The discourse of Nigerian royalty has been greatly debated all over the world from it its inception and longevity to the scandal wrought on it by the internet scammers or even its dominance and relevance in present day affairs.
If you have been reading this blog or have any knowledge or interest of Nigeria, it is easy to see that Nigerian royalty is a phenomenon that has been established since pre-colonial times.
All regions of the country have various royal families that serve as the traditional authority and the custodians of their people’s culture. Although this is one category that delineates from birth or bloodline hence not everybody can belong to this group, we believe that one of the hallmarks of Nigeria’s great cultural heritage is our culture and nothing speaks to Nigerian excellence on a cultural level like Nigerian royalty.
In line with our theme of Nigerian Excellence, we wish to discuss today, a paragon of quintessential Nigerian Excellence who just happens to be royalty.
Born in Kano on the 31st of July 1961 to a Prince and Diplomat father of the Sullubawa clan ruling class family, HRH Sanusi Lamido Sanusi is a revered economist, banker, writer and Islamic scholar. A unique Nigerian figure, he served as the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria spanning the political office of two Nigerian Presidents. In this position, he introduced several innovative economic reforms which are still in practice today. He won the prestigious international award of Central Banker of the year and criticized the corruption in the Nigerian financial sector which led to his suspension from the position of the Central Bank governor. Subsequently, he succeeded his great-uncle HRH Ado Bayero to the throne on the 8th of June 2014 until his dethronement on the 9th of March 2020 by the Kano state government. An astute scholar, he spent most of his reign advocating for cultural reform in Northern Nigeria.
HRH Sanusi Lamido Sanusi is a prominent traditional and religious figure in West Africa as the leader of the Tijaniyyah Sufi order in Nigeria, he has political and spiritual authority over the second largest Sufi order with over 30 million adherents. Some critics describe him as a rebel due to the controversy that he has had throughout his public career. There had been speculation by several people that he was going to venture into politics in times past due to his socio political views but he has always taken his own path.
His story, like the stories of other Nigerian trailblazers, tells a tale of a steadfast commitment and great contributions to the growth of Nigeria. A cursory look at his Wikipedia chronicles a large aspect of his life and career; his controversies as well as his achievements and accolades.
Like all other personalities on our Nigerian Excellence series, there is a lot we can learn from his story. His commendable commitment to socioeconomic issues and the growth and advancement of the country is worthy of emulation. In addition to his ability to lead the charge for large scale reform in key sectors of the country, we admire his foresight, his resilience and his hard work. Nigerian Excellence at its finest.
This blog post is merely a small introduction to the legend that is HRH Sanusi Lamido Sanusi and we encourage your respectful contributions in the comment section. We reiterate that our platform is non-partisan and we encourage our readers and other participants leaving their comments in the comment section to be respectful in their comments. We also urge you to leave your suggestions on which exemplary Nigerian we should feature in the Nigerian Excellence series.