•Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II
The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has emphasised that traditional rulers are essential pillars of nation-building and sound leadership.
He said, “Traditional institutions are key to good governance”, in a call for stronger nation-building efforts.
Speaking on Channels Television today, Emir Sanusi said he doesn’t need the constitution to advise the president or a state governor on issues affecting the nation.
According to him, he has the authority to provide counsel to the constituted authorities from the people he leads.
Sanusi said, “Do I need to be told to advise the president? Do I need the Constitution to tell me that if I think there is something the country needs, I should go to the president and say, ‘Mr President, I think this is wrong?’
“I don’t need the Constitution. I don’t need the Constitution to tell the governor that I think this is what we should be doing. I get that authority from being a leader of the people.
“I know there are people who think that we need to have something in the Constitution. What is in the constitution that traditional rulers are there to advise us? We respect that you have executive authority of the governor; times have moved.”
During the show, Sanusi emphasised the importance of inclusive political participation, calling for increased women’s representation in nation-building efforts.
He believes women have crucial roles to enhance more inclusive governance and is calling for more women’s representation in elected positions.
The traditional ruler also condemned domestic violence against women in Nigerian society, saying it is wrong for a man to beat a woman because his culture says so.
He said men take advantage of their power to oppress, noting that women are also humans entitled to protection, regardless of their nature.
“Violence happens in all societies. It’s not about an African culture. It’s about power relations where you have men having power, and women are not protected; men will take advantage of that power and oppress them.
“And in our society, the weak and the vulnerable are victims. You have women who are victims of violence. You have young children, you have the poor, you have the disabled. Okay, they’re all victims. If you go to hospital, you find crippled women, blind women, who are victims. You have pediatric sexual abuse”, he said.
“So we need to first of all say that as a country, we have citizens and human beings, and they have rights. Those rights are inviolable. You cannot violate them in the name of a culture.
“You cannot beat a woman because your culture says you can beat her. She’s a Nigerian citizen entitled to protection. It doesn’t matter what you think because these are the values that we live by in this time,” Sanusi added.
Emir Sanusi has a long-standing reputation for “speaking truth to power.”
Unlike many traditional rulers who maintain a distance from policy debates to avoid friction with the government, Sanusi utilises his platform to critique economic policies, social injustices, and educational gaps.
Currently, the Nigerian Constitution does not grant formal executive or legislative powers to traditional rulers. They are seen as “custodians of culture” with largely ceremonial roles.
