Sanusi and the war against terror
World

Sanusi and the war against terror

by Joseph Anthony
written by Joseph Anthony 141 views

Former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Sanusi Lamido Sanusi has pitched himself straight into the front line of the battle against the Islamist insurgents, notorious for holding more than 200 kidnapped schoolgirls, by being newly anointed Emir of Kano, writes 
The Telegraph of UK

Nigeria’s former central bank governor, who lost his job for speaking out against the country’s endemic corruption, has rid himself of his flamboyant pinstripes and bow tie to take up the reins of an even tougher challenge – that of turning the tide against Boko Haram.

Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, has pitched himself straight into the front line of the battle against the Islamist insurgents, notorious for holding more than 200 kidnapped schoolgirls, by being newly anointed Emir of Kano, spiritual head of the largest sect of Muslims in the insurgent wracked north of Nigeria.

Mr Sanusi, who cut a swathe through the conference rooms of high finance, used his first appearance in the Emir’s high domed turban and long robes to join the international appeal for the girls safety.

Standing surrounded by the Islamic elders and princes who had backed his succession to the title held by his uncle Ado Bayero since 1963, Mr Sanusi held up a placard pleading for the girls freedom. The handwritten sheet of paper said: “#Bring back our girls.”

Michele Obama, the US first lady, Prime Minister David Cameron, a host of celebrities and millions of social media users around the world have posted the same slogan as part of a campaign to secure the release of the girls from Boko Haram’s clutches.

The girls, thought to number up around 220 in all, were abducted from a boarding school in the remote town of Chibok in north-east Nigeria on April 14.

Nigeria’s government has so far failed to find the girls, some of whom may have already been married off to Boko Haram’s followers and others are thought to have be spirited across the border to Cameroon.

An al-Qaeda ally, Boko Haram has waged a violent war across northern Nigerian to shut down secular schools and impose its strict Islamic regime.

The former Emir had been an outspoken opponent of the sect but its influence grew as his advancing age and illness took hold.

Second only in stature among Nigeria’s Muslim rulers to the Sultan of Sokoto, the new emir has the chance to reinvigorate the effort to reverse Boko Haram’s advances.

William Squire, a former diplomat who began a distinguished Foreign Office career as a district officer in northern Nigeria, said enlisting traditional religious leaders was an effective strategy for political leaders seeking to undermine Boko Haram.

“Politicians have neglected the old traditional rulers of northern Nigeria, who remain an important element in society. Speaking to his office, the emir of Kano has influence rather than power. With his feet in two worlds given his recent experience at the bank of Nigeria, Sanusi is well placed to be an asset for good in the north,” said Mr Squire.

However the ex-governor’s poor relationship with Nigeria’s president, Goodluck Jonathan has overshadowed his election.

Mr Jonathan suspended Mr Sanusi as Nigeria’s central bank governor in February, just months after the dapper figure had been put on the cover of Forbes magazine as Africa’s greatest central banker. The president accused him of “various acts of financial recklessness and misconduct”.

Mr Sanusi was sacked after declaring there had been a £20 billion deficit in receipts from the state oil company to the Nigerian state. The governor said the money had been siphoned off in political corruption under Mr Jonathan’s leadership.

Reports in the Nigerian press yesterday said that Mr Jonathan had retaliated against backers of the emir by preventing their private jet from taking off from Kano International Airport on Sunday night.

The president’s political party was also blamed for a riot in which hundreds of youths ransacked streets around the royal palace following news of the succession.

Fears that friction between the president and the new emir triggered warnings that the security of Kano could be even more fragile following the succession.

“Boko Haram targets Kano precisely because they know it’s the commercial nerve centre of the north,” said Kennedy Emetulu, a London-based political commentator.

“Crippling Kano is crippling the north.”

Local analysts believe the new leader will seek to adhere to his traditional role.

“The Emir of Kano is seen as the father of all, more or less like a spiritual leader. He’s not particularly political. He’s supposed to be seen as a father figure to everybody, irrespective of tribe or religion, who lives in Kano,” Aliyu Yusuf, a resident of Kano, said.

If one anecdote from a British consultant who worked with the central bank is anything to go by, Mr Sanusi already knows the limitations that Nigeria’s terrorist threat imposes on even if highest ranking citizens. After inviting the consultant on a safari in the north, Mr Sanusi was advised the trip could not be sanctioned. “Mr governor, your insurance does not stretch that far,” the aide said.

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