By Mohammed Dahiru Aminu<\/p>\n
June 15, 2014<\/p>\n
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\u201cThe new Emir is an eminent economist, an accomplished banker and the recipient of a multiplicity of central banking and international banking awards; and a former doctrinaire, but God fearing, Marxist, now turned liberal monetarist, a passionate believer in and defender of the Washington Consensus, and a sound intellectual; and a widely-read and critical student of classical Islam, and a writer of compelling prose in whatever discipline he decides to dabble, Alhaji Sanusi Lamido Sanusi is the closest traditional leadership in this clime can ever get to the idea of the philosopher-king.\u201d —Adamu Adamu (June 13, 2014) <\/i><\/p>\n
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I must not forget to acknowledge my friend, Dr Abdulrahman Mohammed presently of the Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University in Ludhiana, India, who, some years ago, introduced me to Sanusi Lamido Sanusi\u2019s outstanding body of knowledge. Though I was at first reluctant to accept Abdulrahman\u2019s bid on Sanusi, when I\u2019d finally decided to attend to Sanusi\u2019s scholarly output, in no time, and like Abdulrahman, I, too, quickly became a dyed-in-the-wool disciple of Sanusi\u2019s brilliant, often persuasive pedagogy; the remarkably striking Sanusi school of thought.<\/p>\n
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Often in his polemical arguments, one sees in Sanusi an uncommon combination of both the finest of Western scholarly tradition, as well as an unsurpassed erudition in Islamic scholarship. Talk about Western- and Islamic philosophy, theology, and jurisprudence, and give it to Sanusi and you\u2019ll see a man who feels at home while making his case. But more astonishing is that when you read Sanusi, you can\u2019t help but marvel at his style of writing; the superb, beautiful prose with which he relates to his audience is simply priceless. What\u2019s more, Sanusi harbours an underlying attribute of saying it as it is without any form of fear. It is, for this, I believe, that my friend, Abdulrahman once declared that simply put, one cannot just impersonate Sanusi for a simple reason: there is only one Sanusi!<\/p>\n
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Ever since I became a Sanusi man, which by implication means my advocacy for all the good fortunes and attributes that symbolises his person, I never hid my approval of the man. Whenever I found myself discussing contemporary Nigeria, I had always advocated that what Nigeria needs at these trying times are people like Sanusi, to influence the affairs of government. Sanusi once said that the dirt in Nigeria\u2019s leadership can only be cleansed by encouraging good people to participate in the political process so as to flush it out of its current situation; its wanton depravity. Thus, for Sanusi, the opportunity to serve Nigeria in public office finally came when the then President Umaru Yar\u2019Adua, in 2009, nominated him as governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) amidst a global economic crisis. Prior to his official nomination, and just when it was rumoured that Sanusi was a likely contender for the office of the governor of the CBN, people like me, who, thankfully, before then, knew Sanusi through his personal antecedents as well as his scholastic pedigree have hoped for his victory in emerging the governor of the nation\u2019s apex bank.<\/p>\n
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In his screening for the CBN job at the Senate, we all looked at and admired the raw brilliance with which Sanusi accosted to questions being asked, and to issues raised concerning the betterment of corporate Nigeria. When he was finally cleared for the job, Sanusi marched his time-honoured words with impressive actionable ethics. He came out of public service without having to disappoint us, his disciples, for in both periods; in and out of public office, Sanusi never changed; he remained the Sanusi of old, in words and in deeds. He arguably, could pass for the smartest public officer in modern Nigeria\u2019s history. Being in the superlative in whatever capacity he found himself, Sanusi soon became that Nigerian public officer with a robust international fame and recognition. He was recognised as the Central Bank governor of the year in 2010, both for the world and for Africa, by the \u2018The Banker\u2019, a publication of the Financial Times. The TIME magazine also listed Sanusi in its 100 list of most influential people in the world in 2011.<\/p>\n
