KANO - (AFP) – Nigeria’s ousted central bank chief was on
Sunday named Emir of Kano, the country’s number two Muslim
leader, following the death of the previous incumbent, the state
government announced.
“The state government received their recommendations and Allah
has conferred on Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, the former governor of the
central bank, (the post of) the successor to the late emir,” said
Kano government secretary Suleiman Bichi.
Sanusi was suspended in February on government charges of
financial recklessness and misconduct, soon after he alleged that
the state-run Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)
misappropriated $20 billion in public funds.
The previous emir, Ado Abdullahi Bayero, died on Friday aged 83
after a long battle with cancer. His funeral was attended by
hundreds of thousands in Kano, an ancient city noted for its
Muslim scholarship.
The appointment was announced at the state government
headquarters in the northern city in the presence of the four so-
called “kingmakers” — royal officials who meet in closed session
to decide on the succession.
The kingmakers considered a number of names and put them
forward to the state government for approval.
Sanusi had been tipped to be in the running, as he is the grandson
of the late emir’s brother, who had a short-lived reign in the
1960s.
His appointment to the distinguished role comes after a turbulent
few months in which he has fought court cases against his
suspension and mounted a legal challenge against the
confiscation of his passport.
The Emir of Kano is the second most-influential of Nigeria’s
triumvirate of Muslim leaders: at the top is the Sultan of Sokoto
and number three is the Shehu of Borno.
All three traditional Muslim monarchs are custodians of Islam and
lead clerics in their areas. They have also been seen as key figures
bridging the often fractious divide between Muslims and Christians
in Nigeria.
But they have recently come under pressure to speak out more
against the threat posed by Boko Haram militants waging an
increasingly violent insurgency in the north.
The previous emir and his counterpart in Borno both survived
assassination attempts by Boko Haram, angered at their co-
operation with Nigeria’s secular government.
Internationally-respected Sanusi brings a high profile to the role
and has previously been unafraid to challenge the government of
President Goodluck Jonathan.
His suspension was widely seen as politically motivated because
his highlighting of graft had earned him powerful enemies.
Some in Nigeria attributed his outspoken comments to his
background and allegiances to the country’s Muslim-majority
north.
Jonathan is a southern Christian and the country is almost evenly
split north-south along religious lines.
Sanusi told AFP in an interview soon after he was ousted that
Jonathan was a “simple man” trying to do his best but was
surrounded by incompetent, fraudulent aides.
His successor, former Zenith bank chief Godwin Emefiele, took
over as Central Bank of Nigeria governor, last Tuesday.
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