Sanusi: I Don’t Need Constitution to Counsel Leaders

The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has declared that he does not require constitutional endorsement to offer counsel to the President or state governors on matters affecting the country.

The monarch made the assertion on Wednesday during an appearance on Channels Television.

He said traditional rulers occupy a strategic position in Nigeria’s governance architecture and remain indispensable to nation building.

According to Sanusi, the legitimacy of his advisory role is derived from the people he leads and not from any written provision of the Constitution.

“Do I need to be told to advise the President? If I believe something is wrong in this country, I will go to the President and say so. I do not need the Constitution to tell a governor what I think should be done. I get that authority from being a leader of the people”, he said.

Sanusi acknowledged arguments in some quarters that the advisory role of traditional rulers should be formally stated in the Constitution, but maintained that leadership responsibility transcends legal codification.

He said traditional institutions continue to serve as moral compasses for society, even as political systems evolve.

“Traditional institutions are key to good governance. We recognise that governors have executive authority, but times have moved,” the Emir said.

On women’s representation, Sanusi called for greater inclusion of women in Nigeria’s political and leadership spaces.

He said sustainable nation building cannot be achieved without the active participation of women and urged political parties and stakeholders to promote more female candidates for elective offices.

The monarch further spoke strongly against domestic violence, describing it as a grave injustice that cannot be defended on cultural grounds.

“You cannot beat a woman because your culture says you can. She is a Nigerian citizen entitled to protection,” he said.

Sanusi rejected the notion that abuse of women is a cultural issue, describing it instead as a manifestation of unequal power relations.

“Where men have power and women are not protected, men take advantage of that power and oppress them,” he said.

He noted that violence affects many vulnerable groups in society, including women, children, the poor and persons with disabilities.

Sanusi stressed that the rights of all citizens are sacred and must be upheld under all circumstances.

“As a country, we have citizens and human beings, and they have rights. Those rights are inviolable. You cannot violate them in the name of culture,” he added.

Daily Trust reports that Sanusi’s position mirrors a long standing pattern of engagement with political authority.

As Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria between 2009 and 2014, he was one of the most vocal public officials on fiscal discipline, banking sector reforms and transparency in oil revenue management.

In 2013, he wrote to then President Goodluck Jonathan alleging that billions of dollars in oil earnings were not remitted to the federation account by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, a disclosure that sparked nationwide controversy.

He was suspended from office in February 2014, a development widely viewed as linked to his outspoken stance on governance issues.

Since becoming Emir of Kano, Sanusi has continued to use public platforms to speak on poverty, education, population growth, insecurity, corruption and leadership failure.

He has frequently criticised policies at both federal and state levels which he believes worsen the conditions of ordinary Nigerians.

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