The Emir of Kano and former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Muhammadu Sanusi II, has cautioned ministers and presidential aides against becoming sycophants, urging them instead to tell the President the hard truths necessary to rescue the nation’s ailing economy.
Sanusi gave the admonition on Monday in Abuja at the Oxford Global Think Tank Leadership Conference and Book Launch, where he and economist Atedo Peterside examined Nigeria’s governance and economic management challenges.
Emphasizing the importance of courage and integrity in public service, Sanusi lamented that Nigeria’s leadership crisis is deepened by a culture of flattery and silence. According to him, honest voices are often suppressed while praise singers dominate the corridors of power.
“Our leaders listen but only to those who tell them what they want to hear,” the Emir said. “Nigeria has too many sycophants in government. Those who speak the truth are seen as enemies of the state.”
He condemned the growing culture of excessive eulogizing of political leaders during official engagements, saying it weakens accountability and breeds mediocrity.
“You sit in a meeting, and the President is there. The first thing people say is, ‘Mr. President, I want to thank you for your great leadership. God has blessed Nigeria by making you our leader,’” Sanusi said. “By the time they finish laying that foundation, it is their advice that the President accepts.”
“But when you tell the truth and point out what is wrong, they say you are the enemy. That is why people like Atedo Peterside and myself are always seen as enemies of the state because people don’t like hearing the truth.”
Sanusi urged ministers and presidential advisers to redeem the dignity of public office by speaking truth to power, noting that blind loyalty has been one of Nigeria’s greatest obstacles to progress.
“Those who work with the President must understand that it is not in their benefit to turn themselves into praise singers,” he warned. “You disgrace yourself and the office you hold when you do that.”
Turning to economic issues, the Emir commended President Bola Tinubu for implementing fuel subsidy removal and exchange rate unification, describing both as “painful but necessary steps.” He, however, warned that these reforms could collapse without fiscal discipline and transparent management of public funds.