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Dethroned Emire of Kano Sanusi Lamido is known for many record-breaking achievements, potentially increasing his Net Worth. So the big question is, what will Sanusi Lamido’s Net Worth be in 2025?
And we’re in a country where virtues like intellectualism and steadfastness are becoming rarer by the day. It is refreshing to see that one man has upheld them well.
We would be taking a peek into the life of such a man, who has served in various capacities for the country, and how much he’s currently worth in money.
Consider this piece the biography and net worth of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi II. And shall we begin?
Sanusi Lamido Biography
| Full Name | Sanusi Lamido Sanusi |
| Date of Birth | July 31, 1961 |
| Gender | Male |
| Place of Birth | Kano, Nigeria |
| Nationality | Nigerian |
| Profession | Economist, Banker, Monarch |
| Height | 6’0 |
| Parents | Aminu Sanusi (Father), Saudatu Hussain (Mother) |
| Siblings | Wambai Sanusi, Zainab Sanusi |
| Spouse | Sadiya Aminu (Wife) |
| Children | Shahida Sanusi, Muhammad Sanusi, Aisha Sanusi |
| Relationship Status | Married |
| Net Worth | $80 million |
Early Life
Sanusi Lamido Sanusi II was (born on July 31, 1961, 64 years old) in Kano, Nigeria, to the royal Fulani family of Sullubawa. That’s one year after Nigeria’s independence, and it does not matter in the grand scheme of things. Still, if we could just take a minute to ponder the significance, Nigeria was barely one year old in independence when Sanusi Lamido Sanusi was born. Nobody had any idea what he’d turn out to be.
It shows how much hope the youth carries for a nation despite the changes and challenges it faces.
Nobody knows what would happen to the country in the future as of 1961, which turns out to be so much different from what they must have envisioned at the time.
Of course, only a few people knew Sanusi Lamido Sanusi outside of his friends and family. Indeed, he came from a royal family that didn’t give anyone an inkling of what he would turn out to be, even though they prayed.
We think that in itself is inspiring, and others can simply take away from the fact that nothing is exactly written in stone in society; you’ve just got to rise up and make a change whenever you can.
Secondary School
As far as we know, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi II had his WASSCE (West African Secondary School Certificate Examination) at King’s College, Lagos – that was in 1977.
From there, he attended Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Economics in 1981.
He continued the course at the Master of Science level, graduating with a distinction in Monetary Policy in 1983.
He completed his NYSC program in Gongola State (now known as Adamawa and Taraba States) and started his career as an instructor at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
One could easily see the love for academics and consistency Sanusi Lamido Sanusi already exhibited earlier in his life.
Career Rise
It could be safely said that Sanusi Lamido Sanusi’s career began in 1985 when he became a merchant banker for Icon Limited (a merchant bank), a subsidiary of Morgan Guaranty Trust Bank of New York and Baring Brothers of London.
He remained there till 1993 when he joined the United Bank of Africa as a Principal Manager in their Credit and Risk Management Division.
He worked consistently and rose through the ranks to the position of General Manager.
He had a good run with UBA before leaving in September 2005 to become the Executive Director of Risk and Management Control at First Bank of Nigeria PLC.
Then came his biggest break (at least as most Nigerians see it) in 2009; he was appointed the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria on June 3rd, 2009. His nomination came on June 1st, 2009, from the then President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, while the Senate confirmed his appointment on the 3rd.
During his tenure, many noteworthy events happened, including his suspension from office, which was imposed by the then-President, Goodluck Jonathan, on 20 March 2014.
Sanusi Vs. Goodluck Jonathan 2014
He was suspended for reportedly exposing a huge $20 billion fraud in which the president and his associates at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) were complicit.
His revelation on the topic opened the people’s eyes to the underground, unabated corruption that the government of that time condoned.
While it is a revelation at the time for most Nigerians, much of it has been known on the foreign scene through the pin-sharp efficiency of investigative journalism that foreign news bodies have carried out.
We think that fact and innate intolerance for economic corruption prompted Sanusi Lamido Sanusi to expose the phony deal.
Of course, as everyone would expect, there was a backlash, and those involved would find ways to get even with Sanusi Lamido Sanusi or at least save their skin from the impending actions coming their way.
While we shall not be quoted anywhere on this, we think they found a way to make the president get him out of the office for it.
This might not be true, as there is no evidence to back that up that we know, but there is no evidence that it didn’t happen.
If anything, the incidences are just too close not to raise suspicion; the sack was not reflective of mismanagement or any other managerial incompetency on the part of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, and that’s what most Nigerians think is the more usual and normal cause for such a sack.
