On Sanusi’s Dethroning: The North Is Not Ready To Flourish -By Jeff Okoroafor

More than half of Nigeria’s problem come from the North – insurgency, kidnapping, banditry, drug abuse, diseases, and ignorance. Governor Ganduje knows this, Sanusi knows this, and so does the region’s elites. They are all aware of the problems, but for more than five decades, have looked away simply because the north as it is presently structured, favours and sustains them. And so any man, or woman who speak the truth about the dangerous and self-destructive status quo, stand the risk of facing the wrath of others. This is the sin of Sanusi.

In December 2014, Abubakar Shekau, leader of Boko Haram, accused Sanusi of deviating from Islam and threatened his life, this is after he has blown up the Kano Central Mosque as a way of responding to Sanusi who called on his followers to fight Boko Haram. Shekau killed over 150 people on that day. Northern conservatives also criticised Sanusi for making several comments on socio-political issues impacting the region – recall that Sanusi called for an end to child marriage, building of more schools instead of mosques, infrastructural development instead of marrying second and third wives for young and unemployed Northern youths.

In one of Sanusi’s statements he said he was sick of receiving numerous requests from philanthropists asking to build mosques in Kano state instead of empowering the girl-child through education to ensure a sane society. He didn’t stop there. He called for population planning and publicly stated that polygamy is responsible for the increased poverty in the region. One of his most recent comments was on the issue of almajiri. He advocated for eugenics as the only way to solve the festering almajiri problem.

During his reign, Sanusi spoke out on government policies, breaking with royal tradition. On many occassions he publicly critised the state government of misplaced priorities and this resulted in the emirate council being investigated by the state anti-corruption agency and state assembly for corruption – a pure act of retribution by Ganduje over the comments. Sanusi’s restless spirit for a flourishing Northern region saw him constantly at loggerhead with Ganduje and other northern elites, an act that brought about an unprecedented move that saw his traditional domain as emir reduced when Governor Ganduje in 2019 signed into law the creation of four new emirates in the state.

Today, there are over 2.5 million internally displaced persons in the north. More than 11 million children (almajiris), roaming the streets, with no education. In every ten northern young men, six are with at least two wives – in most cases, these young men are unemployed and have no means of livelihood. The few with jobs (Okada riding and other low income jobs), have their homes in front of people’s shops. The federal government in 2019 revealed that a total of 1,460 people were killed by bandits in seven months. And that the north-west is the worst-hit by this bloody enterprise. From Kaduna to Katsina, Zamfara to Borno, across all regions of the north, the killings have steadied, expanding in proportion and execution. The World Bank report sums it all up when it noted that 87 percent of Nigeria’s poor are in the north.

Sanusi is not like the rest of the region’s elite. The constant retrogression in the north, the rising vices, and the growing poverty among northerners, gives him concern and as expected, forces him to speak up and call on those that matter to act. This is Sanusi’s sin. This is why Ganduje, a man who ought to be in prison by now, hate his guts and forcefully dethrone him. No matter Sanusi’s sin, he is one of the finest citizens of Nigeria. He is light-years away from Ganduje and other northern elites. At the moment, the north is not ready to flourish, they are comfortable being in the dark. I only hope that the rest of us don’t get consumed by their insistence on maintaining the status quo.