“Don’t Turn Yourselves To Praise Singers” – Sanusi Rubbishies Tinubu’s Aides, Ministers
The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has cautioned ministers and presidential aides against becoming praise singers, emphasising the need for honest advice to save Nigeria’s economy.
Speaking at the Oxford Global Think Tank Leadership Conference and Book Launch in Abuja, Sanusi stressed that Nigeria’s leadership crisis is worsened by sycophancy, with truth-tellers often branded enemies of the state.
“Our leaders listen but only to those who tell them what they want to hear,” Sanusi said as quoted by the Vanguard.
“Nigeria has too many sycophants in government. Those who speak the truth are seen as enemies of the state.”
The former Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) criticised the culture of excessive praise for political leaders, saying it stifles honest feedback and good governance.
“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,” he noted.
While he urged President Bola Tinubu’s ministers and advisers to restore integrity to public service by speaking truth to power, Sanusi emphasised that blind loyalty has hindered Nigeria’s progress.
“Those who work with the President must understand that it is not in their benefit to turn themselves into praise singers,” he warned.
The Emir commended the Tinubu administration for removing fuel subsidies and unifying exchange rates but cautioned that reforms will fail without institutional discipline and prudent spending.
He called for cutting government waste, reducing the cabinet size, and demonstrating leadership by example.
“If you stop paying subsidies but continue borrowing more, it means you’ve filled one hole only to dig another. The real challenge now is the quality of government spending and the management of the revenues saved.
“In 2012, we warned that the subsidy was unsustainable, but politics took over,” he recalled. “Now the same people who led protests against it have inherited the problem and had no choice but to do the right thing.”
The conference, themed “Reimagining Leadership and Governance in a Changing Africa,” brought together policymakers, development experts, and academics to discuss pathways for effective governance and institutional reform.
