I am a radical Emir —Sanusi

Former Central Bank Governor and Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammad Sanusi II, yesterday, declared that he is now a full radical emir. Sanusi added that he graduated from late Dr. Yusuf Bala Usman’s school of progressive struggle to become a radical teacher, banker and now, a radical Emir.

The Emir said that struggle only has meaning if it is against injustice and oppression, as any other struggle is meaningless. Speaking at the 10th anniversary memorial seminar in honour of late Yusuf Bala Usman, organised by the Centre for Democratic Development and Research Training, the Emir said the message Bala left is a message that all should take home. 

According to Sanusi: “We spent so many decades fighting a system, and every time we think we have defeated one system, the next one seems to be even worse, and it is like an uphill task, if you look at what we were fighting in the 1970’s and 1980’s against the MPN, and compare the MPN with what came after that, the MPN will look like an angel. “So, we are at a point in this country where we actually have to reverse this trend. For us that were in ABU in the 70’s, we were inspired or taught by late Bala; he was an undisputed leader of Northern progressives, most of us graduated to becoming radical teachers to radical professors, to radical bankers and radical emirs, but we never left the essential message of Bala, and it is a message that all of us should take home. “In life, struggle only has meaning if it is against injustice and oppression; any other struggle is meaningless; fighting for ethnicity, starting needless and mindless religious wars, and struggle for spores of power, are not worth it. The Emir added: “People are dying every day from a lack of education; lack healthcare; lack of security, bad governance, corruption, bad economic policies, and the real struggle that is meaningful in our lives is to try to improve that situation, and fight against those injustices. “It has been my misfortune to be under categorised in government though I am not a card bearing member of any political party, but I have friends who shared the same vision of Bala Usman, and that is what brought us together. “I pray that this seminar will continue the tradition of cultivating minds and setting mind sets, programmes, and hopefully, those minds will be integral to the change that we want, which is the removal of oppression and injustice, and the creation of a better society which was the dream of late Bala Usman,” he said