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But Sanusi wouldn\u2019t be a party to fraud in government as others are wont to do; a character that certainly influenced his unlawful ousting as governor of the CBN, just a few months to the expiration of his tenure\u2014which he had intended never to seek a renewal, right from start. To his credit, for exposing such monumental corruption in the government he was even working for, Sanusi\u2019s popularity hyped amongst all well meaning Nigerians, who sympathised with him over the undeserved circumstances that lead to his ousting. Because of this popularity and sympathy, a lot of Nigerians saw Sanusi as a potential president of Nigeria if only he had the plans to run for the office. However, like all great men of history, Sanusi had time and again refused to be inveigled to politics; an entity he believes he lacks the skills to be successful in. Like Einstein who rejected the presidency of the State of Israel when it was offered to him by State leaders in 1952 for fear that his legacies as the greatest scientist of all time stood the risk of being overshadowed by the decisions he might actually make as an accidental president, Sanusi, too, believes that he\u2019d better allow posterity see him as a successful professional that he is, rather than an inadvertent, chanced politician and\/or president.<\/p>\n
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Nonetheless, to sit in Gidan Dabo<\/i> as emir of Kano is one opportunity Sanusi had always longed for. To authenticate his wish for the emirate leadership, whenever he had to contend with those who try to cajole him to consider taking part in partisan politics, Sanusi would say that if by happenstance he became president of Nigeria, and the opportunity to become emir of Kano presented itself, he wouldn\u2019t hesitate to take the opportunity to be emir, therefore ending his presidency abruptly. And with the death of Emir Ado Bayero; Sanusi succeeded his great uncle to become the 14th<\/sup> Fulani emir of the kingdom. Though many have always wondered why he was keen to be emir, those of us who had painstakingly edified ourselves with his pedigree would suggest that as emir, he would champion a new course in the management of his kingdom\u2019s affairs. Under Sanusi, Kano should be proud to have produced that quintessential decent human being they deserve, who understands leadership as a means to servitude only. In Sanusi, Kano would not only see a leader who embodies Pulaaku<\/i>\u2014the Fulani moral code\u2014but they would equally see in him, an emir who puts into practice the Arabic phrase that princes learn at childhood: sayyid al-qawm khaadimuhum<\/i>.<\/p>\n \n What\u2019s more, Sanusi, as an epitome of Islamic scholarship, has, more than ever, \u00a0finally found the time, wherewithal, and platform to impart his immeasurable knowledge of Islam to society, and to teach the society what is expected from a life of a good Muslim living in a 21st<\/sup> century plural society. Like he had done in the previous, during the blessed month of Ramadan, we expect from Sanusi\u2014the first-rate Islamic scholar and thinker\u2014to avail Muslims with a Ramadan tafseer<\/i>. It is true that great leaders leave behind a strong-willed legacy, but Sanusi, being more than a great leader would certainly leave behind a meaningful ideological system; one that would shape the way our social class thinks, acts, and understands the workings of the modern world. Such an ideology, if you permit my coinage, would likely be termed Sanusism<\/i>!<\/p>\n \n And as Sanusi takes a new name, Muhammadu Sanusi II; inferring a new beginning as emir of a most noble emirate with a most honourable tradition, one can only wish him Allah\u2019s guidance, and a blessed, long-lasting reign as he assumes the throne once occupied by his forebears. The following song of the people of Kano is quite instructive: Irin Bayero; irin Abbas; irin Dabo; irin Maje Karofi; irin Alu; irin Rumfa;\u2026Kimtsi da kyau Alfanda\u2026Shirinka shirin yaki ne barden Mahdi! <\/i><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n Mohammed Dahiru Aminu can be reached at mohd.aminu@gmail.com<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Mohammed Dahiru Aminu June 15, 2014 \u201cThe new Emir is an eminent economist, an accomplished banker and the recipient of a multiplicity of central banking and international banking awards;…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":27807,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28029","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-opinions"],"yoast_head":"\n