How the Central Bank Saved 24 Commercial Banks in 2010
The government of the day did a good job of shrouding the causes for his sack in mystery. Before his suspension, however, he led a “rescue mission” for Afribank, Intercontinental Bank, Finland bank, and Oceanic Bank, which had them bailed out of dire straits with 400 Billion Naira and their chief executives promptly dismissed.
This, and many other similar events, made Sanusi Lamido Sanusi known for his anti-corruption moves in his industry.
The Bankers called him the Central Bank of the Year in 2010, for his efforts to save up to 24 banks from the jaws of mismanagement and collapse; he went directly to the managers of those banks, who are involved in corruption and mismanagement and had them brought to book.
He has spoken at many events on the various banking reforms that have been undertaken or should be undertaken in Nigeria and their impact on its overall economy.
Sharia Education
Sanusi Lamido Sanusi II is a widely read person, and his knowledge of Sharia law is unsurprisingly evident.
He then obtained a Sharia and Islamic Studies degree at the African International University in Khartoum, Sudan, in 1997.
He’s been an active player in the Sharia Law debate and the author of a paper on The Hudhood Punishments in Northern Nigeria: A Muslim Criticism. He also presented the Sharia Debate and the Construction of a ‘Muslim’ Identity.
Northern Nigeria: A Critical Perspective, at a seminar held at the University of Bayreuth.
Of all the presentations and speeches Sanusi Lamido Sanusi has given on Shari’a Law, two themes seem to stand out in his position.
He believes that Islam is more concerned about justice delivery rather than being used as a means to power political agendas.
He is also of the belief that Wahhabist fundamentalism is not in line with genuine Muslim interests simply because the Shari’a is not a divine concept but a religious one that is neither static nor regular.
Recent Controversy
It is hard to eliminate controversy completely, and it is even harder for a man like Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.
He became the Emir of Kano and was formally crowned Emir Muhammed Sanusi II on June 9, 2014.
Coincidentally, this was in succession to the emirship of the late Dr. Ado Bayero, who passed away on June 6, 2014, and was the grand-uncle of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.
His coronation as an emir of Kano made him the leader of The Tijjaniyya Sufi order, historically regarded as the second-highest Muslim position.
The highest being the Sultan of Sokoto and the leader of the Qadriyya Sufi order. One time in 2014, he had a dispute with the Boko Haram terrorist group, whom he alleged were responsible for the bombing incident at the Kano Mosque (the seat of power for the emirate).
The incident killed 150 people, and the terrorist group counter-accused Sanusi Lamido Sanusi of moving away from Islam and made a threat to kill Sanusi Lamido Sanusi shortly after Sanusi Lamido Sanusi II primed his followers for a fight if the need arose.
We all can imagine what that must have felt like to have the most notorious terrorist kingpin threaten you, but kudos to the fact that he was able to keep his cool for the most part and not allow the case to escalate beyond control.
His Dethronement
Sanusi Lamido Sanusi II was recently dethroned from the position of the emir of Kano on the 9th of March 2020, to be precise.
The state governor removed him, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, who effected the dethronement in a press release sent to the secretary of the state government.
His dethronement was also announced in the presence of the Kano Emirate kingmakers and the other stakeholders, who converged on Government House, Kano.
He was immediately replaced by HRH Aminu Ado Bayero, the direct son of the Late Dr. Ado Bayero.
The press release stated that Sanusi Lamido Sanusi II was found to have breached part 3 section 13 (a-e) of the 2019 Emirate Law of Kano state, as well as refusing to attend official meetings and programs that was organized by the government “without any lawful justification” which is reflective of total insubordination on the part of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.
It was a bit of a controversial issue for most Nigerians because Sanusi Lamido Sanusi II has been known for his positive impact, especially during his time as the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Social Media Reactions to His Dethronement
Many people have thoughts on the dethronement and believe that the move is deeply rooted in politics.
Going back a bit into the story’s development, it is believed that Sanusi Lamido Sanusi was politically aligned with the current main opposition party when they were in power.
Then, there was a change in the tide of the government recently, and those who still aligned with the opposition got the stick anytime Sanusi Lamido Sanusi stood with his political affiliations and was vocal about it (which isn’t a bad thing to do in any way)
Along the line, he ran afoul of the present governor of Kano state, and the latter thought that the former was saying more than he should about him.
Because the governor is part of the ruling party, it is very easy to imagine he has the upper hand over someone in the opposition.
