Muhammad Sanusi II, the Emir of Kano, has reacted to the backlash that followed his remarks on President Bola Tinubu’s reforms, saying that his words were taken out of context and sensationalised.
At an event organised in honour of late Gani Fawehinmi in Lagos on Wednesday, Sanusi had acknowledged the reforms being made by the current administration but stated that he had chosen “not to help the government.”
“I have decided not to speak about the economy or the reforms, nor to explain anything regarding them. If I explained, it would only benefit this government, and I don’t want to aid this government,” the former central bank governor said.
“They’re my friends. If they don’t behave like friends, I don’t behave like a friend. So, I watch them being stewed, and they don’t even have people with credibility who can come and explain what they’re doing. But I’m not going to help.”
Sanusi’s remarks have generated a lot of reactions, prompting a response from Idris Mohammed, the minister of information and national orientation, who described it as a stance driven by personal interests.
“We find it amusing that a leader, more so one from an institution that ennobles forthrightness, fairness, and justice, would publicly admit to shuffling off telling the truth because of personal interest hinged on imaginary antagonism,” Idris said in a statement on Thursday.
Reacting to the development in a statement made available to BusinessDay on Friday, Sanusi a paragraph of his speech was taken out of context and sensationalised.
The Emir of Kano said, “They took one paragraph out of context and sensationalized it and everyone followed them. Nothing about the speech. Nothing about the nuanced support given to the government.
“That there are arguments supporting the reforms. That we are paying a price for decades of mismanagement before Tinubu. That there is light at the end of the tunnel. That we should all pray and support the system and talk about the good things happening.
“The paper presented and the discussants were all critical of the government. My speech as chairman effectively was a counter narrative of support.
“There is just no point dragging the matter, hopefully at some point those in Government will recognize I was speaking for them in an ideologically charged environment.
“In any case the specific friends I was referring to, definitely know themselves and have heard the coded message but that was not even the point in my intervention. I am used to my words being twisted so I suppose we just move on. This too shall come to pass.”
