II, by his administration.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Kaduna State
Government had appointed Sanusi as the Vice Chairman of the state’s
Investment Board as well as Chancellor of the State University, barely
72 hours after his dethronement as Emir of Kano.
El-Rufai, while fielding questions from newsmen on Friday in Awe,
Nasarawa State, when he came to visit the deposed monarch, said the Emir
is a global asset that could turn around the economic fortunes of Kaduna
state.
The governor said the former first-class traditional ruler had been his
confidant since their teens and that his visit to Awe was to encourage
Sanusi in his moments of travail.
According to El-Rufai, Sanusi is a global citizen with a network of
contacts around the world that can bring a lot of investment to Kaduna
state.
“In his position as Emir of Kano, I couldn’t have offered him the
appointment because I believe he should be attracting investments to
Kano state. But once he became available, I seized the opportunity to
bring that value to Kaduna state,” the governor explained.
On Sanusi’s appointment as the Chancellor of the state university,
El-Rufai said it was to compensate for what he would have lost following
his dethronement.
He noted the tradition in the country, where first-class traditional
rulers were always made Chancellors of universities, saying the
appointment is to ensure he doesn’t feel any sense of loss.
The governor said: “I believe he (Sanusi) will add a lot of value to the
growth of our university, which will be a multi-campus varsity with
presence in seven out of the 23 local government areas of the state.
“We believe he can help a lot in implementing that road map,” he said.
The governor, who left Awe with the deposed Emir following the court
order for his release, disclosed that Sanusi was heading to Lagos to be
reunited with his family.
NAN also reports that the deposed Emir departed Awe in the same vehicle
with El-Rufai at about 4:27 p.m en route Abuja, where he would be flown
to Lagos.