The Emir of Kano and former Central Bank Governor, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has issued a scathing rebuke to Nigeria’s ministers and presidential aides, warning them to stop turning government into a choir of praise singers instead of truth tellers.
Speaking at the Oxford Global Think Tank Leadership Conference and Book Launch in Abuja on Monday, Sanusi said Nigeria’s economic crisis was being deepened by dishonest advisers who fear telling the President the truth.
“Our leaders listen only to those who tell them what they want to hear,” Sanusi declared. “Nigeria has too many sycophants in government. Those who speak the truth are branded enemies of the state.”
He described as shameful the growing habit of officials praising presidents at public events rather than offering constructive advice.
“You sit in a meeting, and before any discussion, someone says, ‘Mr President, thank you for your great leadership.’ By the time they finish their flattery, it’s their advice that gets accepted,” he said.
Sanusi, who served as CBN Governor from 2009 to 2014, commended President Tinubu for taking tough economic decisions like subsidy removal and exchange rate unification, calling them “painful but necessary.”
However, he warned that the policies will fail unless matched with discipline and prudent management.
“If you stop paying subsidies but continue borrowing recklessly, you’ve simply filled one hole and dug another,” he said.
The Emir also questioned the excessive cost of governance, urging the federal government to cut waste and lead by example.
“Why do we need 48 ministers? Why do we need convoys of cars and endless travel allowances? You can’t preach sacrifice while living in luxury,” he said firmly.
Sanusi’s co-speaker, Atedo Peterside, founder of Stanbic IBTC Bank, echoed the Emir’s stance, insisting that Nigerians deserve proof that savings from subsidy removal are being used to improve lives.
“Pain doesn’t automatically produce gain,” Peterside cautioned. “It only does when government spends wisely and uplifts the poor.”
The conference, themed “Reimagining Leadership and Governance in a Changing Africa,” gathered top policymakers, economists, and academics, all stressing the need for honesty, fiscal discipline, and moral reawakening in governance.
Concluding his address, Sanusi delivered a sharp warning to public officials:
“Good policy without good governance is like planting a tree and refusing to water it. Leaders must stop surrounding themselves with praise singers and start listening to the truth — even when it hurts.”