None of this is on paper, but we’ve been in the country long enough to realize how things like these work in the grand scheme.
Politics, Corruption, Connections, Parties, and Connections are all linked together in the country, and this has been perfected to the point that everyone sees it yet has no evidence of it.
So, for the news followers, it must have been seen that there was a time when Sanusi Lamido Sanusi spoke in favor of the now-opposition party, to the chagrin of the ruling party.
That was the time when the opposition party was in government, and the now-ruling party was trying its might to win power.
Their struggle for power paid off eventually, albeit a last-minute one: Nigerians didn’t really expect the now-opposition party to hold on for long, given the now-ruling party is the ruling party at the federal level.
The moment the change happened, everyone got the memo and adjusted accordingly. but certainly not Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, who stood with his political affiliations notwithstanding.
Sanusi Vs. Ganduje
Now, logically, as a governor, if someone as powerful as the Emir of Kano still supports the opposition, it would definitely cause a lot of headaches.
On the other hand, for someone in the opposition party, it is much easier to scrutinize the ruling party’s activities and uncover some of the weakest ones.
Meanwhile, someone like Sanusi Lamido Sanusi could not keep quiet about some of these things.
Given the principles that stood upon Sanusi, Lamido Sanusi didn’t exactly keep mute about it, and it was a huge headache for the governor of the state, who presumably had enough on his hands than to have the Emir of Kano gaslight him.
This meant that he had to be rid of it, one way or another.
While we are not the authority to confirm or deny any of that, one thing that’s more evident is that the dethronement is a substantial hit on Sanusi Lamido Sanusi’s dignity.
With his dethronement, he was also banished from Kano and temporarily relocated to Nassarawa state.
The King of a State vs the Governor of a State, who is more Powerful?
This raised questions about the right of a state governor to outrightly dethrone a king within the state.
It caused a huge debate online and revealed what people didn’t initially realize about the extent of a king’s constitutional powers in a state.
Historically, the king had such immense power, but that couldn’t continue for long under modern democracy.
What we do know, however, is that the government has constitutional power over kings.
There is something about the executive power and another related constitutional lingo, but the point is that the governor of Kano state is constitutionally authorized to dethrone a king as regal as Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.
What’s left is the motive behind that dethronement: we can only assume it was due to insubordination, as stated in the press release.
But that does not preclude the fact that there might be more underlying reasons than that.
Judging by the state’s political history and Sanusi Lamido Sanusi’s position prior to his dethronement, the political undertones of the action are not entirely impossible to see.
While more radical opinions say the presidency might even be involved in the saga, there are no concrete evidence to that effect.
But as they say, ” The absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence.” Unexpectedly, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi has moved to take legal action, which he has the right to do, which is still ongoing at the time of writing.
Other Notable works
Sanusi Lamido Sanusi is a prolific writer who has presented at national and international conferences.
His papers cover banking policies, politics, religion and society in general.
2004 he published “The New Capital Accord (Basel 2): The Standardized Approach to Minimum Capital Requirement under the First Pillar”.
That same year, he published “Managing Credit Risk under Basel 2”, “Bank Lending: Approval Administration & Control,” and “The New Capital Accord (Basel 2): Challenges, Opportunities and Threats”.
In 2005, he published “Managing Risks in the Nigerian Financial Services Industry: An Operator’s Perspective” and “Framework for Sound Risk Management”.
In 2006, he presented “Practical Implementation Challenges for Audit of Risk Management in Emerging Economies” at the Hilton Hotel in Kenya.
It is safe to conclude that those are just some (a small fraction, even) of his literary works.
He has also been known to speak quite vehemently on the tenets of Shari’a at events and conferences.
One thing that’s true about Sanusi Lamido Sanusi is that his presentations are entrenched in intellectualism.
He’s arguably been the single most influential person from the northern part of the country, and that has been due to his academic and intellectual take on topical issues.
He has also been known to be quite reactive to corrupt practices, and that was evident during the times he served as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
He outed a phony $20 billion deal involving NNPC and then President Goodluck Jonathan, regardless of his political affiliations.
This incident is believed to have led to his eventual sack. Now, people see a similarity in his recent dethronement, too.
Sanusi Lamido Sanusi Net Worth
According to Forbes, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi is one of the richest people in Northern Nigeria, with an estimated net worth of 80 million dollars.
But it can be safely assumed that this estimate is definitely less than the actual thing. Going by what we’ve seen on social media and the internet, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi has some of the choicest assets and acquisitions in the country; it isn’t exactly a bad thing for a man with such immense affluence to indulge himself.
