The 16th Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, has faulted the Federal Government’s reactions to his recent remarks about President Bola Tinubu’s policies, saying his comments were taken out of context.
By Emma Ogbuehi
The 16th Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, has faulted the Federal Government’s reactions to his recent remarks about President Bola Tinubu’s policies, saying his comments were taken out of context.
Sanusi claimed that his comments ware sensationalised and reduced to one paragraph by presidency officials.
Sanusi had last week at a memorial lecture organized in honour of the late human rights lawyer, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, in Lagos commented on Tinubu’s administration, saying he won’t advise the government on how to tackle the economic challenges facing the country.
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Sanusi said he started by helping the government but he has now resolved not to help the government again unless the Tinubu government behaves like a friend.
“I have chosen not to speak on the economy, or reforms or to explain anything because if I explain it, it will help this government. But I don’t want to help this government. They are my friends, but if they don’t behave like friends, I won’t behave like a friend.”
In a riposte, the Federal Government, through the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, dismissed Sanusi’s commets, saying it does not need the Emir’s stamp of approval on Tinubu’s policies.
In a counter-reaction via his X handle, the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said his statement was sensationalised and misrepresented.
He stated that his comment was taken out of context, adding that the broader message of his speech was reduced to a single paragraph.
Sanusi said, “They took one paragraph out of context and sensationalised it; nothing about the nuanced support given to the government. That there are arguments supporting the reforms. That we are paying a price for decades of mismanagement before Tinubu. That there is light at the end of the tunnel. That we should all pray and support the system and talk about the good things happening.”
Sanusi insisted that his speech contained his support for Tinubu’s reforms, and an acknowledgement of the sacrifices Nigerians endure due to years of economic mismanagement.
