His early years
Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, suspended Governor of the Central Bank
of Nigeria, (CBN) was born in 1961 in the old city of Kano, somewhere
near the emir’s palace. He is the grandson of a one-time Emir of Kano,
Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi, who was deposed by the government of the First
Republic.
Mallam Sanusi Lamido was named after his grandfather, Alhaji
Muhammadu Sanusi. “Lamido” which is his middle, is the Fulani word for
an emir or a king just as “Sarki” in Hausa language is a name given
after a reigning king.
Mallam Sanusi’s father, Ambassador Mohammed Aminu Sanusi, started
work in the administrative department of the former Northern Nigeria. He
was later recruited to the Foreign Service sometime in 1958, on the
same day Philip Asiodu was recruited.
When Mallam Lamido Sanusi Lamido was born and during his early years,
he did not enjoy a long stay with his parents. This is because his
parents were always on the move, posted from one place to another. For
this reason, it was his grandfather and the then Emir of Kano, who took
direct responsibility of bringing him up in those early days.
But given the kind of intimate relationship that usually grows
between grandfathers and grandsons and the way the Emir had pampered his
grandson, it was also considered wise by members of Mallam Sanusi’s
immediate family to transfer his custody from his grandfather to the
then Defence Minister, Alhaji Muhd Inuwa Wada, who as at then was
resident in Lagos. Inuwa Wada was married to the younger sister of
Mallam Sanusi’s grandmother.
His nursery education then started in Lagos and not outside the
country as presumed. He also attended Kings College, Lagos, from where
he proceeded to the Department of Economics, Ahmadu Bello University,
Zaria, Kaduna State, where he graduated with a grade that was simply
average.
Sources, who schooled with him at ABU, Zaria, recalled that there was
nothing spectacular and super brilliant about his grades and scores,
either as a student or upon graduation from the university. He was just
an average student.
After university, he joined the banking sector. But in the course of
his working career, he decided to go and study Arabic in the University
College of Sudan. And from facts available to people close to him, he
studied Arabic and not Islamic Banking or Sharia as is popularly
acknowledged.
The source reminded Saturday Sun: “You must understand that at the
time he went to the University College in Sudan, not many people knew
anything about Islamic Banking. It was not being taught as such in most
schools. Any talk about his studying Islamic Banking or studying Sharia
Law may not be the whole truth”
The source explained that the move for additional knowledge was fired
by a desire to fill up a gap in his heritage, explaining that it is
popular among Muslims to strive to have a good knowledge of both
classical Arabic, which is the Arabic of the Qu’ran and what is today
called Modern Arabic.
His study in Sudan was partly that of convenience too. His uncle,
Ambassador Ado Sanusi, who is the immediate younger brother of his
father, was then an Ambassador in the Sudan. That meant that he had less
to do with feeding himself and his light family members that went with
him to Sudan. It also meant that he would have less to with the cost of
accommodation as his uncle was already on ground to assist.
In life, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi‘s ambitions could be surmised in three
simple catchments: To be the next Emir of Kano; to be the president of
Nigeria and to be the President of the African Development Bank, ADB.
Each of these ambitions had not only attracted his fancy, especially in
the later years of his career as the governor of CBN, but has somewhat
played roles in his understanding of his own worth.
But the position of the CBN governor was never his prime quest when he began work in the banking sector. It came after.
Saturday Sun gathered that the banking career of Mallam Sanusi Lamido
Sanusi started in 1985, when he joined Icon Limited (Merchant Bankers),
a subsidiary of Morgan Guaranty Trust Bank of New York, and Baring
Brothers of London. From there, he joined the United Bank for Africa and
was posted to the Credit and Risk Management Division. He rose to the
position of General Manager in the Division.
In September 2005, he joined the Board of First Bank of Nigeria as an
Executive Director in charge of Risk and Management Control, and was
appointed Group Managing Director (CEO) in January 2009.
Credible sources recalled how he came to the post of CBN governor,
saying a great credit of what he became would go to Alhaji Umaru Abdul
Muttalab, former minister and leading businessman in the country.
“Mallam Sansui was the choice of Alhaji Abdul Mutallab. He has always
been. He supervised his move to First Bank of Nigeria Plc. He also
played a role in his appointment as the Group Managing Director (CEO) of
First Bank in January 2009 and he whispered his name as a prospective
CBN governor to the late President Yar Adua”.
Alhaji Mutallab, a respected gentleman from Funtua in Katsina State,
was approached by the late Yar Adua to become the governor of the
Central Bank of Nigeria. But he turned down the offer on account of his
age, and due to the fact he had his hands in so many interests in the
banking and related sectors.
Following his refusal to take up the appointment, the late President
Yar ‘Adua’s search swayed elsewhere. But unsatisfied with the various
candidates that were jostling for the position and having made up his
mind that Prof. Chukwuma Soludu would not get a second term, the late
Yar Adua was said to have decided to heed the advice of Alhaji Mutallab.
Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi was, therefore, nominated by the
President on 1st June 2009 as the CBN governor and his appointment was
confirmed by the Senate on 3rd June same year.
