Nigeria,
Africa’s most populous nation is not just a large land space. Embedded in that
West African country are hundreds of cultures, traditions and a number of
religious persuasions.
A federal
republic in West Africa, bordering Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the
east, and Niger in the north. Its coast in the south lies on the Gulf of Guinea
in the Atlantic Ocean. It comprises 36 states and the Federal Capital
Territory, where the capital, Abuja is located. Nigeria is officially a
democratic secular country
According to
the country’s demographics, there is a largely Muslim north and a Christian
south. In between these two there is a labyrinth of African cultural belief
systems that dictate Nigeria’s very powerful traditional leadership.
Whiles the
southern traditional system is almost fully grounded in only ‘tradition,’ the
northern structure is markedly different. Different in the sense that it
combines tradition and religion almost seamlessly.
So that even
though some Muslims have disputed the term ‘Muslim chief,’ in Nigeria, the head
of Muslims is the Sultan of Sokoto who is located in the country’s north west.
He is referred to as ‘Sarki Muslumi’ – the chief/king of Muslims.
There are
Emirs i.e. traditional rulers dotted across the north. Among others, the Emir
of Daura (president Buhari’s village), the Emir of Katsina, the Emir of
Adamawa, the Emir of Borno, the Emir of Zazau in Kaduna, then in the central
north is the Emir of Kano, the subject of this piece. The Kano Emirate is
simply the stand out monarchy across Nigeria’s north.
How did the Kano Emirate come about?
The current
occupant of the throne, Muhammad Sanusi II, speaks about the Emirate in an
interview with Forbes Africa on ‘My Worst Day At Work’ program.
“The Kano
kingdom has been in existence for over a 1000 years, and my particular dynasty
has been ruling Kano for over 200 years. And prior to the colonial
administration and the post-independence government, this institution used to
be effectively the government of the area.
“And the
Kano Emirate is contiguous with Kano State now, with 12 million people; the
Emirate was much larger than what Kano State is today. There are two other
emirates, Ringim and Dutse which were carved out of Kano Emirate when Jigawa
State was created.
“So it is a
role that basically is a religious traditional role but it is also one that has
a tremendous influence in terms of being an advisory role in terms of political
authorities and collaboration in the delivery of public services,” he added.
The Stylish Central Bank Governor Before
Becoming Emir
But long
before becoming Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi – then Sanusi Lamido Sanusi,
served as Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria. He is credited with mass reforms
in the country’s financial sector.
Sanusi, till date continues to make presentations on the state of the
Nigerian economy.
Under his
leadership, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) investigated top bank CEOs and 16
senior bank officials faced charges that included fraud, lending to fake
companies, giving loans to companies they had a personal interest in and
conspiring with stockbrokers to boost share prices, and today, he has been
appointed as the Emir of Kano by Gov. Rabi'u Musa Kwankwaso of Kano following
the departure of Alh. Ado Bayero. In August 2009, the Sanusi led the Central
Bank of Nigeria to "rescue" Afribank, Intercontinental Bank, Union
Bank, Oceanic Bank and Finbank by bailing them out with 400 billion naira of
public money, and dismissed their chief executives. September 2009, he said
that 15 of the current 24 Nigerian banks might survive reform in the banking
sector. The CBN also took over a number of local banks as a measure of
protecting depositors.
Over the
time that he was CBN boss, Sanusi was reputed for his fashion sense within
corporate circles. His appearance was almost predictable. He will either be
wearing a bow tie or chairman Mao suit.
Muhammad
Sanusi II is officially the 14th Emir of Kano, a religious and historic region
in the center of Nigeria’s north. He ascended the throne after the death of his
grand uncle, Alhaji Ado Bayero who ruled as emir for over five decades.
12 Facts About The Emir
1. He was a
successful banker and was a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria,
appointed on June 3, 2009, for a five-year term, but was suspended from office
by President Goodluck Jonathan on February 20 2014, after claiming that a $20
billion fraud was committed in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation
(NNPC) – the first northerner to hold the post.
2. Sanusi
had his primary education at the St. Anne's Catholic Primary School, Kakuri,
Kaduna between 1967-1972 and secondary education at King's College Lagos,
graduated in 1977.
He obtained
a bachelor's degree in Economics in Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, 1981.
And a master's degree in Economics at Ahmadu Bello University in 1983, and
became an instructor there from 1983 until 1985. Also a degree in Sharia and
Islamic Studies from the African International University in Khartoum, Sudan.
