Sanusi: A Prophet Without Honour in His Land?
By Eugene Enahoro
Perhaps the biggest problem with Nigerian leaders who seek equity, is that they tend not to do so with clean hands. This makes it easy for their opposing to engage in fallacious “argumentum ad hominem” which means attacking the character of a man rather than addressing the issues in his argument. This appears to be the case with the recently deposed Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.
While his admirers agree with his socio-economic analysis and see him as a champion of the downtrodden, a reformer and a future presidential material, his detractors claim he “embodies the jarring disconnect between high minded ideals and lived reality”. They claim he is guilty of posturing because his personal lifestyle and love of opulence contradict many of his utterances pertaining to concern for poverty. Both shades of opinion have their merits and demerits. Even though he may not be the noblest of men, deposing him as Emir has once again sparked heated debate about the role of traditional rulers and their vulnerability to political actors.
In Africa as a whole, the only paramount traditional ruler is the King of Swaziland. In Nigeria even though the paramountcy of traditional rulers was undone by colonialism, Britain being a constitutional monarchy bequeathed to us parliamentary democracy in which they were given a constitutional role in governance. Between 1951 and 1966 each Region had both a House of Assembly with elected members, and a House of Chiefs comprising Traditional Rulers. The creation of a uniform local government system by the military put an end to the involvement of traditional rulers in governance. It whittled down their powers and influence, and reduced them to being mere custodians of culture.
Mind you, they are well rewarded for this minor role. Without having any real job to do except preside over festivals and sing the praises of whosoever is the current occupant of State House, they receive a monthly “subvention” of 5% of the allocation to their local government . A situation has arisen in which many of them, being to all intents idle with free money, engage in hedonistic lifestyles, competing to see who owns the most luxurious Rolls Royce, marrying several wives, revelling in sumptuousness and gallivanting at public expense while their “subjects” wallow in abject poverty. A
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This is unlike the situation in India where in 1971, Prime Minister Indira Ghandi introduced the 26th amendment to their Constitution abolishing the recognition given to the traditional rulers. Subsequently, some of them joined the political mainstream in order to continue being politically relevant, while others turned their palaces into luxury hotels in order to earn an honest living. In truth in this day and age of fundamental human rights and equality before the law the whole concept of traditional rulers is an anachronism. As Sanusi aptly pointed out, Nigerian traditional rulers are only useful and feted when they keep the peace and support government.
When they want to address the root causes of socio-economic problems which have to do with poor governance and misplaced priorities, they are accused of being “political” and “exceeding their mandate”! His dethronement wasn’t unexpected. Anyone who speaks the truth to power in Nigeria incurs wrath and becomes an enemy to be dealt with. It’s no secret that Nigerian Presidents and State Governors prioritise their own personal interests above the interests of the state. They scorn the fact that appointments to either traditional or political offices are for the purpose of service to the people and not service to themselves. It’s indisputable that at heart Sanusi is interested in the welfare of Northern peoples rather than that of their political leaders.
According to the World Bank, 87% of poor Nigerians are in the North, leading the region to being referred to as an axis of degradation, banditry, insurgency, kidnapping, ignorance and drug abuse. Millions of children aren’t in school and youths who have no future in modern society roam about the streets with no marketable employment skills. There is an erroneous opinion that the role of traditional rulers is to maintain tradition and Sanusi is guilty of departing from this. Such reasoning fails to take into consideration that if tradition supports backwardness, illiteracy and exploitation, then traditional rulers who uphold it become part of the problem, rather than part of the solution. Indeed there is no virtue in having such a prominent voice and not using it to speak out against deprivations in the name of culture and tradition.
Northern Governors appear satisfied with giving out alms and small scale “empowerment” utensils rather than adopting modernity, enforcing education and uplifting the human potential of their constituents. Sanusi correctly surmised that they must cease living in the past, adapt to modern day challenges and stop giving the impression that Islam is about backwardness. He rightly condemned selfish greedy politicians who concentrate on collecting kickbacks from constructing overly expensive inappropriate infrastructure, educate their children overseas and live lavish lifestyles firmly ensconced in palatial mansions while their “supporters” live either as nomads or in slums characterised by overwhelming poverty and human degradation.
Although talk of his being future presidential material may be far-fetched, there is no disputing that the majority of Nigerians who don’t live in Kano respect his utterances because his voice stands out as a beacon in a sea of malfeasance. His travails are from his own people. It’s a simple case of the old Nigerian adage “na who know man dey kill am”! Being a devout Moslem, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi could be forgiven if he has never heard the biblical admonition that “only in his home town, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honour”.