Strength and weaknesses
Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi is considered, by close associates, as a
hardworking, straight and forthright officer. He is, however, seen as a
very loud personality that enjoys arguments a lot.
“He is well read and may not give in too easily to the other point of
views. He is somebody who talks a lot in the media in a manner not
expected of the CBN helmsman.
“I think he has an arrogant personality which may not be easy to cure
at this his age. This is my personal opinion. Yours about him might be
different”
Saturday Sun gathered that in between his days in Zaria, his working
career in Kano and elsewhere, he got himself close to the fiery
preacher, Sheikh El Za Zakky, who lives in Zaria, Kaduna State. He was
close to his school of Islam.
Reactions from the emirate
A cross-section of views in the ancient city of Kano indicated that
the suspended governor of the Central Bank is not a super weight in the
politics of Kano State and may soon drop into insignificance after this
season, once the sympathies and emotions are down.
They similarly said that he may not come near his dream of becoming
the Emir of Kano as there are equally several competent, educated and
possible candidates for the position when the time comes.
That notwithstanding, Kano State Governor, Engineer Rabiu Musa
Kwankwaso has faulted Sanusi’s suspension, saying that there was an
ulterior motive behind the action.
Kwankwaso stated that the suspension was a grand design to dislodge
the people of Kano State from the economic and financial decision-making
agencies of the Federal Government in order to further impoverish and
marginalize the state.
The governor also said it was sheer disrespect to the existing laws
of the land and show of ingratitude that a person who has brought about
sweeping positive changes that would have put the nation’s economy on
the pedestal of growth would be treated unfairly.
He said Sanusi should rather be commended for exposing the rot and
corruption in the NNPC. “A responsible government would have promptly
investigated the allegations but they disappointingly refused to do so,”
Kwankwaso said.
While describing the suspension as illegal, null and void, Gov.
Kwankwaso noted that the CBN Act provides that the removal of CBN
Governor “shall be supported by two-third majority of the Senate praying
that he be so removed.”
“Clearly, therefore, law does not give the President the power to
suspend the CBN governor without recourse to the Senate. You cannot just
trample on the law with impunity, without recourse to constitutional
provisions,” he added.
The governor further drew an analogy between Sanusi’s suspension and
the removal of President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami by
President Jonathan.
“In a similar guise of suspension, Justice Salami was removed by the
President and was not reinstated despite his reinstatement by the NJC.
They refused to do so until he attained the retirement age of 70 years,”
he said.
Similarly, a statement by the Galadima Kano, Alhaji Tijjani Hahim, on
behalf of the Kano Emirate Council, expressed reservation over the
suspension of Sanusi.
“As a law abiding organisation, we believed that adherence to the
rule of law is paramount and important to any government, more
importantly a democratically elected government which preach and ensure
adherence to the rule of law,” said the Council.
“As the president has suspended the governor without the recourse to
the rule of law, we believed it was deliberate attempt to witch-hunt
him. It is desperation and impunity at the highest level by the Federal
Government.
“We and many see the president’s action as a deliberate witch- hunt
of the governor for doing his job by letting Nigerians know the
monumental fraud going on at the petroleum industry.”
The Emirate Council expressed gratitude to the members of the
National Assembly and general public for condemning and objecting to the
suspension of the CBN governor.
They urged the Federal Government to, as a matter of urgency, review
the issue by following the laid down procedure on the suspension of
public officer for equity, justice and fairness.
“A nation building is not about individual’s like or dislike.
Democracy will never mature if we stay with proclivity to personalized
governance. We need to build an institution, we need to build our
democracy and commitment to public accountability is part of building
institution,” the council stated.
Also, an elder statesman and Second Republic Political Adviser,
Alhaji Tanko Yakassai told Saturday Sun that it would be a surprise if
the suspended CBN governor had not been expecting his removal bearing in
mind the dwindling relationship between him and the presidency.
Social critic and former National Chairman of the defunct Peoples
Salvation Party (PSP), Dr. Junaid Mohammed told Saturday Sun in Kano
that the current travail of Sanusi as the governor of the Central Bank
of Nigeria has nothing to do with anybody in Kano. “It has nothing to do
with the Emir, it has nothing to do with anybody in Kano.”
He maintained that apart from being a prince, Sanusi is a nobody in
Kano, stressing that people only find it convenient to encourage anybody
that is opposed to the government of the day because the Federal
government is simply hated in the state.
According to him: “When this president became president, he (Sanusi)
was very loyal to him. He went out of his way to cultivate the
president, he was close to some of the women around the president, Ngozi
Okonjo-Iweala, Diezani Alison Madueke and Aruma Oteh, they were like a
gang.
“Now, the reality of the situation is that when he was in his good
relationship with them and by extension, with the president, the
president never did any wrong. It was only when he started getting into
difficulties- and a lot of these difficulties were by his own mouth.”
“You cannot be part of a government, even if it is semi -autonomous
body like the Central Bank and pretend that you have nothing to with the
government policies. Or you can begin to choose which government policy
to support and which one to oppose.”
Source:
The Sun
