Sanusi Reflects On Life After Dethronement, Credits Time Away For Preserving Dignity

Muhammadu Sanusi II says his years away from Kano after his
dethronement as emir helped him avoid possible humiliation and allowed him to
pursue further academic work.

Speaking about resilience in difficult times at the Fola
Adeola annual Ramadan lecture, Sanusi said people often wrongly attribute power
and outcomes to individuals rather than recognising that circumstances
ultimately change by God’s will.

Using his experience as case study, the monarch said his
faith in God helped him endure the difficult periods of his removal as governor
of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and later as emir.

Sanusi warned against humiliating oneself in pursuit of
favour from powerful figures, noting that many people mistakenly believe their
fortunes depend entirely on other individuals.

“Too often in our lives, we attribute things to human
beings, but they are all created,” Sanusi said.

“Remembering that situations are not permanent, that Allah
changes your circumstances, helps you cope and conduct yourself.

“I’ve seen people who beg, cringe, and bow to human beings.
They humiliate themselves because they feel this person is the one who holds
the path to their position.”

The monarch cited his own experience as an example of how
fortunes can change over time.

Sanusi said he spent four years away from the palace, but
eventually returned to the throne.

“I was suspended from being governor of central bank. Three
months later, I became an emir,” he said.

“Several years ago I was removed as emir; four years later,
I came back. I’m now in the same palace, I’m on my throne. Yes, there are
challenges but at the end of the day you hold on to God. You don’t panic.

“I think of all the things that could have happened if I was
in Kano in the last four years, the humiliation I could have faced, the people
I would have had to deal with, the people I would have had to report to, but
God was so merciful, so kind, He took me away from that. He gave me a chance, I
went and did a PhD and I’m back.”

He added that losing positions should not be seen as the end
of one’s life or purpose.

“If I’m taken away from positions, it’s not a big deal. At
the end of the day, I ask myself, have I done anything to offend God?” he
added.

“It’s better for you to leave there and keep to yourself
principles than to stay there and earn the wrath of Allah.”

Sanusi was CBN governor from 2009 to 2014.

He was dethroned as emir in 2020 by then-Kano governor
Abdullahi Ganduje, and reinstated by Abba Yusuf, incumbent governor of the
state, in 2024.

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