Sanusi Lamido Sanusi :An Emir of the Times -By Hassan Musa Hussein

Hassan Musa Hussein

In the wake of the phenomenal success of 1804 Jihad(holy war) , Usman Dan Fodio appointed an Emir(Islamic religious leader) for each of the conquered territory to lead the people of that land. Most of today’s emirs in Northern Nigeria are the dynasty of those first Emirs appointed by Usman Dan Fodio.

In the precolonial times the traditional rulers functioned as cultural,economic,social and political administrators, as well as religious guardians in their domains. When Lord Lugard conquered Northern Nigeria in the 1900’s he found it relatively easier to govern the region. That was so, because the emirs had already established well organized system of administration in their own territories. Under the British colonialism the traditional rulers lead their people through indirect rule. An indirect rule was a system in which the traditional rulers continue to rule their lands by collecting taxes, maintaining security and administering justice under the supervision of the British colonial officials.

When Sanusi Lamido Sanusi was suspended from the post of CBN governor on February 2014 , little did he know that his greatest ambition and dream in life will soon be fulfilled. He was suspended by the then president Goodluck Jonathan for disclosing to the public the disappearance of 20 billion dollars from the NNPC account. He left the CBN with a long list of achievements to his own credit and a glittering reputation in the global financial sector. Four months after his suspension, he was crowned as the emir of Kano following the death of his uncle HRH Ado Bayero.In the contemporary post colonial period the authorities and influences of traditional rulers had tremendously waned.They are now recognized as royal fathers possessing only ceremonious and symbolic authority. Traditional monarchies remained the custodians of the cultures,religion and traditions of the people. Despite the declined administrative functions of the royal fathers, they remained highly revered and well as respected in their domains.

Emir Muhd Sunusi Lamido Sanusi’s serial criticisms of religious bigotry, risen levels of poverty and illiteracy as well as other social ills have always sparked a hot debate in the society.Those criticisms by the emir don’t go down well with the Nigerian high echelons and the conservatives who favour the society’s status quo and the preservation of traditional monarchy’s ethics(emirs should be seen but not heard). While it is very rare for a traditional ruler to be perpetually criticizing the detrimental effects of social afflictions and absence of good leadership, the Nigerian constitution has not deterred any monarch from doing so. The argument that the traditional rulers should be seen but not heard or must adhere strictly to some conducts and traditions that doesn’t benefit their communities in any way is a misplaced one. A traditional monarch serves as a link between the common people and the Government. He is part of the society and has a prominent role in the maintenance of stability and prosperity in the community. His proximity to the people gives him firsthand advantage in comprehending very well the immediate challenges and problems facing the citizens. And he should be able to convey to authorities the fears and concerns of his people.

The current state of our social, political and economics situations need urgent reforms. Reforms in any society are usually sparked by reformers. For many centuries reformers are people who tirelessly advocate for social transformations by challenging injustice, immorality and inequality in the society. Challenging the malevolent behavior of a society if done wisely might transform and become a blessing to the citizens. A social reformer is a person who understands the fears, ideas, values, as well as expectations of the people. He should be able to express himself fearlessly and seek for a solution to improve the well being of the society .Through out the history of mankind successful reformers have been incessantly condemned, reprimanded and even imprisoned, but all those hardships didn’t deterred them from continuing with their fight.

In Kano State a predominantly Muslim society, a credible reformer needs to have a good knowledge of Quran and Hadith as well as a modern education. So that he can be able to correctly and comprehensively connect the present to the past and the future. This prototype reformer appears to be the present emir of Kano HRH Sanusi Lamido Sanusi. Alas for the emir to transform the society he has to defy the many centuries old tradition that requires him to remain mute and oblivious to the events in his domain. Most of the sensitive topics disclosed by the Emir are not alien to the people. Rather are situations that happen in our communities which most of our leaders decided to remain silent about. He earnestly urges people to discard part of beliefs , cultures and traditions that are bane of the society. Keeping silent about the social ills in our societies and pretending that they don’t happen will not provide a proper solution.

From the inception of Sunusi Lamido Sanusi’s coronation some observers correctly predicted that the new emir might not strictly adhere to the ethics and traditions of the emirate.The conducts of the emir might probably be attributed mainly to his educational background and his many years of experience as a public administrator. Being a former world class banker with many years of working experience in the financial sector, he never hesitate to utter his constructive criticism whenever the Government derails from it’s committed to the people. In the 21st century the charisma and influence of a traditional ruler depends mainly on his ability to pursue the community’s interest and to monitor it’s development stride. For him to serve his people successful he has to be flexible, less conservative and should display genuine concern for the economic and general welfare of the people. Nowadays it might be beneficial to the society if traditional monarchs play more active and incentive roles in the community.

The social issues disclosed by the emir should have been the main subjects of discussion not his deficient loyalty to the elites and ruling class or his breach to conserve the emirate’s royal etiquettes. But the ruling class and elites who are uncomfortable that the emir’s massages might resonate with the people have ruthlessly decided to change the narratives, by intimidating and blackmailing the emir. Rather than cling steadfastly to ancient royal ethics, the emir prioritized pursing the interest of the people he represents.

Emir Muhd Sunusi has displayed his virtuousness by declining to remain dummy and oblivious to the predicament of his people. By voicing his opinion publicly the emir has decided to depend the interest of the masses instead of being a sycophant to politicians and higher echelons of the society.

After surviving a heinous attack by the dreadful group Boko Haram, which hundreds of people lost their lives. Emir SLS tearfully declared “I have already achieved everything I ever wanted in this life. I will not succumb to blackmails ,intimidation , or fear of death.