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I don’t want to be President of Nigeria– Sanusi

Oluwasina Phillip

 

 

Former Emir of Kano and immediate past Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) Muhammmadu Sanusi has declared he does not want to be President or go into politics.

Sanusi said this at a dinner on Sunday night which was put together by the Nigerian Platform to celebrate his 60th birthday.

While thanking God for his favour upon him in the last 60 years, the former Emir called on those in privilege positions to use their resources to impact the lives of the people positively.

He added, “I have been fortunate, I have seen the highs and lows of life and I truly have so much to be thankful for. At age of 60, I won’t say I have achieved but the favours that I have been bestowed upon me are huge.

“I was the Chief Risk Officer of First Bank and the only Northern Nigerian Chief Executive Officer of First Bank in over 125 years, then Governor of CBN and Emir and now the Khalifa and the third holder of this title. I have nothing but gratitude to offer.

“With all these privileges comes responsibilities and when we seat here as elite, we must remember those who are hungry, those who are sick, malnourished, those out of school and if we don’t spend every moment of our lives thinking how can we give them little bit of what we have been blessed with, then we have a problem.

“These are the kind of passion that should drive us as country.”

Speaking on speculations that he might go into politics because of his popularity, Sanusi said that he was not currently considering such ambition.

He added, “People keep asking me what next I want to do and let me state here; for those who keep talking politics, I have never hidden the fact that my ambition was to be Emir of Kano, I have never hidden my intention about anything.

“So, if I say I am not interested in politics, it is because I am not interested. If I wanted to go into politics, I would have come out and say I am contesting for the Presidency of Nigeria. But I am not just interested and the reason is because I have not prepared myself for politics.

“I prepared myself a long time for academic life, I prepared myself for banking, I prepared myself for the Emirate but I have not had one day experience in politics.

“I have applied and I have been admitted and from September, I will be writing a PhD in law in the university of London and I’m writing my thesis on the codification of Muslim family law as an instrument of social reforms.”

In his address of welcome at the event, Coordinator of the Nigerian Platform, Dr Aliyu Modibbo Umar said the event is beyond a birthday celebration as it provided a platform to extoll the wonderful qualities of the former Emir.

He said the composition of the Nigeria Platform Group is such that is made up of 40 per cent older generation and 60 per cent of the younger generation.

He added, “The objective behind such an arrangement is obvious. First, is to draw on the vast knowledge and experience of the older generation; and two, to leverage on the youthful energy, technology driven expertise and modern intuitions of the younger generation to blend the two towards the development of a long-term; measurable and sustainable plan for the next 30 to 50 years from now that is supported by a defined ideology.

“In doing that, it was also the intention to expose the younger ones to mentorship from the older generation to prepare them for leadership in the future.”

“The Nigerian Platform Group had, in the interim, focused on the sorry state of the North; particularly the alarming and worsening poverty level but with a wider view towards proffering workable solutions to the nation’s problems.”

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