Former Emir of Kano and Khalifa Tijjaniya in Nigeria, Alhaji Muhammad Sanusi, has said he is not interested in becoming President of the country
The former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said politics is never part of his ambitions. He spoke in Abuja at a dinner organized in his honour by members of Nigerian Platform as part of activities to celebrate 60th birthday.
Sanusi identified fear and greed as major two things that destroyed Nigeria, insisting that the country would attain greatness by conquering fear and greed. He said: “Two things destroy the country – fear and greed. If you can conquer those two, we will make this country a great country.
So I have been fortunate. I have the highs and lows of life but I have been on permanent high. “I have so much to thank God for at 60. I wouldn’t say I have achieved but favours have been bestowed upon me. If you are a chief risk officer to a bank like UBA and First Bank, and successfully ended your career there, you will consider yourself a fully accomplished banker and you will be happy.
“To add to that, I have been the only northern Nigerian Chief Executive Officer of First Bank in 125 years, then to have been the Governor of the CBN; then to have been the Emir of Kano, then to have been the Khalifa Tijjaniya in Nigeria. The title started in 1965 and I’m only the third holder of that tittle.
The first was my grandfather, Isiaka Rabiu, and then myself. I have nothing but gratitude to offer. With these privileges, we have responsibilities.
“The God that created the CBN governor, the President etc. also created the peasant farmer. There is nothing to show that God loves you more. But God gives you the privileges to be able to touch the lives of those not given.”
He urged the privileged to be considerate and show love and be generous to those less endowed. Sanusi said: “If you cannot think beyond your how many property you have; how much cars you have; how many children you have etc, you are not really far from the animal, because a human reason must understand there must be reason for your privileges.
“We must remember the millions out there starving, the malnourished sick, the out-of-school etc. And we don’t spend every minute of our lives thinking how we can give them a little bit of what we have been blessed with we have a problem. These are the kinds of passion that should drive us without which we are doomed.
We should be living for other people. At 60, I don’t expect to live for another 60 years. The sense of the transience of life and the privileges should make us touch the lives of others.”
He insisted he had no interest in politics, adding that what he had always craved and wanted was to become the Emir of Kano, which he achieved. Sanusi said: “I never hid the fact that my ambition was to be the Emir of Kano.
In fact, I have never hidden my intentions about anything. So if I say I am not interested in politics it is because I’m not interested in politics. If I wanted to go into politics I will come out and say I’m contesting (election to become) the President of Nigeria. I am a Nigerian.
But I’m not interested. This is because I haven’t prepared myself for politics. I had prepared myself for a long time for an academic life; I prepared myself for the Emir; I prepared myself for banking and finance but I have no oneday experience in politics. You can’t just jump into politics, you learn.”