Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II, CON, born Sanusi Lamido Sanusi on 31 July 1961, is the 14th Emir of Kano who was crowned on 8 June 2014 after the death of his grand uncle Ado Bayero.
Sanusi had his primary education at the St. Anne’s Catholic Primary School, Kakuri, Kaduna between 1967 and 1972, where he obtained his First School Leaving Certificate. Lamido Sanusi had his secondary education at King’s College Lagos, and graduated in 1977. He got admission into Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in Economics in 1981. He pursued further studies and obtained a Master’s degree in Economics at Ahmadu Bello University in 1983, and became an instructor there from 1983 until 1985. Sanusi also studied in the International University of Africa, Khartoum, Sudan, and obtained a degree in Islamic Law there.
In 1985 Sanusi got employed by the Icon Limited and later joined the United Bank for Africa in 1997, working at the bank’s Credit and Risk Management Division, he rose to the position of a General Manager. In September 2005, he became one of the Board members of First Bank of Nigeria as an Executive Director in charge of Risk and Management Control. He was appointed Group Managing Director (CEO) in January 2009.
Emir Sanusi was a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN. He was appointed on 3 June 2009 for a five-year term, but was suspended from office by President Goodluck Jonathan on 20 February 2014.
Emir Sanusi is the grandson of Muhammadu Sanusi I, the 11th Fulani Emir of Kano. The Global financial intelligence magazine, The Banker, published by the Financial Times, conferred two awards on him – the global award for Central Bank Governor of the Year, as well as African Central Bank Governor of the Year.
The TIME magazine also listed Sanusi in its TIMES 100 list of Most Influential People of 2011. In 2013, Sanusi was also awarded a Special GIFA award at the third Global Islamic Finance Awards held in Dubai, for his advocacy role in promoting Islamic banking and finance in Nigeria during his stint as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
As Emir of Kano, he is the leader of the Tijaniyya Sufi order, historically the second most important Muslim position in Nigeria after the Sultan of Sokoto.
After he urged his followers to fight back against the Nigerian Islamist group, Boko Haram, the Kano Mosque, the seat of his emirate, was bombed in November 2014, during which 150 people died. In December 2014, Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, accused him of deviating from Islam and threatened to kill him. Sanusi replied that he is “safe with Allah” and likened Shekau’s comments describing Sufis as unbelievers to those of the late heretical Islamic preacher, Maitatsine.