3. He is
chancellor of University of Benin (UNIBEN)
4. He was
named the first Forbes Africa Person of the Year (POY) in 2011.
5. Sanusi
has spoken at many distinguished events, including Warwick Economics Summit in
February 2012 where he spoke about banking reforms in Nigeria and their impact
on the economy.
6. Before
becoming emir, he had aimed for the post of African Development Bank (AfDB) CEO
– which role is currently occupied by Akinwumi Adesina, a former Agric Minister
of Nigeria.
7. He is the
grandson of Muhammad Sanusi (The 11th Fulani Emir of Kano ).
8. The
global financial intelligence magazine, The Banker, published by the Financial
Times, conferred on Sanusi two awards, the global award for Central Bank
Governor of the Year, as well as for Central Bank Governor of the Year for
Africa.
The TIME
magazine also listed Sanusi in its TIMES 100 list of Most Influential People of
2011.
In 2013,
Sanusi was also awarded a Special GIFA award at the third Global Islamic
Finance Awards held in Dubai, for his advocacy role in promoting Islamic
banking and finance in Nigeria during his stint as Governor of the Central Bank
of Nigeria.
9. In 2015,
Emir Muhammad Sanusi II was awarded Global Leadership in Islamic Finance Award
2015 by Global Islamic Finance Awards (GIFA) to become the fifth GIFA Laureate,
following Tun Abdullah Badawi (2011), HRH Sultan Nazrin Shah (2012), Shaukat
Aziz (2013) and Nurrsultan Nazarbayev (2014).
10. Emir
Muhammadu Sanusi II was born as Sanusi Lamido Sanusi into the Fulani Torobe
(Sullubawa) clan of Kano on the July 31 1961. He is the grandson of Sir
Muhammadu Sanusi, the 11th Emir of Kano, from the Sullubawa clan of the Torobe
Fulani.
11. He is
the direct son of Ambassador Aminu Sanusi, a career diplomat and technocrat
that served as the Nigerian Ambassador to Belgium, China and Canada, who later
served as the Permanent Secretary of Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
12. He is
the second most powerful Muslim leader, he ranks only behind the Sultan of
Sokoto.
The Emir is
also known for his unconventional views on society and religion. One of his
most recent positions has to do with announcing a ban on polygamy, especially
for poor men.
He is on
record to have said that there is a direct link between poverty and terrorism
which has dogged especially the country’s northeastern Borno State. He said a
law was being drafted to be presented to the Kano State House of Assembly in
respect of restricting polygamy.
Tree of
Emirs of Kano Emirate, Sokoto Caliphate
The following
is a list of Emirs of Kano, a city and emirate in northern Nigeria. Once the
Hausa Kingdom of Kano, it was conquered by Fulani Usman dan Fodio in 1805, who
installed a Fulani Emir of Kano in place of the old kings.
Fulani Rulers
Clan of
Dambazau
1. Suleimanu
dan AbaHama(emir) (ruled 1805-1819)
Clan of Sullubawa
2. Ibrahim
Dabo dan Mahmudu (ruled 1819-1846)
3. Usman I
Maje Ringim dan Dabo (ruled 1846-1855)
4. Abdullahi
Maje Karofi dan Dabo (ruled 1855-1883)
5. Muhammadu
Bello dan Dabo (ruled 1883-1893)
6. Muhammadu
Tukur dan Bello (ruled 1893-1894)
7. Aliyu
Babba dan Maje Karofi (ruled 1894-1903)
Emirs of Kano, Kano Province- Protectorate
of Northern Nigeria
8. Muhammad
Abbass Dan Maje Karofi (ruled 1903-1919)
Emirs of Kano, Protectorate of Nigeria
9. Usman II
dan Maje Karofi (ruled 1919-1926)
10. Abdullahi
Bayero (ruled 1926-1953)
Emirs of Kano, Kano Province- Government of
Northern Nigeria
11. Abdullahi
Bayero Dan Abbas (ruled 1926-1953)
12. Muhammadu
Sanusi I Dan Bayero (ruled 1954-1963)
13. Muhammad
Inuwa Dan Abbas (ruled 1963 - he served for 3 months only)
14. Ado
Bayero Dan Abdu Bayero (ruled 1963-2014)
15. Muhammadu
Sanusi II (2014 to date)
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