Why I won’t help Tinubu govt – Emir Sanusi
The 16th Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, yesterday said he decided not to help President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration because of the way he had been treated. The emir stated that while there were “a few points” he could offer to explain the trajectory the administration had taken and how such decisions were predictable, […]
Sanusi
The 16th Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, yesterday said he decided not to help President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration because of the way he had been treated.
The emir stated that while there were “a few points” he could offer to explain the trajectory the administration had taken and how such decisions were predictable, he chose not to do so because “they don’t behave like friends.”
Speaking in Lagos on Wednesday as the chairman of the 21st Anniversary of Fawehinmiism (Gani Fawehinmi Annual Lecture 2025), Sanusi alleged that Tinubu lacked people with credibility that could explain his programmes and policies.
Addressing some of the points made by speakers about the economy, the emir said: “I can give a few points that are contrary, that explain perhaps what we’re going through and how it was totally predictable, most of it, and maybe avoidable. But I am not going to do that.
Northerners have no moral right to reject Tinubu in 2027– Shehu Sani
Shehu Sani to Lamido: Look beyond politics on security issues
“I have chosen not to speak about the economy or the reforms or to even explain anything because if I explain, it would help this government, but I don’t want to help this government.”
‘They lack people with credibility’
Sanusi added: “You know they are my friends, but if they don’t behave like friends, I don’t behave like a friend. So, I watch them being stooges.
“And they don’t even have people with credibility who can come and explain what they are doing. I am not going to help.
“I started out helping, but I am not going to help. I am not going to discuss it. Let them come and explain to Nigerians why the policies that are being pursued are being pursued.”
“Meanwhile, I’m watching a very nice movie with popcorn in my hands. But I will say one thing: What we are going through today is, at least in part, not totally, but at least in part, a necessary consequence of decades of irresponsible economic management. People were told decades ago that if you continue along this path, this is where you’re going to end up, and they refused to open their eyes.”
“Now, is everything being done today correct? No,” the emir added.
Presidency mum
Several efforts to get a reaction from presidency were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
Phone calls and text messages sent to the Minister of Information,Mohammed Idris; the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga and the Special Adviser to the President on Public Communications and Orientation, Sunday Dare were not answered.
The Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, who answered our correspondent’s phone call, said he was in a meeting and would only be able to react today.
Sanusi’s ‘grouse’ with the FG
Emir Sanusi, who was deposed as the 14th Emir of Kano in 2020 by then-Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the current national chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), was reinstated as the 16th Emir of Kano in 2024 by the New Nigeria People’s Party-led Kano State Government.
His emirship is facing challenges from forces believed to be backed by the federal government, including officials’ continued recognition of his predecessor, Emir Aminu Ado Bayero.
Last month, the police barricaded his palace, with the state government accusing the federal government of orchestrating the action to stir unrest in the peaceful state.
In November 2024, Vice President Kashim Shettima’s recognition of Sanusi as the emir of Kano sparked controversy on social media, forcing the vice president to quickly recant.
The vice president, on his official Facebook and X accounts, had addressed Sanusi as the 16th emir, prompting reactions from social media users who interpreted it as an endorsement of Sanusi’s legitimacy to the Kano throne.
However, after some pockets of reactions from social media users, the paragraph which included the recognition was edited, omitting the name of the emir.
A month earlier, the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, addressed Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero as the Emir of Kano.
Sanusi, a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and an advocate for the removal of fuel subsidies, had visited Tinubu shortly after his inauguration to express support for the administration, with many speculating a potential appointment for him in the government.
However, since his reinstatement as emir and the legal and political controversies that followed, Sanusi has distanced himself from the Tinubu administration.