The 14th Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II has castigated Muhammad Sani Abdullahi, the immediate past Chief of Staff to Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State for addressing him as “former” Emir.
Speaking during a recent Kaduna Investment Summit, Abdullahi, who was Chief of Staff to the Governor at the time, introduced Sanusi to the audience as “the former Emir of Kano”.
However, the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and El-Rufai’s friend swiftly gave the governor’s aide a verbal reprimand.
“When I listened to the Chief of Staff…I will call him former Chief of Staff…you will understand why I call you ‘former’ later….Next time don’t call me ‘former Emir.’ There is nothing like that,” Sanusi said.
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Abdullahi was on Monday relieved of his position as Chief of Staff and redeployed to the Planning and Budget Commission.
Sanusi was deposed as Emir of Kano in 2020 after falling out with Governor Abdullahi Ganduje.
Aminu Ado-Bayero has since been appointed as his replacement.
Meanwhile, a writer and fan of Sanusi, Gimba Kakanda faulted the 14th Kano Emir’s stance.
He wrote, “But why was Emir Sanusi offended at being referred to as “former Emir of Kano” by Kaduna state Governor’s Chief of Staff? Whether he’s the fourteenth monarch to occupy the throne or the last, which he isn’t, the English adjective for having previously held a particular role is “former.”
“Even as a big fan of the deposed monarch, I don’t quite get the logic of this thinking. Being addressed as simply the fourteenth Emir of Kano seems more problematic. It creates an impression that he’s still in charge, especially for those who don’t keep track of the chronology of events in the centuries-old emirate.
“This objection to being referred to as “former” would’ve made sense if it’s possible to have two emirs of a given place at a time. Being deposed neutralizes the political and spiritual authority granted by the crown, and so I don’t get what preference of chronological position over the less ambitious state of one’s status is intended to achieve.”