Sanusi and Kano’s Crown of Thorns

Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II’s return to the Kano throne last May was meant to be a moment of triumph, a restoration of dignity after his unceremonious removal in 2020. Instead, like a king summoned back to the battlefield, Sanusi now finds himself in yet another power struggle.

The Emir’s 2019 removal was widely seen as politically-motivated, orchestrated by then-Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, who carved the historic Kano Emirate into five smaller emirates to diminish Sanusi’s influence. The fairly recent repeal of this law reinstated him, but the legal battle over the legitimacy of his rule is far from over.

Sanusi is no stranger to adversity. When he was the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, he made powerful enemies by exposing corruption in the petroleum sector. His economic reforms stabilized Nigeria’s banking system during the 2009 financial crisis, but his outspokenness ultimately cost him his job, according to some. His tenure as emir seems to be following the same script.

There is surely still legal and political uncertainty, but Sanusi is wasting no time asserting his authority.

Once, the Kano throne was a seat of unquestioned influence; now, it seems to have become a battleground for political control. Some yet see Sanusi’s reinstatement as justice served, others view it as an attempt by Governor Abba Yusuf’s administration to erase the legacy of Ganduje’s reforms. So, new troubles are over the horizon.

A proverb says, “He who wears the crown must carry its weight.” Sanusi, a man who has always carried his burdens with defiance, is once again at the mercy of forces determined to unseat him. Whether he can hold onto his throne or if Kano’s crown of thorns will pierce him more deeply than he can recover from is something that only the passing of time can reveal.