Renowned playwright and Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has criticized Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State for the dethronement of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as the Emir of Kano. Soyinka described Ganduje’s actions as a travesty of justice, comparing it to authoritarianism and the repudiated colonial order.
Soyinka recounted a similar scenario in Ogun State where a governor was set to dethrone a monarch, but was halted by the intervention of concerned friends. He lamented that Governor Ganduje did not have such friends to dissuade him from his actions.
In supporting Sanusi, Soyinka praised the dethroned Emir as a great reformer who significantly impacted the banking sector during his tenure as the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria. He also lauded Sanusi for his efforts in combating religious extremism as an Islamic scholar.
In a statement, Soyinka shared a conversation he had with Sanusi during a recent visit, where the dethroned monarch displayed resilience in the face of adversity. Soyinka expressed his belief that despite his dethronement, the doors of enlightened society remain open to Sanusi.
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