. He loves controversy. In fact, Sanusi thrives on controversy. As Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, a post in which he should be seen and not heard often, he became a thorn in the flesh of the government of the day despite knowing the consequences of such action. He lost his job because of his outspokenness when former President Goodluck Jonathan could no longer tolerate him.
That was six years ago and you would say that he should have learnt his lesson and as such be mindful of his utterances in future, especially after he became emir shortly after that. To expect Sanusi to do that means the public does not know who the real Sanusi is. He is royalty but in his blue blood is the gene of a social crusader. Sanusi wants a just and egalitarian society. A society where things work; where the boy- and girl-child are given equal opportunity; where parents do not send their children out to beg in order to survive.
He saw everything wrong in his immediate environment where the Almajiri culture thrives like an industry. The more he looks at what is happening in the North, the more he is embittered. Sanusi did not like what he saw. He believed that those boys who roamed the streets with begging bowls could live a better life if educated. Why would a man sire a child and virtually abandon the boy? Why would a father give away his daughter in marriage at an early age all because of money? Why would such parents not send their children to school?
Nigeria has over 13 million out-of-school kids, with the North having the highest percentage. This is the kind of statistics that makes the stomachs of people like Sanusi churn because of its inherent danger. The North can do better for itself and that is what Sanusi is clamouring for. Those in leadership position tend to misunderstand him because of his open way of doing things. They want him to come to them in private and talk things over instead of going public. The question is: if he panders to their wish will they listen to him?
It is good to advise leaders in secret, if and only if, such leaders will take to the advice. If they will not, it is better to go public with such comments. I have heard people ask: ‘’is Sanusi not part of the problems he claims he is trying to solve?’’ In his little way, he acted practically to address some of the problems facing the region. He instituted a N100 million fund for small scale entrepreneurs and also invested in the education of his people.
He may not have played his politics right, but that is not to say he did not mean well. Sanusi meant well, but he was misunderstood not only by Ganduje but also by many who called themselves his friends. When the time for Ganduje to exact his pound of flesh came on Monday, March 9, he swiftly did so before Sanusi’s friends could move in again and save him. That fateful day, the Kano State Executive Council held an emergency meeting, with only the dethronement and banishment of Sanusi on the agenda. The reason for Sanusi’s dethronement still seems hazy. The House of Assembly had yet to take action on the petitions against him before it when Ganduje deposed him.
The governor accused Sanusi of insubordination and of breaching Part 3, Section 13 (a-e) of the Kano State Emirate Law 2019. Ganduje may have had his way in deposing Sanusi, but the dethronement and banishment may end up making the emir more popular. Someone like Sanusi cannot be silenced because whether on or out of exile he will always remain in public conscience. When things go wrong, they will pine for him and for his interventions on burning issues.
Should any leader be talking of banishing people in this era when we are no longer under colonial rule? Can a governor just wake up, depose a monarch and send him on exile in flagrant violation of the Constitution, which provides for freedom of movement, freedom of association and right to personal liberty? Many of our governors are like Ganduje. They do not want anybody to challenge their authority. Consequently, they have become overlords, with their Houses of Assembly and local government chairmen under their beck and call.
Our governors are the major threat to our democracy. They want to be treated with respect, but they do not accord others such respect. They have forgotten that being a governor does not mean that they are better than those they govern. May they realise their mistakes sooner than later and retrace their steps before it is too late.
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